Although the lay of the land would have been similar, as well as the weather, the Masons of 1788 in this part of Virginia would find very little that they would recognize. The Kentucky Gazette, the first newspaper printed west of the mountains described our city as being "a small settlement with less than fifty log cabins". Although Indian attacks on the settlement had begun to abate, it was nevertheless very remote and survival was still the chief concern of its inhabitants. To reach the capital of Richmond (VA) was to embark on an arduous journey that took weeks by horseback. The travelers would ford streams and cross the Appalachian Mountains with nothing but hundreds of miles of hostile inhabitants and rugged terrain with which to contend. It was not an undertaking that men would take lightly. Such a journey would have been for the most important of reasons.
Yet it was just such a journey that was undertaken by a company of men, led by General Richard Anderson, Green Clay and John Fowler. The purpose of their quest was to establish Freemasonry on the frontier of this budding nation. This purpose was fulfilled when, in Mason's Hall at Richmond, the Grand Master of Masons, granted a charter to these three men establishing Lexington Lodge No. 25 F. & A.M. of the Grand Lodge of Virginia, on the 17th of November, 1788.
Such began the legacy of the Lodge that would give birth to the Grand Lodge of Kentucky, as well as chartering lodges in Missouri, Tennessee and Mississippi. A legacy which survived the ravages of the Civil War in a state where "brother fighting brother" was not an uncommon occurrence. It is a legacy that has put forth Senators, Congressmen, Governors, Mayors, for our Commonwealth and for the nation.
We have clothed the naked, fed the hungry, and provided for the sick and helpless for over 200 years. All this is part of the proud legacy we carry into the 21st Century.
Some of our prominent brothers include:
Richard Clough Anderson (1750-1826) was our first Master. He was a retired General Officer of the Virginia Continentals and served under General Washington. Brother Anderson crossed the Delaware with Washington and is believed to be one of the men pictured in the famous portrait of Washington crossing the Delaware. He and two others made the initials journey to Richmond, Virginia in 1788 to receive our charter. He was also brother-in-law to another famous Mason - General George Rogers Clark.
John Bradford (1749-1830) who published the first newspaper on the frontier, The Kentucky Gazette, was a Past Master of this Lodge.
Samuel Hughes Woodson (1777-1827) served in the Congress in the early Nineteenth Century.
Joseph Hamilton Daveiss (Daviess) (1774-1811) was a Past Master of Lexington Lodge #1, and it was he who, adorned in the Buckskin clothes of the frontier, became the first attorney from the frontier to argue a case before the Supreme Court. In 1805, he was the prosecutor of Aaron Burr. Brother Daveiss later died as a result of wounds received at the battle of Tippecanoe.
Gideon Shryock (1802-1880) was perhaps the best know architect on the frontier. He was a member of this lodge. He is best known for designing many of the more prominent buildings in our state capitol (Frankfort), included among them is the original state capitol building. He was also the architect for some of the buildings still standing at Transylvania University, which was chartered by Thomas Jefferson as the first University west of the Alleghenies.
Henry Clay, Master, Grand Master,
Speaker of the House and Senate
Our most famous son is without doubt Henry Clay, (1777-1852) "The Great Harry of the West". Brother Clay served as Speaker of the House and later served and retired from the Senate. He tried in vain to establish a General Grand Lodge of the U.S. In the course of this pursuit, he presided over a lodge meeting being opened on the floor of the U.S. Senate Chamber, the only time this was done. He ran unsuccessfully for President four times. Brother Clay fought valiantly to preserve the union in the days preceding the civil war and is the primary author of the "Compromise of 1840". As a result of his contributions to this country in it's formative years, Brother Clay's likeness appears in Washington D.C., second only to that of George Washington. Brother Clay served as Grand Master of Kentucky and Master of Lexington Lodge No. 1, simultaneously. He is the only Grand Master of our Grand Lodge to serve both the Grand Lodge and his Mother Lodge at the same time. For political reasons, it became necessary for Brother Clay to demit. But at his request, upon his death he was afforded a Masonic Burial performed by the brothers of Lexington Lodge No. 1. Another famous son of more recent vintage was Adolph Rupp. Brother Rupp was the winningest coach in college basketball history, leading the University of Kentucky to four national championships and two N.I.T. championships. He coached a Gold Medal winning Olympic team and single handedly brought Kentucky basketball to the prominence it enjoys today. Brother Rupp served as Potentate of Oleika Shrine Temple here in Lexington and worked hard for the Children's Hospital. As one of his earthly acts, Brother Rupp attended Lodge. His last time in attendance, a few lucky brethren were privileged to carry this great man up the stairs, as he was by then bound to a wheel chair, but he refused to let this separate him from his Lodge.