a history of Mount Horeb Lodge
Coming soon. In the meantime..
.
Nehemiah D. Kelley ...the first Worshipful Master of Mount Horeb Lodge 1854 to 1855
...here is a little Mount Horeb Lodge Masonic Trivia. The above picture appeared in the Cape Cod Times newspaper on Tuesday, December 18, 1956. Although the picture is fairly poor (even with enhancements) can anyone name the newly installed Officers shown? A couple of you out there will probably recognize yourself. Also do you know the location of the Lodge building at the time?
Answers: The caption under the photo states:
"Installation of officers of Mount Horeb Lodge, A.F. and A.M. of West Harwich was conducted Saturday night. The new officers are, front, left to right, Emmons H. Bradford, secretary; Earle H. Foss, senior warden; George H. Canham, worshipful master; James E. Thistle, junior warden, and Worshipful John F. Rodgers, chaplain. At the rear are Irwin W. Moran, organist; Marcus L. Crowell, marshal; Clarence E. Norcross, senior steward; George E. Canham, senior deacon; James B. Merchant, junior steward; Robert D. Speakman, junior deacon, and Thatcher T. Kelley, inside sentinel."
...and anyone that has visited the Lodge has seen this picture-
It is titled "MASONIC FIREFIGHTERS?" and appeared in the Cape Cod Times on June 6, 1974. The caption under the picture reads-
"From left to right: Bro. Charles P. Buckley. Jr., Wor. Robert C. Eldred, Jr., Bro. W. Bradford Morse, Bro. Benjamin L. Richardson. Photo taken on June 5, 1974 at structure fire in West Yarmouth and appeared in the then Cape Cod Times. Occasion was Bro. Buckley's 3rd Degree at Mount Horeb Lodge in South Dennis, followed by a "raising" party at a motel in South Yarmouth. These Brothers heard sirens and followed Yarmouth fire apparatus to the location where the picture was taken by Harold Cobb."
The pictures above are of Mount Horeb Lodge in West Harwich, the present site of the Harwich Junior Theatre. The date was November 8, 1929 and it was cause for celebration as it was the 75th Anniversary of Mount Horeb Lodge. M.W. Herbert W. Dean, Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts was presnt for the ceremonies and celebrations...
A Family of Sea-Going Masons at Mt. Horeb
by Bro. J. Duncan Berry
The night I signed Mt. Horeb's By-Laws in February 2002 was an important personal milestone. Most rewarding was that the evening commemorated the fulfillment of an extended historical connection and the closing of a multi-generational family circle at Mt. Horeb. These family concerns had been a vital part of my idea of "what a mason is" well before the night I was raised at Pilgrim Lodge in early 1999.
One of the reasons I decided to become a Mason was the nagging recollection of having seen the square and compasses somewhere about our old family home in West Harwich. Knowing something of the character and reputation of these men from family legends passed down since the 1880s, I figured that joining the fraternity would probably not be all that bad! As a bonus, I might somehow get to know something more about them, perhaps, if they had left a paper trail. This vague interest in "more light" about my ancestors has resulted in my gaining more light about them, considerably more about myself, and a whole new level of appreciation for the fraternity. In what follows, I have printed in bold letters the names of my family members who were raised at Mt. Horeb Lodge.
In the fall of 2001, while scavenging about the attic of our family home for items that might help me compose a few factual paragraphs for a genealogy dedicated to my six-year old daughter, I came across a scrap of paper tucked away casually in an old sea chest bearing the initials of one of my ancestors. As I picked it up, I could tell immediately that it was quite old and that it was indeed Masonic. I carefully unfolded the deeply creased parchment, section by section, and discovered a magnificent mid-nineteenth-century Masonic diploma with somewhat faded sepia-tone ink, and a blue ribbon along one edge ending in a fob-like wax seal bearing the imprint of Mt. Horeb Lodge. Beneath the ribbon along the left edge of the diploma, in confident, oversized cursive script was the signature of my great-great grandfather, Capt. James Berry (left; 1826-1881).
It appears that he was raised on June 13, 1855 by Wor. Nehemiah Kelley, another West Harwich sea captain, whose home at 64 Riverside Drive has been recently (and quite lovingly) restored. The diploma itself is, from an artistic and architectural standpoint, quite interesting - unlike the formulaic recent devices one sees in most modern diplomas. Instead of a flat, static theatrical stage set bearing various trappings of the Craft, we have a scenographic vignette of a fantastical triangular structure with a columnar superstructure. The three columns (Wisdom, Strength and Beauty), serve as the signature spaces for the Master, Senior Warden and Junior Warden, respectively. The pedestal of each bears the Working Tools of each office. Suspended from two poles joining the entablature of each column are two scrolls. The scroll on the left, in shadow, reads:
Bro. James Berry, Jr., to whom we have granted these letters was admitted to the Third Degree of Masonry in Mount Horeb Lodge on the sixth day of June, A. L. 5855. Distinguished for his virtues and fidelity to the Craft, he is recommended to their favor and protection. In testimony whereof, we have caused our Brother to write his name in the margin, and to these presents have affixed the Seal of our Lodge, Witness our Master and Wardens at West Harwich this 13th day of June, A. D. 1855.
Anthony Kelley, Sec.
William Earle, J. W.
Joseph K. Baker, Jr., S. W.
Nehemiah Kelley, M.
The scroll on the right makes the same declaration, but in Latin, and has been left blank.
Atop each column are figural allegories of Faith, Hope and Charity. Faith, carrying a cross, and Hope, an anchor, hold aloft a banner spanning the entire composition, which forms the lower lid of the Eye, that reads:
TO THE FRATERNITY PEACE AND GOOD FELLOWSHIP
Above the banner a dramatic stormy sky bursts open with beam of light from a central point occupied by the All-Seeing Eye. This three-part superstructure stands atop a checkerboard floor on a triangular podium, whose front face, decorated with egg-and-dart and oak leaf-and-acorn moldings, reads as follows:
GRAND LODGE of MASSACHUSETTS Winslow Lewis GRAND MASTER Be it known that Mount Horeb Lodge in West Harwich, U. S. of America is under our jurisdiction and that full faith may be given to its Masonic Acts Given at Boston this 13th day of June A. L. 5855.
Charles W. Morse, Grand Sec.y
While both the imagery and language of the document could be the topic of an analysis that might indicate the new legalistic footing of the Craft in the post-Morgan Incident period, it is the informal jottings on the back side of the diploma that are of special interest, for it appears that this diploma was used something akin to a passport granting access to lodges the world over!
Unfortunately, some of the handwriting has faded in the nearly 150 years since it was initially issued, so not all the information is perfectly legible. But from what can be made out, I have been able to compose the following chronology of Capt. James Berry's Masonic career:
- December 26, 1826: Born, Dennis, MA
- June 6, 1855: Raised, Mt. Horeb Lodge, West Harwich
- July 30, 1856: Les Élèves de Thermes, Anvers (France)
- November 5, 1856: Phoenix Lodge, Durham Co. (England)
- July 22, 1857: Bethesda Lodge, Valparaiso (Chile)
- July 24, 1857: Union Fraternale, Valparaiso (Chile)
- August 4, 1858: Chevaliers de la Franternité, Bordeaux (France)
- August 16, 1858: La Sincerité, Bordeaux (France)
- November 24, 1861: L'Amenité, Le Havre (France)
- March 16, 1870: Lodge of St. John, No. 485, Perth (Australia)
- November 26, 1873: Marine Lodge, Cambridge (England)
- October 15, 1881: Died at Sea
Capt. James Berry had probably already a couple of years "before the mast" by 1840, and was no doubt a seasoned participant in the great age of the clipper ships during the 1850s when sleek, square-rigged vessels were setting new speed records around the world's premier ports. He must have done fairly well by the mid-1850s, for he was able to erect the handsome Greek Revival residence on Main Street in West Harwich which, to this day, serves as our family home. It is only one of only two houses in Harwich listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
He received his Master's papers from London in 1865, and by the end of that decade was taking freight to the Pacific and returning with South American guano, a highly prized fertilizer. In a family album of, for the most part, unidentified portraits dating to the 1860s and 1870s, there are images that enable one to piece together a few rudimentary facts. For instance, as captain of the bark Envoy (right), Capt. James Berry was anchored at the Chinchas Islands, off the Coast of Chile, for refitting. This is where American ships would line up by the score to be loaded with that fragrant, nitrogen-rich substance by hundreds of sweating Chinese coolies. And as one can see from the Captain's recorded Masonic visits, he was certainly familiar with two Lodges in Valparaiso, Chile.
Family legend has it that he was a self-made man, and a tough one at that - a perfect specimen of that generation of Cape Yanks whose calling to the sea enabled them to see more of the world in their day than most of us see in ours. Like many of his peers, he brought his wife and family aboard on some of the voyages. In fact, his second son was born at sea. One family story details how during a particularly forceful hurricane at sea, Capt. James Berry had his son (see left) and two daughters packed and secured in the bark's hold, and when he retuned topside, he drafted a rescue note giving the last known coordinates, sealed it in a bottle, and cast it into the storm. That was the last "family outing," as it were. The children were schooled in Harwich public schools thereafter!
Capt. Osmyn Berry (right; 1865-1935), that second son, was one of the youngest captains this country has ever had, and had thrice circumnavigated the globe by his nineteenth birthday. 
It was as a sixteen-year-old First Mate for his father aboard the bark Hercules on a trip from Hong Kong to London that he had his first command. Considering the circumstances, it was a command he would have preferred to decline. In a log book still in the family possession, one reads with dismay of the Captain's declining health over the course of several weeks in the autumn of 1881, as they sailed west from the Philippines, though the Indian Ocean and up to the Suez Canal. The log was kept by the young Osmyn Berry, and his professional tone never wavered as the inevitable unfolds. The narrative breaks off the day before the Captain's death on the 15th of October of that year, and we know from family lore that Osmyn had his father's remains packed in a coffin of salt to insure a proper, Masonic burial in Pine Grove Cemetery, West Harwich. Capt. Osmyn Berry followed in his father's footsteps in Masonry, and with one uncle in attendance as a line officer, he was raised to the Sublime Degree the evening of April 4, 1888. He even served a term as Lodge Secretary in 1900.
Adjusted for inflation, Capt. James Berry's estate was considerable, and after providing handsomely for his widow, daughters and a niece who bore his mother's name, he left the bulk of his estate to his son upon reaching the age of thirty, thus making Osmyn one of the most eligible bachelors in the Commonwealth. The widow, Mrs. Marinda N. Berry (née Smith), remarried three years later to James's next younger brother, Henry Clay Berry.
Capt. Henry C. Berry (left, 1833-1905) went to sea in 1842, served in the Union Army during the Civil War, and became a distinguished master mariner in short time aboard his ship Golden State. He retired from active service in 1885 after twenty-six years and was listed in the Federal Census of 1900 as a "capitalist," a moniker that supplanted the antiquated "Esquire" to denote a man of independent means. "Uncle Henry," as he was called by his "new" family, had a keen financial bent, and when he was not buying and selling shares in various freight ventures and securities, he was actively involved in the cranberry and herring business in West Harwich. A prominent Republican who worked hard to elect President Harrison in 1888, the Captain was also active in the West Harwich Baptist Church as an Assessor. He drove a snappy carriage and, according to reports in The Harwich Independent, was quite the man about town. He may have even raced horses on the one-mile Wychmere Harbor track in the late 1880s.
At the same time, however, Capt. Henry C. Berry was the most distinguished Mason in our family, having served Mt. Horeb in a number of capacities from the mid-1880s through to the time of his death, at which time he was High Priest of Sylvester Baxter Royal Arch Chapter. It appears that his older brother was something of a catalyst for the Craft in our family, for within six months of his being raised, "Henry Clay Berry, mariner," is raised on November 14, 1855. Thirty-nine years later, he came to occupy the Oriental Chair at Mt. Horeb, serving as Master during 1894-1895. He again served the Lodge in 1897 and 1899 as secretary and acting secretary, respectively. The eloquent resolution passed on October 4, 1905 by the brethren of Mt. Horeb to note his passing clearly articulates his contributions:
Resolution
Whereas, the Supreme Rule of the Universe has seen fit to remove from our midst our esteemed and beloved Brother, Past Worshipful Henry C. Berry, therefore (sic) in view of the loss of the members of Mt. Horeb Lodge have sustained, and the still heavier loss to his bereaved family, be it
Resolved, that while we bow with humble submissions to the will of our Heavenly Father, we can but mourn for our brother who has been taken from us.
Resolved, that we deplore the loss of this brother, who was ever ready to proffer the hand of aid and the voice of sympathy to the needy and distressed, and active member whose utmost endeavors were exerted for the welfare and prosperity of this Lodge.
Resolved, that the wisdom and ability which he has shown in our Lodge by his counsel and services will be held with grateful remembrance, the removal of such a brother leaves a vacancy that will be deeply realized by all.
Resolved, that we extend to the family of our deceased brother our sympathy in this, their great hour of affliction.
Resolved, that the Lodge room will be draped in mourning for thirty days, that this resolution be spread upon the records of Mt. Horeb Lodge, a copy sent to the family of our deceased brother, and a copy sent to the editor of The Harwich Independent for publication.
A third brother of Capt. James Berry appears also to have sought "more light," for on the 9th of August, 1858 Capt. Horace N. Berry (right; 1835-1915) was raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason at Mt. Horeb. Capt. Horace Berry also served in the Union Army as a youth and became a renowned blue water skipper aboard the George M. Barnard. After retiring from active duty, he came to prominence in the Boston Marine Society as the Port Warden of Boston for just shy of a quarter of a century, before passing away at the age of 79. The Boston Marine Society, established in 1742 - less than a decade after the founding of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts and likewise still in existence - exhibits a number of striking similarities to the Craft, in terms of voting with a box of white cubes and black balls, being a limited-enrollment organization, and also dedicated to mutual aid. It should be mentioned that Capt. Osmyn Berry also served at Port Warden of Boston for many years, and was elected Trustee of the Society in 1924.
Somehow, Capt. James Berry's youngest brother, Capt. Elbridge G. Berry (1837-after August 1915), escaped the strong gravitational sway Mt. Horeb exerted on his brothers, uncles and cousins of the Berry family. Little is known of Elbridge, but the fact that he made Provincetown his home has led me to inquire about the possibility of a connection to King Hiram's.
Masonry and the sea were certainly in the blood of this branch of the family, and it extended well beyond. Capt. James Berry and his brothers had two uncles who were also West Harwich sea captains: Capt. Joseph C. Berry and Capt. Judah Berry, Sr. (1808-1894). The latter was raised at Mt. Horeb on July 13, 1861 and saw three of his sons become sea captains and join the Craft. Capt. Judah Berry, Jr. (1834-1904) was raised at Mt. Horeb ten days before his father; Capt. Freeman R. Berry (1833-1915) was raised on October 4, 1860; and Capt. Samuel R. Berry (1837-1894) was raised on February 4, 1862
It appears that the allure of the sea and of the Craft was something that was passed through the ladies of the family as well. Capt. James Berry's eldest daughter, Zellah Byron Berry (1856-1951), married a Brockton native in 1878 by the name of William S. Willson (1851-1934), and he was raised in the Lodge of St. George's in that town on October 17, 1888. His son Harold Willson (1887-1958), born on Bank Street in Harwich Port, was raised at Mt. Horeb on the 20th of June, 1930. In turn, his son, Harold Willson, Jr. (1913-) was raised at Mt. Horeb on May 3, 1939.
Capt. James Berry's youngest daughter, Miss Minnie N. Berry (1859-1941) married within the trade and the Craft when she, in 1892, wed Capt. Gustavus V. Crowell (1842-1927), perhaps the most accomplished and respected mariner the Cape ever produced. When she married Capt. Crowell, they came to live in the house next door to house built by Capt. James Berry. Capt. Crowell was also a member of Orient Chapter.
* * *
The appeal of the sea as a livelihood and lifestyle explains the astonishing career-choice uniformity among all these men in my family. But what explains the almost identical appeal of Freemasonry ? On this one can but speculate, but some thoughts do come to mind. The more one comes to learn about life aboard a merchant ship in the mid- and late-19th century, the more it becomes clear that life at sea was dominated by issues of safety and economy. Exposure to the irregularity and severity of the elements along with the absence of social interaction, for months at a time, demanded a regimen and an order to life, and the ship's Captain was its physical, legal and moral embodiment. In addition, the regular sounding of bells to mark the passage of time, the routine duties carried out for the maintenance of the ship, and the regularities of life imposed by celestial navigation - the entire constellation of orderly, almost metronomic, chronologically-enforced habits must have, by comparison, made life onshore seem like a fantastic whirlpool of chaotic choices, senseless and perhaps repugnant by virtue of their lack of a disciplined routine.
Except for the practice of one's faith, Masonry was probably the only institution ashore that provided something akin to the structured environment of life aboard ship - be it aboard a coastal schooner or an ocean-going bark. The rhythms of the Craft at labor - the gavel, the knocker, the staffs - are but an echo of nature's larger patterns that helped formed the structured mindset of a successful mariner. That one could leave the charms of a small Cape village and fit into a society of brothers on a different continent was, no doubt, another aspect of it's practical attraction.
Masonry will always offer something special to mariners, soldiers, and musicians - and everyone else whose life is lived in synch with larger patterns of discipline - because it bestows a context and method for the practice of brotherly love in a world that has become increasingly insensitive to the larger aesthetic and moral rhythms of life.
Judging from the wide compass of Capt. James Berry's fraternal reach - from Europe to South America, and from there to the South Pacific - and the deep impression le left upon his siblings and relatives, one appreciates why the verities taught by Masonry were just as universally valid wherever he sailed in the mid-nineteenth century, as they are wherever we might fly in the twenty-first century.
While an earlier generation's attraction to the Craft may well have been considerably more complex than I either present it or imagine it, Mt. Horeb's undeniable role in the global scope of the Craft through my family alone constitutes a fraction of what this Lodge has done in many other spheres of community life in Harwich and Dennis over the course of the last fifteen decades.
It is our duty to recognize this rich heritage, acknowledge the vitality and depth of our fraternity's great and noble teachings, and bring them to bear in our lives as men and Masons. Embracing our past while ever searching for "more light," we can do much to bring our Craft back to the prominence in our community it once so clearly enjoyed. It is up to us.
It is an honor to for my family to reconnect to Mt. Horeb through me, and I look forward to introducing to the brethren my younger sibling, Brother Alexander Osmyn Berry (1961-), who I raised at Boynton Lodge #236 in Boynton Beach, Florida last Spring, upon his next trip to the Cape.