On September 8, 1791, the Grand Lodge of New Jersey granted a charter to a small group of pioneers living in Cincinnati, a newly settled town tucked in the southwest corner of the untamed Ohio Valley. The dangers of the frontier delayed the charter for more than three years, but in December of 1794, the first members of Nova Caesarea Lodge No. 10 met to elect their officers.
Subsequently, Cincinnati Lodge No. 13 was chartered in 1806 by the Grand Lodge of Kentucky, made up of members who had originally formed Nova Caesarea Lodge No. 10 under their New Jersey charter fifteen years before. They returned the charter to that grand lodge prior to requesting a new one from the closer Grand Lodge of Kentucky.
Even though Ohio had statehood approved by Thomas Jefferson in 1803, it would take until 1808 for Cincinnati Lodge to join with five others to form the new Grand Lodge of Ohio. But at 225 years old, the renumbered and renamed Nova Caesarea Harmony Lodge No. 2, as it has been known since 1813, is one of Ohio’s oldest Lodges, predating the Grand Lodge and even Ohio’s own admission into statehood.
On September 10th, 2016, the Grand Lodges of Ohio, New Jersey and Kentucky will come together and celebrate the 225th anniversary of the founding of the original Nova Caesarea Lodge No. 10 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Dinner will be at the Glendale Lyceum at 6PM, and a cash bar will be available. The venue is located at 865 Congress Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio.
For reservations, please call (513) 771-8383. Reservations MUST BE MADE no later than August 20th. There is no charge for members of the lodge, but other Masons and their guests will be charged $15 per person, or $25 per couple.
For more information, contact RW Moises Gomez at gomez1rego@aol.com
