About Us

Our Story

During the late ’40s and ’50s, NY Masonry saw a great increase in membership due to our returning vets from both WWII and Korea. 200,000 in the State. As members aged and died the Lodge membership started to drop to a point where they couldn’t get enough members out to open the Lodge. New members were few and far between. Thus Lodges began considering mergers or consolidation with other Lodges. This became a regular practice. The fifth Masonic District was originally comprised of 23 Lodges.

Furthermore, our Lodge became a source of Fifth District officers, District Deputy Grand Masters, and Staff Officers as well as appointees to Grand Lodge Committees. Our Lodge members worked very diligently throughout New York State Masonry. We had so many past DDGMs and past Staff Officers and past Grand Reps that the Lodge was referred to as “the Purple Lodge.” Our members were bright, talented and experienced people. Many of our Bros were recognized as Masons of the Year by the Fifth District. And we had good connections with Grand Masters too.

Our History

Carpenter, Emanuel, Gerard, Perfect Ashler, Ivanhoe, and Tabernacle, Evangelist, Ancient and Bunting were mergers, some Lodges decided to be absorbed into a stronger Lodge and gave up their names, accepted the bylaws and merged funds. Ancient. Alma.

In 1977 leading members of Bunting Lodge and Charity Lodge started talking about the future and the Fifth District Assn. What was in store for our two lodges under the continuing losses of old members and very few new members. Informal discussions began between Lodge leaders on the possibility of the two Lodges merging. The committee reasoned that both Bunting and Charity were the stronger Lodges of the Fifth District. Both met on a Friday evening, Charity on 1st and 3rd Fridays, Bunting 2nd and 4th. Buntings assets were in Stocks, Charity’s in cash. Having all assets in the stock market caused some lack of funds when the market was down – cash was always available – a good combination of assets.