Washington Lodge No. 3

Washington Lodge No. 3. constructed in 1799. , Chartered in 1798, this was the first Masonic lodge chartered in Rhode Island and is now the second oldest continuously used Masonic Lodge in America and the oldest public building in Warren., Of the 58 original members, 21 were sea captains. The lodge, completed in 1799 was crafted by local shipwrights, made with oak timbers salvaged from the British "stone fleet", sunk across Newport Harbor in 1778. Brother Sylvester Child purchased the old ships and floated the timbers up Narragansett Bay and into the Warren River to his shipyard at the foot of Baker and Miller Streets., The building, a massive undertaking at the time, was designed with fine federal-style features throughout, and is richly adorned with classic elements of the period. The Great Hall's arched ceiling was made from beams of a British ship, and the walls are painted with exceptional Egyptian-themed murals. The first floor of the Lodge was for public use. It was used as the Town Clerk's office from 1800 to the late 1800's, and as a school for women possibly associated with Brown University in the early 1900's., [Captions:] , The United States Masons originated in England and became a popular association for leading colonials, including George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, after the first American lodge was founded in Boston in 1733., Lodge Room Murals In 1915, lodge members commissioned artist Max Mueller to design the lodge room. Brother Mueller borrowed copies of the "Book of the Dead" and the "Papyrus of Ani" from the Boston Public Library, selecting images believed to have Masonic symbolism. Egyptian-themed fresco murals were painted encircling the Great Hall, laid out to tell a story of human construction. Restoration of these priceless murals was undertaken in 2016., built in 1846 , Fire Station Museum , The old Narragansett Steam Fire Company Station No. 3 was restored in the 1970's as a museum. This early Victorian building houses the famous "Little Hero", the town's first fire engine, purchased in 1802., The Federal Blues , built in 1860 , In 1988, Congress authorized a new 124-ft. square-rigged Naval frigate to be built in Warren and named for Rhode Island nativeb and Revolutionary War General Nathaneal Greene. The frigate set sail in 1799 under the command of Captain Christopher R. Perry, a resident of Warren, with his son Oliver Hazard Perry as midshipman. In 1798, Rhode Island chartered a military unit, the "Federal Blues," to protect Warren's shipyards and waterfront. "The Federal Blues," now serves as a ceremonial unit honoring the history of Warren., This charming building was built as a carriage house and, under threat of demolition, was relocated to Baker Street in 1990 as home to the "Federal Blues".