Stoney Creek in Rochester Hills in Oakland County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Stony Creek Masonic Lodge No. 5/Mount Moriah
Photographed By Joel Seewald, June 16, 2018
1. Stony Creek Masonic Lodge No. 5/Mount Moriah Marker
Inscription.
Stony Creek Masonic Lodge No. 5/Mount Moriah. .
Stony Creek Masonic Lodge No. 5. Around 1825 William A. Burt led members of the Stony Creek Masonic Lodge in petitioning the Grand Lodge of Michigan for a charter. The grand master, Governor Lewis Cass, approved the charter in June 1827. In response to anti-Masonic fervor sweeping the nation, however, the Grand Lodge suspended operations from 1829 to 1841, delaying the granting of Stony Creek's charter. Due to the efforts of tavern keeper Daniel B. Taylor, Stony Creek Lodge continued to meet during that time. It was the only Michigan lodge to do so. The group had originally held meetings in a log schoolhouse, and later in people's homes. In 1844 the lodge was reconstituted, and in 1849 members dedicated the first Masonic temple in the state. In 1853 the lodge relocated in Rochester.
Mount Moriah. This site, once the summit of Stony Creek Village, was named Mount Moriah by Stony Creek Masons. In 1849 they dedicated a temple here - - the first in Michigan built solely for Masonic purposes. In 1844 the Grand Lodge of Michigan had recognized the Stony Creek Lodge, organized around 1825, as the oldest continuously operating lodge in Michigan. The fraternity built the temple in honor of this distinction, laying the cornerstone in 1847. The building, a red octagonal wooden structure set on a high stone foundation, had a discrete entrance into the cellar; members took a ladder up to the meeting room. In 1853 the lodge was transferred to Rochester. Eventually, the temple was dismantled and the materials were used to build a barn. In 1929 the cornerstone was incorporated into a Masonic monument erected at Stony Creek Cemetery.
Stony Creek Masonic Lodge No. 5
Around 1825 William A. Burt led members of the Stony Creek Masonic Lodge in petitioning the Grand Lodge of Michigan for a charter. The grand master, Governor Lewis Cass, approved the charter in June 1827. In response to anti-Masonic fervor sweeping the nation, however, the Grand Lodge suspended operations from 1829 to 1841, delaying the granting of Stony Creek's charter. Due to the efforts of tavern keeper Daniel B. Taylor, Stony Creek Lodge continued to meet during that time. It was the only Michigan lodge to do so. The group had originally held meetings in a log schoolhouse, and later in people's homes. In 1844 the lodge was reconstituted, and in 1849 members dedicated the first Masonic temple in the state. In 1853 the lodge relocated in Rochester.
Mount Moriah
This site, once the summit of Stony Creek Village, was named Mount Moriah by Stony Creek Masons. In 1849 they dedicated a temple here - - the first in Michigan built solely for Masonic purposes. In 1844 the Grand Lodge of Michigan had recognized the Stony Creek Lodge, organized around 1825, as the oldest continuously operating lodge in Michigan. The fraternity built the temple in honor of this distinction, laying the cornerstone in 1847. The building, a red octagonal wooden structure
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set on a high stone foundation, had a discrete entrance into the cellar; members took a ladder up to the meeting room. In 1853 the lodge was transferred to Rochester. Eventually, the temple was dismantled and the materials were used to build a barn. In 1929 the cornerstone was incorporated into a Masonic monument erected at Stony Creek Cemetery.
Erected 1996 by Michigan Historical Center, Michigan Department of State. (Marker Number S651.)
Location. 42° 41.73′ N, 83° 6.957′ W. Marker is in Rochester Hills, Michigan, in Oakland County. It is in Stoney Creek. Marker is on Van Hoosen Road south of Runyon Road. Marker is near the end of Van Hoosen Road on the Old Romeo Road Trail. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1005 Van Hoosen Road, Rochester MI 48307, United States of America. Touch for directions.
3. Stony Creek Masonic Lodge No. 5/Mount Moriah Marker
View looking southwest from the Van Hoosen Farm along the Old Romeo Road Trail.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 22, 2019, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 275 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on May 22, 2019, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.
