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| Dale Masonic Lodge |
According to the Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons
of Alabama, Dale Masonic Lodge No. 25 was founded on Dec. 20, 1827 in what was
then called Dale Town, a community that later became known as Prairie Bluff.
Dale Town, which was located on a high bluff on the west side of the Alabama
River north of the present-day Miller’s Ferry Bridge, was named after early
Alabama pioneer Samuel Dale. Known as the “Daniel Boone of Alabama,” Dale died
in May 1841 in Mississippi.
Records reflect that Thomas Bivin Creagh, a prominent early
Alabama Freemason, was elected to serve as the first Worshipful Master of Dale
Lodge when it was officially organized in 1827. From there, Creagh went on to
serve as the Grand Master of the Alabama Grand Lodge in 1828, 1829 and 1830,
and it’s said that he is the only Grand Master to serve in that position for
three consecutive years. Creagh passed away at the age of 73 in March 1842 and
was buried in the Creagh-Glover Cemetery near Catherine.
Dale Town (sometimes spelled as “Daletown”) started to
decline in the 1840s, not long after the county seat was moved from Canton Bend
to Barboursville, which was renamed Camden in 1841. During the 1840s, the members
of Dale Lodge voted to move their lodge to Camden, where the lodge remains
today at the intersection of Broad Street and Clifton Street. Sources say that
the cornerstone of this majestic building was laid in November 1848, which was
about a decade before the Wilcox County Courthouse was built.
Another story that’s commonly told about the Masonic lodge
in Camden is that Union troops camped at the lodge while passing through Camden
in April 1865. For many years, I have tried to pinpoint the exact date that
Union troops moved through Wilcox County, but have not had much luck.
Presumably, these troops were part of what’s known as Wilson’s Raid, a cavalry
operation across Alabama that took place in March and April of 1865. It would
be interesting to know which Union units were involved, who their commanders
were and if there were any famous soldiers among their number.
Also, while doing research on Dale Lodge, I ran across a
reference to a book called “History of the Dale Lodge, Camden,” which was
published by the lodge in 1909. I suspect that this book would shed more light
on the lodge’s early history, but, to date, I have been unable to put my hands
on a copy of this book. If anyone in the reading audience has a copy that I
could view, please let me know.
In the end, let me be among the first to wish the Masonic lodge in Camden a happy 197th birthday. It’s often said that the object of Masonry is “to make good men better,” and there is no doubt that the members of Dale Lodge have successfully carried on this tradition for nearly two centuries in Wilcox County. It is my fraternal hope that they continue to do so for many, many more years to come.
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