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HOW HAMILTON DISTRICT "C" CAME INTO BEING
Masonry in Southern Ontario seems to have started in the Fort on the American side of the Niagara River where a Kings (8th) Regiment of Foot would meet with Field Warrant No.156. This Lodge met between 1773 and 1785. On the other side of the river St. John’s Lodge of Friendship No.2 met a Newark (now Niagara-on-the-Lake) and Queenston in 1782. In 1795 the first Lodge in Hamilton, The Barton Lodge, held its first meeting at Smith’s Tavern. A second lodge in the area was established in 1879 at Forty Mile Creek (now Grimsby) and was called Union Lodge. Initially the area between Grimsby and Oakville was referred to as The Gore District.
When the Grand Lodge of Canada was formed in 1855, all 4 Hamilton lodges were placed in the Western District or that portion of Upper Canada lying west of Toronto. A year later that area was divided into the Districts of Hamilton and London. At the conclusion of World War I (1914-1918) there were 21 Lodges in this vicinity, and this number grew rapidly to 31 lodges. Thus in 1923 the former Hamilton District was split into Hamilton “A” District consisting of 16 Lodges and Hamilton “B” District with 15 Lodges.
During the ensuing years 11 more Lodges were granted charters in the Hamilton area.Commencing in 1972, several meetings were held under the leadership of the respective DDGM's. R.W. Bros. Hugh Lord and Roy Middleton. The outcome of these meetings lead to the formation and the operating procedures for our Hamilton Masonic District as approved by Grand Lodge in July 1974. With this redistribution of Lodges there was now three Masonic Districts referred to as Hamilton “A”, Hamilton “B” and Hamilton “C”, each consisting of 14 Lodges.
Subsequently, Centennial Daylight Lodge No. 679 joined Hamilton “C” in 1989, while in 2001 Hamilton Lodge No.562 extinguished its lights, and in May 2005 Doric No.382 affiliated with Ancient Landmarks No.654, leaving us currently with a total of 14 lodges.
Temple Lodge No.324, The Electric Lodge No.495, Corinthian Lodge No.513, Ionic Lodge 549, Wardrope Lodge No.555, Hugh Murray Lodge No.602, The Lodge of the Ancient Landmarks No.654 incorporating Doric Lodge No. 382, and Centennial Daylight Lodge No.670 meet at the Masonic Centre of Hamilton, 4 Queen St. S. Hamilton;
Buchanan Lodge No.550 and Westmount Lodge No.671 meet at the Hillcrest Lodge Hall, 257 Mohawk Rd. W., Hamilton;
Valley Lodge No.100 meets at the Dundas Masonic Hall, 3 Main St. E., Dundas;
Seymour Lodge No.272 and Meridian Lodge No. 687 meet at the Ancaster Masonic Hall, 419 Wilson St. E., Ancaster;
Dufferin Lodge No.291 meets at the West Flamborough Masonic Hall, 200 Highway 8, West Flamborough.
We are a happy, well functioning District of sound, progressive, well managed lodges.
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