Scottish
Freemasonry in The Bahamas dates back over two hundred
years. Turks Island Lodge No. 275 was Chartered on 5th.
May 1806 and was declared Dormant in 1848. Union Lodge No. 298 was Chartered on
6th.
November 1809 and became dormant in 1892. It Re-opened in 1917 to again be
declared Dormant in 1923. Another Lodge, St. John which met in Mathew Town on
the island of
Inagua was Chartered on 3rd.
March 1856 and was Dormant by 1881.
The
District Grand Lodge of The Bahamas was officially founded in 1842 to govern
over the Scottish Lodges in the area.
The
first English Lodges were believed to have been Chartered by the Atholl Grand
Lodge (Ancients) , Bahamas Lodge No. 228 in 1782 and Lodge 242 in Nassau. No.
228 died out prior to the Union
of English Grand Lodges and 242 prior to a renumbering of Lodges in 1832. The
Royal Victoria Lodge No. 443 (E.C.) was Chartered in 1837 and is still active in
Nassau.
Early
relationships between Scottish and English Lodges were good and the Lodges were
very active in laying foundation stones of important buildings on the islands.
These included St. Andrew`s
Presbyterian Church in 1810, Hog Island Lighthouse in 1816 and the cornerstone
of the new Christ Church (now the Cathedral) steeple in 1830.
Scottish Freemasonry lay Dormant in The Bahamas for some seventy three years until 1967. In 1960 Dr. Claudius R. Walker began correspondence with the then Grand Secretary, Bro. Alex. F. Buchan with a view to re-establish a Scottish Lodge in The Bahamas.
The
Letter of reply from Grand Secretary must have been quite a blow to C.R. Walker,
“I acknowledge with thanks your letter of 28th. January. The problem which you have presented to me is quite a difficult one, as the Grand Lodge of Scotland does not exchange recognition with the Grand Lodges of the Prince Hall Constitution. . That being so, it would not be possible for a Brother to be at the same time a member of Lodges in each of the Constitutions.
Regarding reactivating Union Lodge, Nassau, No. 231. This could only be done provided there was still, in Nassau, a member of that Lodge, and as it was only declared dormant in 1923 this might still be quite possible.
It
would also require to be sponsored by Lodges who belong to Constitutions
recognised by The Grand Lodge of Scotland.
If such a Lodge became active again and a member of a Prince Hall Lodge
wished to be associated with it, it would be necessary for that Brother to
renounce his allegiance to the Grand Lodge concerned and present his allegiance
to The Grand Lodge of Scotland.”
However
not to be deterred he wrote back to Grand Secretary
stating that he and other petitioners had renounced their
membership of Prince Hall Lodges and wished that a Charter be granted to
a new Scottish Lodge as no member
of the old Union Lodge could be found in Nassau.
Grand
Secretary wrote back stating that the petition was not in order as the
petitioners were not recognised by the Grand Lodge of Scotland and that they
would in effect have to be Initiated into a Scottish Lodge before they could
petition for a new Lodge.
C.
R. Walker offered to fly a Deputation from The Grand Lodge of Scotland to Nassau
to Initiate the petitioners, but Grand Secretary
wrote that the petitioners should contact the nearest Scottish Lodge which was
in Jamaica!
Correspondence
then took place between The District Grand Lodge of Jamaica and the petitioners,
which resulted in a visit from members of the District Grand Lodge to Nassau to
interview the petitioners. Following that
meeting five petitioners were
Initiated into Lodge Semper Fidelis No. 1530 S.C. and another five into
Wolmer`s Lodge No. 1506 S.C.
These
Brethren together with twenty two others from Lodges in Jamaica and English
Lodges in The Bahamas then petitioned Grand Lodge for the new Lodge St. Michael
No. 1634. On 31st.
May 1964 the new Lodge was Chartered by Grand Lodge. The erection and
consecration of the new Lodge did not take place
until 9th.
June 1967 almost seven years after the first letter from Bro. Claudius Walker to
Grand Lodge.
Soon plans were set to build a Scottish Masonic Temple and these ambitious plans were completed with the opening of The Temple in 1976. In 1991 the new District of The Bahamas was Consecrated and Bro. Roderick Inness became the District Grand Freemasonry has since flourished in The Bahamas and seven Lodges now meet under the Scottish Constitution.
The present District Grand Master, Bro. Idris Reid is a well respected Brother who has brought further development to the Islands with the introduction of other Orders.
In 2004 The Grand Lodge of Scotland recognised the Lodges in The Bahamas working under the Prince Hall Constitution.