Wadsworth Lodge No. 417, F. & A.M., held its first meeting on January 26, 1856 at 53 State Street, Albany, New York. It was then granted a Charter by Grand Lodge of New York State on June 6, 1857. The lodge was instituted and officers installed by R.·.W.·. A. Wharton.    R.·.W.·. Ebenezer Wadsworth became the first Master, serving two years, and was also the lodge's first R.·.W.·. brother. For the first forty years, Wadsworth Lodge was located at several places in downtown Albany. In 1896, the lodge moved into it present quarters in the newly constructed Albany Masonic Temple on Lodge Street. The temple stands within sight of the New York State Capitol building. The Albany Temple is built on the same site, where, on May 12th, 1768, the cornerstone was laid for the first lodge house built and owned by a Masonic lodge (Master's Lodge No.5) in North America. Since that time, this property has remained continuously vested in the hands of the Masonic Fraternity, the oldest such property known to exist in the world.

SPECIAL EVENTS for the Masonic Year 2007-2008

Our Bell Ringer Program began November 17th. This program is very important to the success of the Salvation Army's holiday efforts. It is fun and a great way to remind the general public that Masons are part of the community. Thank you to all who have already volunteered. I look forward to seeing many of you this holiday season making noise for charity at the same location in Crossgates Mall we enjoyed last year.

"We will have our third annual Table Lodge on January 19, 2008. The Table Lodge will have a three act play with a Masonic history theme that will delve into the possible origins of our beloved Craft. A Table lodge is a ceremony that is in keeping with the ancient customs handed down to us from military lodges. It is a time when we, as Freemasons, rededicate ourselves to the noble and glorious purpose of bringing light to dispel darkness and to the service of Him in whom we put our trust. It is a time when we are summoned to give greater loyalty to our Lodge and our Fraternity. It is a time when we join together in the spirit of fellowship and brotherly love. The ceremony involves a formal seven course dinner with each course preceded by one of seven obligatory toasts. Every Brother will receive a custom designed firing glass to use for the toasts and to keep as a memento of the evening.

The proceeds from this event will benefit the new Grand Lodge Benevolence Fund. The Grand Lodge Benevolence is a fund that was established at the 2007 Grand Lodge Annual Communication to provide a perpetual fund to be used to assist distressed worthy Master Masons, their Widows and Orphans. The goal is to initially raise $2,000,000.00 to fund this endeavor and the Grand Lodge Trustees have agreed to match all contributions on a dollar-for-dollar basis during the year between the 2007 and 2008 Grand Lodge Communications.

You are all cordially and fraternally invited to attend this event. Please complete the RSVP form attached to the announcement and return it to John W. Scott at the address indicated. If you cannot attend this Table Lodge, please consider making a donation of $25.00 to Wadsworth Lodge #417 for this purpose. All Table Lodge contributions will be included in the total raised through this charitable event."

We were treated to an historic event at our second Stated Communication on September 26th, when we reinstituted the old Wadsworth custom of having our Past Masters put on our first Entered Apprentice Degree of the season. Wadsworth is fortunate to have many Past Masters who are willing to contribute their time and talents to the operation of our Lodge. Eighteen Past Masters participated in this degree and all parts, from the Master to the Tyler, were filled by Past Masters.

Finally, our first October meeting was our Annual Years of Service Awards and Veterans Night. This was an Open Meeting when we recognized our Brothers who have labored for so many years in the quarries of Masonry.