History

Civil War Lodge of Research #1865, AF&AM
Masters and Membership Statistics for each year of its existence

Year	Master	Members at start of year	Increase (number)	Increase (percent)	Affili- ated	Rein- stated	De- ceased	De- mits	NPD	Members at end of year
1995	Allen E. Roberts (deceased)	0								130
1996	Keith A. Hinerman	130	16	12%	14					146
1997	Paul M. Bessel	146	38	26%	44		3	3		184
1998	Paul M. Bessel	184	106	58%	116		2	3		290
1999	David J. Roberts	290	36	12%	48		2	15		326
2000	Robert E. Schindler, Sr.	326	35	11%	48		3	7	1	361
2001	Michael McCabe	361	20	6%	36	3	2	13		381
2002	Charles R. Joseph	381	30	8%	64	1	17	16	2	411
2003	John Shroeder	411
2004	Lauris M. Eek III
2005	Gary L. Laing
2006	Stephen M. Whitaker
2007	Michael McCabe

Meetings of the CWLR

Date	Place & Other Details
May 6, 1995	Highland Springs - first meeting - Allen E. Roberts, WM, unable to attend because of illness
May 4, 1996	Highland Springs - elected new officers - Keith A. Hinerman new WM
October 26, 1996	meeting at Lodge in Richmond, and tour of Richmond battlefields
May 3, 1997	Highland Springs - elected new officers - Paul M. Bessel new WM - Tribute to the late Allen E. Roberts, our Charter Master
October 11, 1997	Masonic Home of Virginia, in Richmond, Virginia - living history demonstration at Grand Lodge family day
December 6, 1997	Winchester Hiram Lodge in Winchester, Virginia - Speaker: Michel Brodsky from Belgium, Past Master of Quatuor Coronati Lodge - also Civil War Tour of Winchester - elected officers on new schedule (December instead of May) - Paul M. Bessel reelected WM
April 18, 1998	Fredericksburg Lodge - 2 speakers on Civil War and Masonic research
July 3, 1998	Gettysburg - CWLR meeting in the open field at dusk, during the 135th Reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg
July 11, 1998	George Washington Masonic National Memorial, together with officers and members of Quatuor Coronati Lodge #2076 from London - filled the auditorium, with about 350 attendees - Paul M. Bessel presented a paper on "Civil War Political and Philosophical Issues from a Masonic Perspective"
October 10, 1998	Antietam - Pry House - followed by tour of the Battlefield
December 5, 1998	Highland Springs - elections - David J. Roberts new WM
March 6, 1999	Wellsburg, West Virginia - meeting of CWLR in W.V. lodge celebrating 200th anniversary
July 10, 1999	Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, with brass band during lunch, followed by tour of Harpers Ferry and Charles Town, West Virginia
August 28, 1999	Visited Bentonville, N.C., Battlefield, in Newton Grove, N.C. - tour conducted by site manager John B. Goode
October 30, 1999	Presentation on Battle of Ball's Bluff by Kim B. Holien, historian with the Department of the Army, followed by a tour of the Ball's Bluff Battlefield, near Leesburg, Virginia
December 4, 1999	Fredericksburg Lodge #4 in Fredericksburg, Virginia - elections - Robert E. Schindler, Sr., new WM - medical display by Bruce Nelson and tour of old town Fredericksburg and the Masonic cemetery
April 1, 2000	Presentation by Kathryn Kleiman, Friends of Point Lookout Society, on the U.S. prison at Point Lookout, Maryland, for Confederate prisoners, followed by a tour of the prison
July 8, 2000	Arlington Masonic Lodge - talk by Brian Pohanka on the 5th N.Y. (Duryea's Zouaves) at 2nd Manassas (Bull Run) - followed by tour of Bull Run (Manassas) Battlefield
October 7, 2000	Presentation by Peter Gross on the burning of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, followed by a tour of the destroyed area - meeting in the Masonic lodge that was saved from the burning
December 2, 2000	Highland Springs - elections - Michael E. McCabe new WM - also a tour of Cold Harbor battlefield
April 7, 2001	Gettysburg - Good Samaritan Lodge - followed by a Masonic tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield
July 14, 2001	Delaware City, Delaware - Jackson Lodge - tour of Fort Delaware, Union prisoner of war camp, with living history show
September 15, 2001	lodge meeting in the field at Laurel Hill in Ararat, Virginia - birthplace of J.E.B. Stuart
October 20, 2001	Winchester Hiram Lodge #21 in Winchester, Virginia - same weekend as Cedar Creek reenactment - in evening Unity Lodge #146 (WM is CWLR Treasurer Marty Zuckerman) table lodge
December 1, 2001	election and installation of new officers - Babcock Lodge #322 in Highland Springs, Virginia - Charles R. Joseph new WM - tour of the Museum of the Confederacy and the Confederate White House after meeting
April 13, 2002	Charleston SC -- Presentation on Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley, and tour of the Hunley Museum; Masonic walking tour of historic Charleston; tour of Fort Sumter
July 13, 2002	Gettysburg PA -- Met at Good Samaritan Lodge. Walking tour of battlefield by National Park Service tour guide.
September 15, 2002	Called meeting in the field at Laurel Hill in Ararat VA, J.E.B. Stuart's birthplace
October 5, 2002	Meeting at Mt. Nebo Lodge No. 91 in Shepherdstown WV. Presentation on Shepherdstown and the Civil War. Walking tour of the historic old town, followed by a visit to Antietam National Battlefield in nearby Sharpsburg, Maryland.
December 7, 2002	For the first time, there was a public, rather than private, installation of CWLR officers. It was held at Babcock Lodge #322 in Highland Springs, Virginia The Installing Officer was MW George H. Chapin, who was Grand Master of Virginia in 1999. John Shroeder, Jr., was installed as Master. Afterwards, there was a tour of Chimborazo Civil War Hospital Visitors Center in Richmond.
March 13, 2003	Meeting at Endview Plantation, main house, at the annual reenactment in Newport News, VA.
April 12, 2003	Meeting in Henry Lodge #57, Fairfax, Virginia. Program by Don Hakenson, noted Civil War author and lecturer, on John Singleton Mosby and some of his exploits in Fairfax city (capture of Union Brigadier General Stoughton), plus a guided walking tour of some historic sites and the cemetery where some of Mosby's men are buried.
August 9, 2003	Gettysburg - CWLR meeting in the open field at dusk, during the 140th Reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg
September 11, 2003	Visit with Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076 in London, returning their visit to the CWLR in July 1998
October 4, 2003	Meeting in Fredericksburg Lodge #4, Fredericksburg, Virginia. Tour and presentation on the Battle of Chancellorsville
December 6, 2003	Meeting at Babcock Lodge #322, Highland Springs, Virginia. Election and installation of officers of the CWLR for 2004.
July 31, 2004	Alexandria, Virginia - Joint meeting with A. Douglas Smith, Jr., Lodge of Research #1949, at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial - presentation by an imitator of President William McKinley
October 2, 2004	Lisbon, Ohio - visit to the monument to John Hunt Morgan - reenactors from the 10th Ohio Volunteer regiment
December 4, 2004	Election and Installation of Officers. Spurmont Lodge #98, 135 John Marshall Highway, Strasburg, VA. A number of the Brethren and their guests took the opportunity to make the short drive to Appomattox National Battlefield Park to see the annual luminaria display of 23,000 candles -- one for each casualty of the single day's battle. All who saw it were moved and impressed by the simplicity of the display, and the graphic way of showing just how large a number 23,000 really is. 15 folks then headed off to the Bavarian Inn in nearby Shepardstown, WV for a fine dinner.
April 8, 2005	Appomattox - CWLR meeting in the open field at dusk, during the 140th Reenactment of the final events before the surrender of Robert E. Lee to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomatox
April 9, 2005	Stated Communication. 10th Anniversary of the Civil War Lodge of Research. Location: Appomattox, VA, at the lodge room of Monroe Lodge #301. Time: 10am. Theme: "The Day Two Masons Began the Healing", focusing on the reported actions of Bros. Chamberlain and Gordon at the surrender. Program will include a first-person portrayal of Federal General Brother Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. The day's events will include an observance of the chartering of the Civil War Lodge of Research and its first meeting in May 1994, with special recognition of the Lodge's Past Masters.
July 2005	Baltimore, Maryland. Looked at some historical areas of Baltimore with a connection to the Civil War, including Federal Hill, B&O RR Station, Fort McHenry.
September 24, 2005	Called communication. Joint meeting with the Delaware Lodge of Research. Empty Chair Degree, crated to honor Masons who died in service to their country.
October 1, 2005	Stated meeting at Takoma Masonic Center in Washington DC, followed by lunch catered by Denise J. Mann. Then, program by Paul M. Bessel, using the lodge room to demonstrate the strategic and tactical details of the battle of Gettysburg. Afterwards, members attended the Octagon Museum exhibit of paintings relating to Freemasonry in the architectural history of Washington DC.
December 2006	Highland Springs, Virginia - Elections & Installation
April 8, 2006	Fort Gaines, Alabama, hosted by McCormack/Mobile #40. Brothers Bob Houston and Wayne Sirmon
July 8, 2006	Concord Lodge #307, Vienna, Virginia. Writer and Brother David Moore, guest Speaker on the Raid of Lawrence, Kansas in 1863.
October 14, 2006	Dentsville Lodge #398, at 6604 Shakespeare Road, Columbia, South Carolina. The South Carolina Masonic Research Society acted as host, along with Dentsville Lodge #398, and held their meeting at 9am and the CWLR meeting began after the conclusion of the SCMRS. The program was by Don Burbidge and there was a visit to SC Archives in the afternoon.
December 2, 2006	George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria VA - Elections & Installation, and program by Jari Villanueva on "The History of Taps"
April 2007	Stated meeting in Hampton, Virginia
July 14 2007	Stated meeting in Arlington, Virginia. Met at Arlingtion Glebe Centennial Lodge. Brother David Price of Delaware was the guest speaker on the subject of the sculptor Brother Moses Ezikiel. In the afternoon, a tour of Arlington National Cemetary and the laying of wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Confederate and Union Memorials. Brother Ezikiel was the sculptor for the Confederate Memorial and a survivor of the famous VMI battle at NewMarket, VA in 1864.
October 2007	Stated meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
December 2007	Stated meeting in Richmond, Virginia
April 2008	Stated meeting in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania