Zion Lodge No. 1 F&AM is the earliest documented Masonic Lodge west of the
Allegheny Mountains that was first warranted as ‘Lodge No. 1 at Detroit’ on Friday, April 27, 1764, by George Harison, Provincial Grand Master of the Provincial
Grand Lodge of New York, with Lt. John Christie (1740–1782) of the 2nd Battalion,
60th Royal American Foot Regiment as its first
Worshipful Master, Sampson Fleming (1757–1791) Commissary of 60th Regiment as Senior Warden, Josias Harper surgeon's mate with the 80th regiment as Junior Warden.
Lodge No. 1 at Detroit (later Zion Lodge) held its first meeting "in a blockhouse of
Fort Pontchartrain with a gathering of a few civilians and members of the 60th Royal American Foot Regiment." Whether Wardens Fleming and Harper "were soldiers or citizens is not indicated" specifically in the 1764 warrant itself, nor does the warrant contain other language "that gives the lodge, or indicates that it had, a military character." However, "none but 'military men of rank' [were] permitted by English regulations, to be members or officers of a 'military lodge.' " It has been presented by Masonic historians, like RWM Richard H. Sands in
Beyond the Northeast Corner (1998), that ‘Lodge No. 1 at Detroit’ had been renamed ‘Union Lodge No. 1’ sometime in the 1760s, possibly shortly after Lt. Christie relocated from Detroit to Albany, NY, in 1765, where he resided until 1767, but prior to Samuel Fleming’s term serving as Worshipful Master in 1767. At that time
Union Lodge No. 1 appears to have operated more as 'local lodge' than a traditional ‘military lodge,’ with a combined military and civilian membership. However, the lodge’s organizational records and documentation between 1764–94, aside from the original 1764 Warrant, are extremely limited and rare, confined to personal correspondence, or other types of unconnected documents, records, or artifacts. Thirty years later, Zion Lodge No. 10 (now No. 1) was Chartered in 1794 for work in Detroit. It was in this year that "the Detroit Masons first adopted the name Zion Lodge." The next two short-lived lodges established in the territory were also Military Lodges, Harmony Lodge in Detroit (1764-1766) associated with the British 60th Regiment, and
St. John's Lodge No. 15 on Mackinac Island (1782-1813) associated with the British 84th Regiment. The British military surrendered Fort Pontchartrain in July 1796 after the signing of the
Jay Treaty. The original Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit was destroyed by fire, along with most of Detroit, in the
Great Fire of July 1805. It is possible that this massive fire may also have been responsible for the destruction of Zion Lodge’s early records and documentation. As the first Masonic lodge in the region, Zion Lodge No. 1 drew its membership from across the region at a time when “many of the members of Zion Lodge prior to 1796 had resided in what is now the Canadian side of the [Detroit] River,” including WM James Donaldson and Bro. Joseph Rowe residing in Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada. As the population grew in the territory and Master Masons proliferated, Zion Lodge No. 1 and its membership “sponsored and supported [other Master Masons in their desire to create] additional Lodges in Upper Canada and Michigan." In Upper Canada “Zion Lodge mothered Lodges at River La Tranche and Amherstburgh.” In Lower Canada, Zion Lodge “encouraged the establishment of a Royal Arch Chapter, Monroe Chapter No. 1, R.A.M. which was organized April 21, 1818.” "In addition [Zion Lodge] supported the founding of other Blue Lodges, including "Detroit Lodge No. 337 (now No. 2), Oakland Lodge No. 343 in Pontiac, Menomonie Lodge No. 374 in Green Bay (then a part of the Territory) and Monroe Lodge No. 375 in Monroe." In September 1817 "the
University of Michigan was assisted in its formation by Zion Lodge and its members" that provided financial support for the newly created university, an action championed by
Judge Augustus B. Woodward,
Reverend John Monteith, and
Father Gabriel Richard. On 15 Sep 1817, Zion Lodge met and subscribed the sum of $250 ($5,905 adjusted value in 2024) in aid of the University of Michigan, payable in the sum of $50 per year. Of the total amount subscribed to start the university, two-thirds came from Zion Lodge and its members. After 62-years of operating under warrants and charters from Grand Lodges hundreds of miles away, "five Lodges laid plans for a Grand Lodge in the Territory [of Michigan] to handle the growing plans for Masonry in the area." “Eleven delegates representing Zion, Detroit, Menomanie and Monroe Lodges met in a convention in Detroit, convened specifically for the purpose of organizing a Grand Lodge." "On June 24, 1826 the Grand Lodge of Michigan was established in Detroit,” on the Masonic annual celebration of the Feast of St. John the Baptist (similar to the founding of the Premier Grand Lodge of England was founded on June 24, 1717). Zion Lodge was well represented in the Grand Lodge's early leadership, as a majority of the first grand officers elected on July 31, 1826, were Past Masters of Zion, including: Lewis Cass (Grand Master), Andrew G. Whitney (Deputy Grand Master), John L. Whiting (Grand Secretary), Henry J. Hunt (Grand Treasurer), and John E. Schwartz (Grand Pursuivant). A few months later "Lewis Cass, Territorial Governor and Past Grand Master of Ohio, was elected to be [Michigan's] first Grand Master. On December 27, 1826, the Grand Lodge Officers were duly installed by Most Worshipful Brother Lewis Cass, who as a Past Grand Master of Ohio was fully competent to do this work." Over the course of its 260+ year history, Zion Lodge No. 1 has had to temporarily suspend its operations twice, first during the
War of 1812 suspended between 1812 and 1816, and second resulting from the
Morgan Affair (1826), during which time Michigan "Grand Master
Cass ordered Masons to suspend their meetings in 1829" "during the
anti-masonic agitation on 1829–1845, but each time its functions were resumed." Zion grew after over 235-year history prior to the year 2000. The dawn of the new Millennium found Zion composed of five lodges for the first time in its history, by the consolidations of Friendship-Lincoln Lodge No. 417 in 1998, and Phoenicia-Waverly Lodge No. 527 in 1999. Zion Lodge No. 1's charitable focus is on assistance and relief for its Brothers, Widows, and Orphans, primarily though the
Jeremiah Tumey & Grand Lodge Fund, and the
Earl Drew Wheelchair Ramp Fund, while also supporting local Detroit community charitable organizations, including:
Special Olympics,
Forgotten Harvest, Autism And Us, and
Sacred Heart Church. Zion Lodge No. 1's provides relief to its membership via the
Jeremiah Tumey & Grand Lodge Fund 501(c)(3), used to issue grants to its distressed brothers, widows and orphans, and support the scholarship of its members children attending university or community college. The fund, originally created in 1947 (with IRS ruling year of 1963), is named for its grantor, Bro. Jeremiah Tumey (1863–1944), who worked as a farmer, carpenter, and builder, and was a member of Friendship Lodge No. 417 (consolidated into Zion Lodge No. 1 in 1998). Zion Lodge No. 1's
Earl Drew Wheelchair Ramp Fund provides funding and volunteer manpower from Zion Lodge No. 1, Aries Grotto, and the selfless and charitable members from other lodges including
Unity Lodge No. 28 Prince Hall Affiliated (PHA), for building wheelchair ramps "for the physically disadvantaged to facilitate their entry/exit from their residences" within the Metro Detroit area. This program is named after Bro. Earl K. Drew (1914–2000), who was a member of Phoenicia Lodge No. 531 (consolidated into Zion Lodge No. 1 in 1999) and
Aries Grotto MOVPER. The program began ca. 1974 "with a simple act of kindness by one man when his friend lost full use of his foot following surgery, and was in need of help entering and exiting his home. This one act lead to requests for help by others, and thus the Earl Drew program was born and continues to this day," building over 250 ramps since 1974. Zion Lodge No. 1 provides
Masonic Funeral Service and Graveside Burial Rituals for its Master Mason members in good standing, carried out at the request of a Master Mason or his family. The dignified and solemn ceremony is meant to honor the life and legacy of its membership, and provide "comfort and solace" to those mourning. It is one of the few Masonic ceremonies that are performed publicly. In mid-February, the month that celebrates US President
George Washington's Birthday, Zion Lodge No. 1 holds the WB George Washington Ceremony in front of the 'George Washington as Master Mason' statue created by American sculptor
Donald De Lue (1897–1988), which was "presented to the city of Detroit by the Grand Lodge Free and Accepted Masons of Michigan May 21, 1966 in Commemoration of Ten Centuries of Freemasonry," where the statue is located just outside of the historic
Mariners' Church of Detroit. The wreath laying ceremony honors "Brother President Washington and his Masonic legacy," and has been an annual event celebrated by Zion Lodge No. 1 since February 2008. ==Charters==