Thomas Chittenden and Ira Allen Freemasons

Republic of Vermont All-Seeing Eye coin, 1785-88

If anybody needs documented proof of both Thomas Chittenden and Ira Allen being freemasons, this is it! In the book Ancient Craft Masonry in Vermont, by Lee S. Tillotson, the author goes into some detail.

Anyone growing up in Vermont is aware of the exploits of Ethan, supposedly a self-taught free thinker, during the Revolutionary war. He wrote abook called The Oracles of Reason, thoroughly Masonic, in which he argues for a Deistic approach to life.

Here is a sample:
"By extending our ideas in a larger circle, we shall perceive our dependence on the earth and waters of the globe which we inhabit, and from which we are bountifully fed and gorgeously arrayed; and next extend our ideas to the sun, whose fiery mass darts its brilliant rays of light to our terraqueous ball with amazing velocity, and whose region of inexhaustible fire supplies it with fervent heat, which causes vegetation, and gilds the various seasons of the year with ten thousand charms: this is not the achievement of man, but the workmanship and providence of God. But how the sun is supplied with materials, thus to perpetuate its kind influences, we know not. But deny the reality of those beneficial influences, because we do not understand the manner of the perpetuality of that fiery world, or how it became fire? or will any one deny the reality of nutrition by food, because we do not understand the secret operation of the digesting powers of animal nature or the minute particulars of its cherishing influence? None will be so stupid as to do it. Equally absurd would it be for us to deny the providence of God, by "whom we live, move, and have our being," because we cannot comprehend it."

His brother, Ira, was the younger brother of Ethan and a real trailblazer in the family
Anyway, Here are the excerpts from Ancient Craft Masonry In Vermont:

"Dr. Jonas Fay, who recieved his second degree in Vermont Lodge on June 26,1782, the same night that Ira Allen and Thomas Chittenden were initiated, also became amember of the North Star Lodge..."

"on November10,1781, a charter was issued by St.Andrews Grand Lodge of Massechusetts to Jim Barret and others for a masonic lodge at Springfield, Vermont, under the name "Vermont Lodge". The number of this lodge in the Massechusetts register was 17."

"The petition for the charter was dated at Cornish, Vermont, May 11, 1781"

"The original charter...It bears among others the signiature of Paul Revere, then Grand Senior Warden of the Grand Lodge of Massechusetts"

"Ira Allenand Thomas Chittenden were both intiated in Vermont Lodge on the same night, June 26,1782. The records relative to the bringing to masonic light of those two noted men are as follows:
June 24, 1782.'Br. Barrett proposes for initiation Ira Allen. The lodge having paricular Aquaintance of the foregoing proposal, proceeded to Ballot-Ballotted in Ira Allen.'
June 26, 1782.'Br. Fay proposes for initiation Thos. Chittenden Esqr. The Lodge having particular aquaintance of his Excellency Thos. Chittenden Esqr.(He was governor of Vermont at the time) proceeded to ballot for him. Ballotted in Thos. Chittenden.
Made Masons: Ira Allen: THos. Chittenden."

"Thomas Chittenden received his second and third degrees in North Star Lodge at Manchester, and afterwards became a charter member and the first master of Dorchester Lodge at Vergennes."

Of course this tradition of the the Governor being a freemason continue to this day. Check out our governor!

Finally, here is what Cora Cheney says in Profiles From the Past:

"The Masons were largely descendants of the ruling group in the state, which constituted the aristocrats in a sense. Chittenden and the Allens and their crowd were all Masons, and for all the democratic talk, Vermont was founded as a republic with a high concentration of power in the hands of a few."

The Maize

Corn
Corner (angle)
Cornucopia (horn of plenty)
Horn
Kernal
Grain
Grange
Granum
Granary
Granite

The Grange was formed following the Civil War, in 1866. It was formed to promote the upcoming industrial agricultural revolution, reign in post-war discontent, and serve as a safe and low-level entry point into freemasonry.

In Cora Cheney's Profiles From the Past, founder O.H. Kelley"
...thought it would be agood idea to apply this farm rehabilitation program to bind the wounds of the entire country, stressing that since farmers were all brothers, a secret society or brotherhood encompassing North and South could be the solution for many bitter problems.
Apparently the anti-secret sentiment that had enraged Vermonters during the anti-Mason fight of a few decades before did not extend to the secret proceedings of the Grange, probably because the new group was not an elite establishment but rather was meant for all farmers."
She goes on...
"Monopolistic town general stores suffered when the Grange "stores" began cutting into their business. Alarmed merchants even tried, sometimes with success, to join the group and learn the Grange secrets to see if there were some way to stop this heady group of farmers from putting them out of business. The cornucopia symbol seemed to enrage a certain segment of the public who beleived that the horn of plenty was not for the tiller."

Anti-Masonry had turned to Abolitionism before the Civil War. In Vermont the lodges had become dormant and inactive by 1836 -at least publicly.
Pages 144-146 of Ancient Craft Masonry in Vermont states:
In 1836, Nathan B. Haswell was right when he said : "From this period I date the overthrow of anti-masonry"
and
"We have already seen how the Masonic organization was kept alive in this state. In June,1835, the Editor of theMiddlebury Free Press said ' Very much has been said of late of the fallen state of Masonry...Has a single Grand Lodge or Chapter or Encampment formally dissolved its organization? Not one. Every Grand Lodge, we believe, still continues its meetings. Such is the case in this state.'
And as such..continued to be 'the case in this state' although for many years no publicity was given to the fact."

The leaders of the national Anti-Masonic movement were all Masons. Both Henry Clay and William Wirt were unapologetic Masons, although Clay officially "demitted' from Lexington Lodge No.1 in Kentucky on November 18,1824.
An article from the Boston Courier (quoted in the Vermont Republican Journal of Oct.8,1831) contained an account of the National Anti-Masonic convention, in which a delegate who had opposed Wirt in the convention is quoted as saying:
"Have you not placed us in the most awkward predicament that men were ever placed? The Anti-Masonic Party supporting an avowed Mason for the Presidency!"

July 4, 1609

2009 Ephemera
This year is the 400th anniversary of Samual de Champlain's July 4 exploration of the lake that now has his name. The European Royalty had known of the Americas previous to their official discovery. And there is evidence of interactions large and small between peoples of both continents. There are numerous standing stones, mounds, stone chambers that predate the people Champlain encountered.
I was shown photographs from the 1930s of farmers pulling out the last of the large trees in that area of the northeast kingdom. Huge compared to what is around now. It was a different place then. And so much of that history unexplored, intentionally or unintentionally.

In his well-documented and researched book, The Search For Lost America, Salvatore Michael Trento writes of Colonel Joseph Bryant, a Dartmouth-educated Mohawk chief talking to a scholar, Mr. Woodruff:

“Among other things relating to the western country,” says Mr. Woodruff, “I was curious to learn in the course of my conversations with Mr. Brant, what information he could give me respecting the tumuli (mounds) which are found on and near the margin rivers and lakes, from the St. Lawrence to the Mississippi. He stated, in reply, that the subject had been handed down time immemorial, that in an age long gone by, there came white men from a foreign country, and by consent of the Indians established trading houses and settlements where these tumuli are found. A friendly intercourse was continued for several years; many of the white men brought their wives, and had children born to them; and additions to their numbers were made yearly from their own country. These circumstances at length gave rise to jealousies among the Indians, and fears began to be entertained in regard to the increasing numbers, wealth, and ulterior views of the new comers; apprehending that, becoming strong, they might one day seize upon the country as their own. A secret council, composed of all the chiefs of all the different nations …was therefore convoked…a resolution that…all their white neighbors …should be exterminated. The most profound secrecy was essential to the execution of such a purpose; and such was the fidelity with which the fatal determination was kept, that the conspiracy was successful, and the device carried completely into effect. Not a soul was left to tell the tale.”(William L. Stone, Life of Joseph Brant-Thayendanega, p. 484)

Champlain gives a description of creatures described to him while exploing Mexico around 1600:

"There are also dragons of strange shape, having a head approaching to that of an eagle, wings like a bat, a body like a lizard and only two rather large feet, the tail somewhat scaly; and they are as large as a sheep, but are not dangerous, and do no harm to anybody, though to see them one would say the contrary."

Champlain wrote in a straightforward manner, not to say he wasn't fibbing us, but in no way does he suggest that he is anything other than being factual in his reporting.

Francis Bacon:
"But the divine revenge overtook not long after those proud enterprises. For within less than the space of 100 years the Great Atlantis was utterly lost and destroyed; not by a great earthquake, as your man saith, for that whole tract is little sub- ject to earthquakes, but by a particular deluge, or inundation; those countries having at this day far greater rivers, and far higher mountains to pour down waters, than any part of the old world. But it is true that the same inundation was not deep, nor past forty foot, in most places, from the ground, so that although it destroyed man and beast generally, yet some few wild inhabitants of the wood escaped. Birds also were saved by flying to the high trees and woods. For as for men, although they had buildings in many places higher than the depth of the water, yet that inundation, though it were shallow, had a long continuance, whereby they of the vale that were not drowned perished for want of food, and other things necessary. So as marvel you not at the thin population of America, nor at the rudeness and ignorance of the people; for you must account your inhabitants of America as a young people, younger a thou- sand years at the least than the rest of the world, for that there was so much time between the universal flood and their particu- lar inundation.

"For the poor remnant of human seed which remained in their mountains, peopled the country again slowly, by little and little, and being simple and a savage people (not like Noah and his sons, which was the chief family of the earth), they were not able to leave letters, arts, and civility to their posterity; and having likewise in their mountainous habitations been used, in respect of the extreme cold of those regions, to clothe them- selves with the skins of tigers, bears, and great hairy goats, that they have in those parts; when after they came down into the valley, and found the intolerable heats which are there, and knew no means of lighter apparel, they were forced to begin the custom of going naked, which continueth at this day. Only they take great pride and delight in the feathers of birds, and this also they took from those their ancestors of the moun- tains, who were invited unto it, by the infinite flight of birds, that came up to the high grounds, while the waters stood below. So you see, by this main accident of time, we lost our traffic with the Americans, with whom of all others, in regard they lay nearest to us, we had most commerce. As for the other parts of the world, it is most manifest that in the ages follow- ing (whether it were in respect of wars, or by a natural revolu- tion of time) navigation did everywhere greatly decay, and specially far voyages (the rather by the use of galleys, and such vessels as could hardly brook the ocean) were altogether left and omitted. So then, that part of intercourse which could be from other nations to sail to us, you see how it hath long since ceased; except it were by some rare accident, as this of yours.