Early History Of Freemasonry In America.

met . The notice in Franklin ' s newspaper , hi 1732 , designates the place oi meeting as the Sun Tavern , on Watei Street , in the city of Philadelphia . After a careful collation of all the testimony I have been able to gather ,

Avritten , printed , and oral or traditional , I have come to the conclusion that the S is a typographical error for T , and that " Sun Tavern" should read " Tun Tavern . " AVatson ' s Annals of Philadelphia says : * " A very noted

publichouse in the Colonial clays was Pegg Mullen ' s 'Beef Steak House , ' on the east side of Water Street , at the corner of Wilcox ' s aUey ; she was knoAvn and visited by persons from Boston to Georgia . . . GoA ernor Hamilton

, and other governors , held their clubs in that house—there the Freemasons met , and most of the public parties and societies . . . ' Pegg Mullen ' s' Avas the south corner , or next the corner of

Tun alley . " It seems that this alley was sometimes called Wilcox , and at other times Tun alley . It is the first alley south of Chestnut Street , leading eastward from Water Street to the river Delaware .

Past Grand Master Bro . John Thomson , IIOAA * , and for many years , Grand Secretary of the G . L . of Pennsylvania , informs me that the old tavern Avhich stood at the corner of Tun Alley , had three tunsor barrels of a tun capacity

, each , on top of each other outside of its door , as a business sign , and Tun Alley derived its name from this fact . I recently visited this locality . On the site of the Tun Tavern there now stands a cooper shop , outside of Avhich I saAv

standing a number of barrels of large size , by Avhich I Avas forcibly reminded of the old Tun Tavern . On the street corner at the Avharf is the sign " Ton Alley . "

I may add , as a matter of history , that the earliest records of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania , UOAV in the Secretaiy ' s office in the Masonic Temple , Philadelphia , are dated July 29 , 1779 ;

Early History Of Freemasonry In America.

but on the page previous to their commencement there is this Preface : — " The former minutes of the Grand Lodge being either mislaid , or carried aAvay by some enemies to the Royal Art during the confusions of the present

Avar , it has been found necessary to open new books of Minutes and Proceedings , though under aU the disadvantages of Avanting the ancient forms and precedents , yet in hope of recovering them by means of any faithful brother

into AAdiose hands tbey may in future chance to tall , and trusting that by a clue regard to the fundamental Rules of the Royal Art , which are invariable and stand fast for ever , no considerable mistake can be made in the following entries , either respecting the form or the substance . "

I trust that the importance of the Masonic facts discussed and narrated in the foregoing article , and the value of the recently discovered evidence brought to bear upon their elucidation , may be deemed a sufficient excuse for

its length . The wholesale claims made on behalf of the G . L . of Massachusetts to having established Masonry in Pennsylvania , as well as in most of the other piwinces , must be abandoned . I once credited them , but in the Rght of origmal research can do so no longer . " *

"While invincible as a Mason , and bravo as a man , bo sure to display the benignity of a friend , and tho kindness of a brother .