Hon. Richard Bulkeley
Provincial Grand Master
1792 - 1800

It was Bulkeley's honour and duty while Provincial Grand Master to welcome to Nova Scotia a distinguished member of the Craft, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, son of King George III, who arrived in Halifax on May 10, 1794, to assume the command of the British troops that garrisoned the capital and the province. On May 27th, he was welcomed officially by his fellow Masons. Speaking for the Craft, Provincial Grand Master Bulkeley assured his Royal Highness of the "unshaken loyalty" of the fraternity in Nova Scotia to the person of His Majesty, King George III, and their "zealous attachment to every branch of the Royal Family". The Prince expressed appreciation for the honour which had been done him and his family, and then spoke of his interest in Freemasonry.

Prince Edward was a resident of Halifax for more than four years. Much of his time was spent at Prince's Lodge on Bedford Basin which belonged to Lieutenant-Governor Wentworth. Here he set the tone of Halifax society.

In August, 1798, he returned to England to receive medical treatment for an injury sustained by a fall from his horse. The next year he was back in Halifax but in August, 1800, he left Nova Scotia never to return. It was during his second visit, June 1800, that on the request of Provincial Grand Master Bulkeley, he laid the cornerstone for a new Masonic Temple, plans for which had been underway for several years. A building fund had been initiated in 1797, which had received generous support from the Craft, especially the members of St. Andrew's Lodge. The site selected for the building was that bounded by Barrington, Salter, Granville and Blowers Streets. The cost of the land was £162 10s which is a mere fraction of present values.

Hundreds of citizens watched as the Prince laid the stone. Adding color to the scene and significance to the event were the Officers and Members of the Halifax Lodges, bedecked in aprons, jewels and regalia. Probably the most distinguished Mason on parade was the Lieutenant-Governor, Sir John Wentworth, who appeared as Worshipful Master of the Royal Nova Scotia Regiment Lodge No. 24. As a Souvenoir of the occasion and of his sojourn in Nova Scotia, His Royal Highness presented to St. Andrew's Lodge, as the senior Lodge in the Province and a leader in the Masons Hall project, a beautiful punch bowl bearing the Arms of the Grand Lodge of England, Ancients, and other Masonic emblems.

Richard Bulkeley did not live to see the new hall in use. He was seriously ill when the stone was laid, and died a few months later, December 7, 1800 at the age of eighty-three.

His death marked the end of the first era of Freemasonry in Nova Scotia.

Hon. Alexander Keith
Provincial and District Grand Master
Grand Lodge of England, 1840-69
Provincial Grand Master
Grand Lodge of Scotland 1848-66
Grand Master of Masons in Nova Scotia 1869-73

Alexander Keith began his service to the Grand Lodge in 1825 when John Albro appointed him Senior Grand Deacon. Two years later he was Grand Marshall, and in 1928, Junior Grand Warden. With the formation of the third Provincial Grand Lodge in 1829, he was promoted to Senior Grand Warden. He filled this office with zeal and efficiency during the difficult years before 1837. In that year, he became Provincial Grand Master under the aging Albro, and by a carefully planned system of Lodge visitations, helped to bring about a much needed and long desired revival. Thus when Albro died in 1839, Keith was his logical successor. The appointment was announced by the Duke of Sussex on September 24, 1840. On the following St. John's Day, he was duly installed.

For the next three decades, he gave freely of his time, talents and financial resources to Freemasonry. His jurisdiction included the Maritime Provinces, and for a number of years after 1847, Newfoundland as well.

In his capacity as leader of the Craft, Keith was ever ready to bring Freemasonry to the attention of the public. An early opportunity came in 1841, when he was requested to lay the cornerstone for a new penitentiary which was being built on the shores of the Northwest Arm. He performed the ceremony in an impressive manner in the presence of a large concourse of people. Later, during the year 1843, he went to Charlottetown where he laid the cornerstone for the new Colonial building which was to become a historical landmark. It was here, twenty-one years later, that the Fathers of Confederation met to discuss a union of the Provinces.

John Wimburn Laurie
Grand Master of Nova Scotia
1874-80 1882-86

From the death of Alexander Keith until the next session of Grand Lodge, Masonic affairs were administered by Deputy Grand Master Taylor and Past Grand Master Sircom. Then in June 1874, the Craft chose a new leader who was to prove a tower of strength to Freemasonry in Nova Scotia; Colonel, later Major-General, John Wimburn Laurie, a man of zeal and ability, and a "born leader of men". He left the imprint of his personality upon the Craft throughout the Province and proved the ideal leader to carry on the Keith policy of unity and consolidation.

The new Grand Master was made a Mason in Albany Lodge, Newport, Isle of Wight, in 1854. He subsequently became a member of a number of other Lodges in different parts of the world. In Nova Scotia he purchased an estate. "Oakfield" was not far from Halifax and he affiliated with St. John's Lodge No. 2. He was Grand Master of Masons in Nova Scotia for a total of ten years, the longest term in Grand Lodge since 1866. It is not out of place to call the whole period from 1874 to 1886 the age of John Wimburn Laurie.

The outstanding achievement of the Age of Laurie, apart from the field of administration, was the completion of a new Masonic Hall or Temple, 1875 to 1877. A new building was sorely needed, for the old wooden structure erected in the days of Richard Bulkeley and Edward, Duke of Kent, three quarters of a century before, was clearly inadequate for the new age, and had fallen into a state of disrepair. It was under the control of Trustees from four Halifax Lodges, who lacked the funds to make the extensive repairs which were required. The standing debt of $16,000 was another obstacle to improvement.

As early as the first meeting of the expanded Grand Lodge in 1869, it was realized that the growing organization needed new headquarters and a committee was therefore appointed "to make inquiries as to the feasibility of erecting a suitable Masonic Temple for the accommodation of the Craft". No immediate action resulted and it took a threat to foreclose the mortgage to bring matters to a head. To protect the investment they had in the building, members of Grand Lodge voted to place it under the control of an expanded Board of Trustees until such time as Grand Lodge itself could be incorporated with power to hold property. Meanwhile, attention was given to the possible construction of a new Temple.

To hear the report of the Committee, a Special Communication of Grand Lodge was convened in June 1874. The Committee recommended that a building be erected to occupy the entire lot owned by Grand Lodge, ninety by fifty-seven feet. This plan was adopted unanimously. Later, Grand Master Laurie decided that the project was too ambitious and secured a modification, namely, to build a Temple or Hall, sixty feet square at the corner of Granville and Salter Streets. The remainder of the lot could then be sold to provide much needed funds.

Construction began at once with a local contractor, Bro. S. M. Brookfield of St. Andrew's Lodge in charge. The cornerstone was laid with appropriate ceremony and due solemnity on August 31, 1875.

On that day, still memorable in the annals of Freemasonry, the second era in this Jurisdiction of Nova Scotia began. Some nine hundred Masons gathered at the skating rink on South Park Street, and to the music of "Freemasons' March" played by bands of the 63rd and 66th Regiments, paraded to the place on Granville Street where the cornerstone was to be laid. The Brethren then halted and opened ranks to permit the Grand Master and his accompanying Officers to march through to their appointed places. A large silver trowel was handed to the Grand Master who then spread the cement. The stone was lowered into place in three separate motions, after each of which the band played appropriate music and the Brethren gave the public Grand Honours. The Grand Master struck the stone three times with the Gavel saying, "Well made, well proved, truly laid, true and trusty; and may this undertaking be conducted and completed by the Craftsmen according to the Great Plan, in peace, harmony and brotherly love".

The new hall was completed during the early part of 1877 and was dedicated on June 6th 1877. The dedication was the occasion for another large parade and a Masonic Service. The principal address was given by Grand Master Laurie, who in the course of his remarks pointed out that the Bible which had been used for the Service had been presented by King George III to the late Bishop Charles Inglis, who as Rector of Trinity Church, New York, in the early days of the American Revolution showed fearless devotion to the Crown. This outstanding momento of other days, with its Royal Monogram and Arms, is now a treasured exhibit in the Grand Lodge Archives.

In 1897 Grand Master Laurie was appointed Provincial Grand Master of Masons in South Wales under the Grand Lodge of England. He held that office until his death in 1912. His body was returned to Nova Scotia for burial at "Oakfield".

J. H. Winfield
Grand Master of Nova Scotia
1916-17 1933-34

With the property free of debt, the Trustees began to think in terms of a much needed expansion. It was then 1910 realized that a mistake had been made in selling the corner lot. Learning that this lot could be re-purchased, the Trustees and other members of the Craft organized the Masonic Realty Company Limited with J. H. Winfield, later Grand Master, as President and secured the lot for $17,000. The Company then offered the lot to Grand Lodge for the purchase price.

Not wishing to acquire a further debt, Grand Lodge left the initiative for the construction of a new expansion of the building to the Halifax Lodges. Representatives from these Lodges met for a discussion of plans and agreed that they would be responsible for the entire cost of the proposed building. Grand Lodge approved the project at the Annual Communication in 1913, but with the outbreak of war the following year, no further action was taken until after the Peace Treaty of 1919.

The cornerstone for the new expansion was laid on May 2, 1924 by J. H. Winfield, Grand Master. The contractor was the Brookfield Construction Company, which had erected the first part of the building nearly half a century earlier. As had been planned, the City Lodges assumed responsibility for the costs and organized Freemason's Hall Limited, which is still in existence since 1924.

Roy Ernest Lively
Grand Master of Nova Scotia
2008-09

Grand Master Lively was chosen the new leader of the Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia on June 7th 2008. A member and Past Master of Athole Lodge No. 15, he is the second Grand Master to come out of Athole Lodge. He follows Grand Master Charles J. MacDonald who served as Grand Master in 1890 to 1892 and was the first Grand Secretary of the new Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia under Grand Master William Davies, the first Grand Master of Nova Scotia in 1866.

Grand Master Charles J. MacDonald proved a tower of strength in the early years of the Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia. Grand Master Roy E. Lively is also a member of St. John's Lodge No. 2 which was also the Lodge of Grand Master John Wimburn Laurie who served this Grand Lodge in 1874-80 and 1882-86.

The third era of Freemasonry will be ushered in on October 25th 2008 when Grand Master Roy E. Lively will lay the cornerstone and perform the dedication of the new Masonic Temple located at 165 Coronation Avenue in Fairview, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The "Ceremony of Laying a Cornerstone" is an old Masonic tradition. The cornerstone is tested with the square, level and plumb to insure it is suitable for its purpose and then anointed with corn, wine and oil prior to its being cemented in place in the northeast corner of the building. The silver trowel, silver vessels, and the Bible used at this ceremony were used and presented by King George III in 1877, for the laying of the cornerstone on the Masonic Temple at the corner of Barrington and Salter Streets in 1877.

Following the cornerstone ceremony, are the cutting of the ribbon, entering the Temple and the dedication of the Temple, according to ancient customs and Masonic Traditions.

This historic ceremony will commence with a parade to the Masonic Temple by Masons and all its Concordant Bodies, wives and guests of the community and press are invited to witness the ceremony.

August 2008