100 Years of Freemasonry in Waterbury

Freemasonry began in England during the early 1700s and was active in the colonies by 1750. Waterbury’s first official lodge was chartered in 1797.

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Original meetings were held at member’s homes or in rented tavern meeting spaces. In 1911, a plot on West Main Street was purchased for construction of a Masonic Temple designed by Waterbury architect Wilfred Griggs. The cornerstone was laid on August 12, 1912 and occupied by Waterbury Masons for seventy years. The building is now home to the Mattatuck Museum.

Image: Masonic Temple Corner Stone Ceremony, 1912. Collection of the Waterbury Masonic Corp.