Most people know that the town of Tuckerton was named after its most esteemed citizen, Ebenezer Tucker, who had an influence over many aspects of the community. It, therefore, should come as no surprise that Tucker and eight of his buddies formed the Masonic Lodge at Tuckerton. The following excerpt from the June 2004 edition of the "Bass River Gazette" article on Ebenezer Tucker by Duke DuPruis deals with Tucker's role in forming Tuckerton's Masonic Lodge. You can read the entire article on page 8 of the June 2004 Gazette at: http://bassriver-nj.org/pdf/h-gazette16--june-2004.pdf
In the year 1818, Tucker became a member of the Masonic fraternity, by petitioning Mt. Holly Lodge #18 for membership. Two years later, he along with eight other members of Mt. Holly Lodge, petitioned the Grand Lodge of New Jersey at New Brunswick to form a York Rite Lodge at Tuckerton. That request was granted, and Tuckerton Lodge #43 was given a warrant to function as a lodge. It still functions to this day, but its number has been changed to #4.Tucker is remembered to this day as the father of Tuckerton Lodge. When the lodge was first instituted at Tuckerton, it met on the second floor of the Union Hotel on the Green Street side of the building. The lodge used that room for meetings until the death of Tucker on September 5, 1845, when the lodge moved to its present location at Wood and Church streets.
The Tuckerton Masonic Lodge is on the corner of Wood and Church Streets, a long block off Main Street. (Map courtesy of Bing Maps.)
Over the years many a distinguished gentlemen from Tuckerton and the surrounding communities, including New Gretna, became members of the Tuckerton Masonic Lodge. Recently I came across a small, 2 inch by 5 inch, 1931 booklet (shown below) from the lodge that listed the officers and members. Many of the names should be familiar to our Blog readers. Some, like Jim McAnney, may even have relatives listed in the booklet. If so, I'd like to hear from you about the connection.
It would be interesting to list the names of the officers and members who came from New Gretna, as there is definitely a New Gretna connection. Let's see how many our Blog readers can identify. Email me or list the New Gretna names in the comment section below. I may even have a prize for the person who can identify the most New Gretna names in the booklet, so let's hear from you.
Pete S
