The William Pitt Tavern (The Somersworth Connection)

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The First Grand Lodge of New Hampshire. The history of the William Pitt Tavern is one of the more interesting stories in New England Freemasonry. It was erected by a Portsmouth Freemason named John Stavers. He was made a Master Mason on June 5, 1764 in St. John´s Lodge of Portsmouth. The Lodge met in a tavern he operated called the Earl of Halifax, which was then located on State Street. In 1766, he purchased the land on the corner of Atkinson and Court streets and erected a three and a half story building out of native pine, hemlock, and various hardwoods. In order to provide for a large open meeting room on the third floor, he exchanged the then traditional center chimney for chimneys at each end of the building. At its completion, Bro. Stavers rented the meeting rooms to the Lodges then meeting in Portsmouth. He operated the Tavern until his death in 1797. On July 8, 1789, deputies from two New Hampshire Lodges met on the third floor of the tavern and agreed upon the creation of the Grand Lodge, and elected its officers. Soon thereafter on July 16, the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire had its first meeting in the Lodge room with the Most Worshipful Grand Master Elect General John Sullivan, of Somersworth, NH presiding. After disposing of some legalities surrounding his election, he was installed as the first Grand Master of New Hampshire on April 8, 1790.

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Category: Education
Uploaded: July 8th, 2008 @ 4:24 pm
Author: HistoricSomersworth

Length: 04:19
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Tags: first freemasonry grand hampshire lodge masonic new nh pitt portsmouth somersworth tavern william

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