Helion Lodge #1 F.&A.M. is a Masonic lodge in Huntsville, Alabama. It is the oldest operating lodge in the state. According to Grand Historian Joseph Abram Jackson's Masonry in Alabama, it is "the birthplace of Freemasonry in Alabama."Jackson, Joseph Abram (1970). Masonry in Alabama : a sequicentennial history, 1821-1971. Montgomery, Alabama: Brown Printing Co. Helion Lodge is the common name for the building, which is actually named "Eunomia Hall" for the Eunomia Chapter #5 Royal Arch Masons who financed its construction. It was built in 1911, where the lodge meets.
History In 1805, a Revolutionary War veteran named John Hunt built a log cabin at the Big Spring and founded what would grow to become the modern city of Huntsville, Alabama.Helion Lodge #1: Lodge Records, 1811-Current Six years later, on August 21, 1811, Madison Lodge #21 received its dispensation from the Grand Lodge of Kentucky. In 1812, it received its official charter from the Grand Lodge of Kentucky. John Hunt was among the first members, as was LeRoy Pope, who had given the city its original name of Twickenham. On April 6, 1818, a second Lodge was formed in the county, Bethesda Lodge #2. In 1824, the two Lodges combined as Helion Lodge #1 under the Grand Lodge of Alabama.
Helion Lodge survived the American Civil War, when Huntsville was often occupied by the Union Army. The quiet little town grew rapidly after World War II, when the area became host to both Redstone Arsenal and the Marshall Spaceflight Center. Notable members involved in the growth of Huntsville's defense and space industry are Senator John Sparkman and Mayor Joe W. Davis. Helion Lodge soon came to have the largest membership in the state. As a result, in 1962, a new Lodge was formed in Huntsville, Solar Lodge #914. Most of the members came from Helion Lodge. Five years later, in 1967, a third Huntsville Lodge was formed, Apollo Lodge #921. Both younger Lodges consider Helion as their mother Lodge and dual membership is common.
On Wednesday night, August 30, 1922, Helion was the location of the formation of Twickenham Chapter of The Order of DeMolay; the first chapter of The Order of DeMolay in the state of Alabama.
On January 6, 2018, a fire destroyed historical books stored in the Lodge.
Past Masters
The previous masters of the lodge are:
Number (Years) Past Master 1811 Madison Lodge 21, Grand Lodge of Kentucky Dispensation 1 1812 Madison Lodge 21, Grand Lodge of Kentucky Charter 1813-1817 Madison Lodge 21 1-2 1818-1820 Alabama Lodge 21, Grand Lodge of Tennessee Charter 1821 Grand Lodge of Alabama Formed 1822 Madison Lodge 1 1823 Madison Lodge 1 1822-1823 Bethesda Lodge 2 1824 Madison Lodge 1 1824 Bethesda Lodge 2 1 1824 Consolidation of Madison Lodge #1 and Bethesda Lodge #2 into Helion #1 2-3 1825-1826 4-5 1827-1828 6 1829 7 1830 8-13 1831-1836 14-19 1837-1842 20 1843 21-22 1844-1845 23-24 1846-1847 25 1848 26 1849 27 1850 28-29 1851-1852 30 1853 31-39 1854-1862 40-41 1863-1864 42 1865 43-46 1866-1869 47-48 1870-1871 49 1872 Dr. Milton Columbus Baldridge, https://huntsvillehistorycollection.org/hhc/browse-person.php?id=167&a=person&f= 50 1873 51-52 1874-1875 53-54 1876-1877 Dr. Milton Columbus Baldridge, 55-57 1878-1880 58-64 1881-1887 Dr. Milton Columbus Baldridge, 65 1888 66-68 1889-1891 Dr. Milton Columbus Baldridge, 69-70 1892-1893 71 1894 72 1895 73 1896 74-76 1897-1899 77 1900 78 1901 79-80 1902-1903 81 1904 82 1905 83 1906 84-85 1907-1908 86 1909 87-88 1910-1911 89 1912 90 1913 91-93 1914-1916 94 1917 95 1918 96-97 1919-1920 98 1921 99 1922 100-101 1923-1924 102-103 1925-1926 104 1927 105 1928 106 1929 107 1930 108-109 1931-1932 110-111 1933-1934 112 1935 113 1936 114 1937 115 1938 116 1939 117 1940 118-119 1941-1942 120-121 1943-1944 122 1945 123 1946 124 1947 125 1948 126 1949 127 1950 128 1951 129 1952 130 1953 131 1954 132 1955 133 1956 134 1957 135 1958 136 1959 137 1960 138 1961 139 1962 140 1963 141 1964 142 1965 143 1966 144 1967 145 1968 146 1969 147 1970 148 1971 149 1972 150 1973 151 1974 152 1975 153 1976 154 1977 155 1978 156 1979 157 1980 158 1981 159 1982 160 1983 161 1984 162 1985 163 1986 164 1987 165 1988 166 1989 167 1990 168 1991 169 1992 170 1993 171 1994 172 1995 173 1996 174 1997 175 1998 176 1999 177 2000 178 2001 179 2002 180 2003 181 2004 182 2005 183 2006 184 2007 185 2008 186 2009 187 2010 188 2011 189 2012 190 2013 191 2014 192 2015 193 2016 194 2017 195 2018 196 2019 197 2020 198 2021 199 2022 200 2023 201 2024 202 2025 Honorary Past Masters The following have been designated honorary masters:Helion Lodge #1: Lodge Records Number Year Honorary Past Master 1 2 2005 3 2009 4 2014 5 2014 Dynetics 6 2024
Location Helion Lodge stands on the original site of Madison Lodge #21 at 409 Lincoln Street in the Twickenham Historic District of Huntsville. The present building is over 100 years old and was designed by noted architect, and Lodge member, Edgar Love. The cornerstone was laid in 1911.
The building was officially named Eunomia Masonic Hall after the Royal Arch Chapter, but is now simply called Helion Lodge. It is home to both Helion Lodge and the Huntsville York Rite bodies, as well as to Twickenham-Milford Order of DeMolay and to White Light Assembly #66, International Order of the Rainbow for Girls. It is the oldest Lodge in the state of Alabama.
The building has a reputation for being haunted by ghosts.
Awards Helion Lodge received the Masonic Service Association of North America's Mark Twain Award for Masonic Awareness, in the lodge and in the community, in 2008, 2009, and 2010. Helion Lodge received the Twain Award again in 2012. Ittis ime recipient of the Twain Award for Masonic Awareness.
Further reading Jackson, Joseph Abram. Masonry in Alabama: a sesquicentennial history, 1821–1971. OCLC 3931387 Helion - Listed in an article titled: "The Birthplace of Alabama Freemasonry Helion Lodge #1, Huntsville Alabama, The Huntsville Historical Review, Volume 24, #1, Jan-97, by Huntsville-Madison County Historical Society Helion - Listed in an article titled: "The Birthplace of Alabama Freemasonry Helion Lodge #1, Huntsville Alabama, The Huntsville Historical Review, Volume 24, #1, Jan-97, by Huntsville-Madison County Historical Society
References
External links Helion Lodge Webpage Listed in an article titled: "The Birthplace of Alabama Freemasonry Helion Lodge #1, Huntsville Alabama, The Huntsville Historical Review, Volume 24, #1, Jan-97, by Huntsville-Madison County Historical Society