Bremond Lodge, the 1st 50 Years

1883-1933
A synopsis

In 1883, a group of men, desiring to promote their social intercourse and fraternal relationships, met with the intent of forming a Masonic Lodge in the growing community that was to become the city of Newport News. A request for dispensation to meet as a lodge, with support from St. Tammany Lodge No. 5 in Hampton, VA., was submitted to the Grand Lodge of Virginia and was granted by M:.W:. Reuben Mann Page on June 6, 1883.

The first organizational meeting of the lodge was held on June 11, 1883 in the Hotel Warwick, the purpose of which was to select the presiding officers, set the amount of the annual dues and to select a name for the lodge, and begin the search for a suitable meeting room. The men selected to provide leadership at this meeting were: Bro. Charles D. Boggs (Lodge No. 2, Halifax, Nova Scotia) as Master, Wor. John J. Crutchfield (Lodge No. 36 of Richmond, VA) as Senior Warden, and Bro. Julius Landsberg (No. 5 of Hampton, VA) as Junior Warden. Dues were initially set at four dollars per year. As for a name, Bremond was selected in honor and recognition of the first agent of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway in Newport News. In addition Col. Bremond was instrumental, along with brother Landsberg, in providing the impetus to form the lodge.

The dispensation, having been granted in June, a called meeting of the lodge was held on July 31, 1883 to receive the dispensation and to elect the remaining officers to complete the organization of the lodge. Elected were: Enoch Clayton (No. 79 Point Pleasant, N.J.) as Treasurer, O. B. Sims (No. 14 Manchester, VA) as Secretary, Irvin Weisiger (No. 14 Manchester, VA) as Senior Deacon, T. M. Benson (No. 238, Virginia) as Junior Deacon, and William J. Epes (No. 106, Pennsylvania) as Tiler and Steward. The other charter members were: Carter M. Braxton, Rt. Wor. M. B. Crowell, J. M. Curtis, M. T. Hughes, Charles L. Sears, S. W. Weaver, and J. R. Weston. It was at this meeting that it was decided that the regular stated communications of the lodge would be held on the second Tuesday of each month. In addition, a set of officers jewels were presented to the lodge by Bro. Louis Bremond, the lodge's namesake. This meeting was held in a second story room of a building owned by Bro. Landsberg that was located at 12 23rd street, between Washington and West Avenues (the first floor of the building was used as a pool hall and bar), which would continue to be the Lodge room until April of 1885 when they moved to the 3rd floor of a newly constructed brick building owned by Mr. John Viney, that was on the northeast corner of Washington Ave. and 26th St.

The charter for Bremond Lodge No. 241 was granted at the annual communication of the Grand Lodge of Virginia and signed on December 12, 1883 with the lodge being regularly instituted on January 9, 1884 by Rt. Wor. Joseph Kahn, DDGM of District 28 with all of the officers who had served under dispensation being installed with the exception of Bro. Crutchfield, who had returned to Richmond, Bro. Irvin Weisiger was elected and installed as Senior Warden in his place.

The first set of Lodge By-Laws were adopted on February 9, 1884 and the annual stated communication of the lodge was then held in June of each year until 1904, when the annual stated communication of the lodge was moved to December as it continues to be held. The lodge continued to meet in the Viney Building until September 1897 when it moved once more to the top floor of the Harwood building and shared this space with St. John's Chapter No. 57 Royal Arch Masons. The Harwood building was located between 27th and 28th Streets.

The lodge continued to be active with the normal business of both stated and called communications, with the occasional visit of various dignitaries. In May of 1915, the lodge adopted a committee report to purchase two lots on the northwest corner of Washington Avenue and Thirty-Third streets, and to co-purchase an additional lot at the same location, with St. John's Royal Arch Chapter. This location was to later become the home of the Masonic Temple of Newport News when approval to start construction was approved on October 10, 1921, with the cornerstone being laid in regular form on January 10, 1922 and the first meeting being held in the new Temple in January 1923. This would continue to be the home of Bremond Lodge until 1983 when it moved to yet another new building which the brothers of Bremond Lodge had built at 12735 Warwick Blvd (across the street from Peninsula Memorial Park).

During the years of 1917 through 1920, Bremond Lodge, as a result of it's proximity to the embarkation point for soldiers heading for the war in Europe conferred a large number of degrees as a courtesy to a number of jurisdictions. Forty-One Master Masons degrees were conferred during this time for lodges from the following jurisdictions: Texas, Indiana, Massachusetts, North Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, West Virginia, New York, California, Ohio, Arkansas, Arizona, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Michigan, Florida, Georgia, Oregon, Wisconsin, Tennessee, District of Columbia, Illinois, Minnesota, Washington, Virginia, Louisiana, North Carolina, New Jersey, Alabama, and Mississippi.

Representatives of Bremond Lodge attended both the corner stone laying and dedication of the George Washington Memorial in Alexandria, Va in November 1923 and May of 1932 respectively. As well as participating in a number of official visits and special functions, such as Sts. John day picnics at Buckroe Beach, were attended by the brothers and families of Bremond lodge during the years leading up to 1933.

In addition to the normal and specially called meetings of the lodge since it's formation, during the first 50 years, Bremond Lodge participated in the laying of a number of cornerstones in the city of Newport News.