‘Masonic “church” may be conveyed to town’

    

Suffolk Lodge 60, AYM

The lodge in Port Jefferson proposes to transfer its property to the municipal government, local news media reported last Friday.

The Village of Port Jefferson is located on the North Shore of Long Island and is the hometown of Suffolk Lodge 60. The idea is to convey the property to the village for the purposes of historic preservation and community use. TBR Newsmedia, a website for local news, says Mayor Margot Garant announced discussions with the lodge are underway to transfer ownership to create “a theatrical education studio.”

Suffolk 60 was warranted by Grand Lodge in 1796; naturally, it is among the oldest in the state, and it employs “Ancient York Masons” in its appellation.

patch.com

The building at issue had been a Presbyterian church before the lodge purchased it in 1910. (News coverage of the proposed deal with the village described Suffolk 60 as a “Masonic church,” economically achieving both annoyance and humor in two words.)

Suffolk Lodge 60, AYM

Also meeting in this building is Suwassett Chapter 195, an Observant Royal Arch chapter. I am unaware if these Masonic groups will have a covenant in the contract that will permit them to continue using the building or if they will relocate, but I’ll update this edition of The Magpie Mason when I find out.