It has been the goal of many of the leaders of Ohio Freemasonry in recent years to somehow realize the writing of a complete history of The Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ohio. During the last fifty years numerous starts had been made, but for a variety of reasons (including the death of one of the writers) the task never got very far.

Then fortune smiled on The Grand Lodge of Ohio. W. Brother Allen E. Roberts of Virginia was given the task of producing a thirty-minute documentary film for The Grand Lodge. The film, "Precious Heritage", was released in 1977 and subsequently won for its author/producer a Gold Award at the International Film and TV Festival of New York.

During the period of time I was closely working with Brother Roberts on the film I grew to appreciate his abilities and his dedication to Freemasonry. As the production of the film was drawing to a close I broached the possibility to him of his writing the history of The Grand Lodge of Ohio. I felt he was a "natural" having authored several successful books and having acquired a wealth of knowledge regarding Ohio Freemasonry in researching "Precious Heritage".

Allen agreed, if I would likewise agree to assist him in a few minor areas. This I readily did, and so it was that The Grand Lodge of Ohio commissioned Brother Allen Roberts to write a history of its founding in 1808 and development thereafter to the present time.

The work is Allen's and the credit for its success is his.

Brother Amos Loveday, Grand Historian of The Grand Lodge of Ohio, a member of Humboldt Lodge No.476, and a member of the staff of The Ohio Historical Society provided valuable assistance in the areas of Ohio history and its influence on Ohio Masonry.

I provided some small assistance in the areas of records, pictures, anecdotes, etc. The title "Frontier Cornerstone," is one I had thought of some years ago when I first began to dream of this book and am pleased to have it so used.

The dust cover was done by a very close friend of mine of many years, Brother Neil McIntosh, a member of Anchor Lodge No.283 of Duncan Falls, Ohio.

We are indebted to Mrs. Saundra Pritchard for proofreading.

As mentioned earlier, Brother Roberts is a Past Master of two Virginia lodges, Babcock No. 322 and Virginia Research No. 1777. He is a Past District Deputy Grand Master, a Fellow of the Philalethes Society and a member of the Society of Blue Friars (Masonic Authors). His home is in Highland Springs, Virginia where he and his wife manage Imagination Unlimited, specializing in providing audio and visual aids for business and fraternal organizations.

Robert A. Hinshaw
Grand Secretary and Past Grand Master (Ohio)
May 1980

"Frontier Cornerstone" is a history of Freemasonry in Ohio as seen through the "eyes" of the Proceedings of the Grand Lodge. This has been the basic source, of necessity, although many Lodge histories and publications of The Ohio Historical Society were consulted. To cover the history of the individual Lodges would require not one, but numerous volumes. The work of many of these Lodges has been remarkable.

It has been a gratifying experience to "live" and "work" with the leaders of the Craft in Ohio for almost 200 years. The full story of many of them should be told. Some of them deserve a volume of their own. Hopefully, what is recorded here will cause you to search further. This research could result in the many books needed to cover the story of Freemasonry in the Buckeye State.

The form to take for this history caused me some concern. Finally I decided to tell the story as it happened. I have always found it easier to understand why certain actions were taken if they are recorded chronologically. Hopefully, you will agree with me as you read along.

Actually, this isn't my story. It's the work of many historians of prior years. It's a digest of what the excellent Grand Secretaries recorded for 170 years. It is to one of them, Most Worshipful Robert A. Hinshaw, I owe a debt not easy to repay. His vast knowledge of Freemasonry in Ohio was tapped on many occasions. For his untiring efforts, I thank him.

It has been gratifying to learn, as this history progressed, the leadership of Freemasonry in Ohio has "made haste slowly." It has always taken into account the tenets, precepts, and Landmarks of the Order. It has given a sustaining value to the Freemasons in the state. It has proven successful. From a handful of Masons in the wilderness of the Northwest Territory, the Grand Lodge has grown to be the largest Masonic jurisdiction in the United States. This didn't "just happen." There had to be something spiritual behind it.

Men must always have something to sustain them; something of moral and spiritual value; something they can consider a sanctuary. This they can find in Freemasonry. In Masonry men from every walk of life can blend into a harmonious oneness. Yet they don't have to crush their individuality. One of the great lessons taught in the Craft is that of freedom; freedom to think, to be creative, imaginative, innovative, progressive; freedom to choose one's religion, education, lifestyle.

This is one of the reasons a repressive dictatorship proscribes Freemasonry first when it gains control. Dictatorships can't stand the light of freedom.

This is what the Freemasons of Ohio have found throughout its history. This and more, much more. It has found Freemasonry to be as modern as the Twenty-first Century. It has found this modern thinking based on the best of the lessons of centuries before and after Christ. It has learned the teachings of the past are necessary if there is to be progress in the future.

From the day the first Masonic cornerstone was laid on the frontier of the Northwest Territory to today, the teaching of the value of the spiritual lessons found in Freemasonry, has made The Grand Lodge of Ohio strong. May this ever prove to be true.

May the Freemasons of Ohio, and the world, continue to stress the importance of the Brotherhood of Man under the Fatherhood of God.

Allen E. Roberts
February 22, 1979

When civilization marched into what was to become known as Ohio is uncertain. Historians can't agree among themselves. So, depending on which historian one believes, inhabitants could have been in the area around 9,000 B.C.

All appear to agree that about a million years ago the climate throughout most of the world changed. Glaciers were formed and slowly moved across the land. The land around Ohio didn't escape the radical changes made by these glaciers.

It was the movement of these glaciers, according to some historians, that formed a land bridge between some continents. Over this bridge traveled large numbers of animals. In pursuit came hunters. "For human beings had been in existence all during the advance and retreats of the glaciers," wrote Martha A. Potter, an Assistant Curator of Archaeology, in "Ohio's Prehistoric People." "But in the earlier phases of the Pleistocene, mankind had been limited to the Old World, that is, Europe, Asia, and Africa. During the latter portion of the Ice Age, he was able to wander across the Bering Strait land bridge to the New World, following the animals that were so essential to his very existence."

Potter adds: "Although large glaciers covered much of Alaska and Canada, there were corridors between the ice sheets providing access to the interior of the continent for both man and beast. Archaeologists "differ in their opinions about when men first reached the New World" (emphasis mine); some say as long as 30,000 years ago while others would delay their arrival until 10,000 years ago." That's some difference!

It appears two glaciers known as the "Wisconsin" and the "Illinois" played important roles in the shaping of what was to become Ohio. Their advance and retreat left fertile ground favorable for plant life - and later for the farmer. The fertility brought animals and at some early period, man.

With the retreat of the glaciers, lakes were formed in many areas - forerunners of the giant Lake Erie. These, too, would benefit the prehistoric settlers, and those to follow.

It is believed there were at least three cultures in the area prior to the one most talked of in Ohio. So little is known of the earliest people, much of what is written about them is merely speculation. This is even true about the "Adena" people, or "Mound Builders."

Potter believes the Adena (named this because one or the burial sites was located at Adena) lived in circular houses. They farmed, but their methods were crude. They hunted, fished, and lived off the land. Their settlements were small, consisting of from two to four huts.

The making of pottery became one of the Adena's major industries. Cooking and survival ~ways remained the primary role. Hunting and fishing were major activities The making of pipes appeared to be another important function. Where there were pipes, there must have been something to smoke in them. And this was about 3,000 years ago.

In the latter part of the Adena period burials took on a different form. Log tombs became popular. Logs were arranged in "a square or rectangle within which the body and associated artifacts were buried. More logs placed across the top of the tomb formed the roof. Sometimes multiple burials occupied the same tomb."

Many of these mounds grew in size over the years. This was the result of an accumulation of burials. "One mound in central Ohio grew in this way over a period of several hundred years; thus when it was excavated, it revealed both late and early Adena burial practices."

Potter goes on to state: "Burials in some mounds have been accompanied with various chipping tools made from bone, flint projectiles-points, and pieces of flint and chert. . . One individual, discovered in a mound in Pickaway County, had with him a small sandstone whetstone, a bone awl, a bone spatula, a spear point, a piece of worked slate, and a chunk of hematite - all originally wrapped in a squirrel skin . . . The skin . . . may very well have been a medicine bag in which this shaman kept his ceremonial paraphernalia."

The Adena people appeared to be industrious from what little is known about them. Their life-span of about 1,000 years began to phase itself out with the coming of the "Hopewell" people around 100 A.D.

"The Hopewell were the most skilled in making elaborate artifacts and in constructing complex earthworks and burial mounds," claimed Potter. Even so, she say, "the exact composition of Hopewell society has been a matter of opinion." She believes the domestic life of the Hopewell and Adena were much alike. Both made pottery, hunted, fished, farmed and used the type of tools. Both made and smoked something in pipes. Here the Hopewell people appeared to be more advanced in their carvings. Both used copper from Lake Superior for various types of objects and ornaments.

Materials not native to the area were used for varying purposes. It would appear trading was taking place between the Hopewells and people from other places, near and far. This was made possible because of the river systems in the Ohio Valley. "Materials," wrote Potter, "could easily move from north to south and back again by means of the Tennessee and Mississippi rivers and their tributaries. East-West movement could be facilitated by the Great Lakes and the Ohio River system."

It would appear that Ohio, long before any white man set foot on its soil, was something of a center for manufacturing, agriculture and trade. It is little wonder that natives, men, and nations would later fight to claim its riches. Especially when these riches were so easily transported over the waterways of the area.

The territory would remain for centuries a haven for Indians of varying descriptions. But in the early 1700's French adventurers traveled over the waterways to the outskirts of what is now known as Ohio. In the 1740's English trading posts began to appear. They spread from Logstown, on the right bank of the Ohio River near the present town of Economy, to other rivers and creeks. Eventually they covered much of Ohio, in spite of problems with the French and the Indians.
Alarmed by the number of English trading posts in the territory, the French sent Celoron de Blainville to claim the land for France. At the mouth of each important tributary he buried a lead plate with an inscription claiming the region in the name of the King of France. A tin plate with the Royal Arms of France was fastened to a nearby tree. It called attention to the buried plate.

The activity of the French alarmed the Ohio Company in Virginia. It hired the famous explorer Christopher Gist of Maryland to "go westward of the great mountains." His task was to survey the region and observe the number of Indians in the area. On Christmas Day, 1750, he was at the Muskingum. It is claimed he held the first Protestant us service in what is now Ohio.

Gist would later report he found the land rich and a level. Game of all descriptions was plentiful. Timber was abundant. Grass grew to unusual heights and the fields full. His diaries are full of praise for the richness and beauty of the Ohio Valley.

Wherever Gist traveled he found the Indians friendly and anxious to work with the English.

Upon his return Gist pointed out to the Virginians the need for a trading post in the upper Ohio Valley. He suggested negotiations be started with the Indians so a definite boundary could be fixed. "Then," said Gist, "the Company can safely build factories and storehouses upon the River Ohio, and send out large cargoes of goods, which they cannot otherwise do." Gist was given the job of negotiating with the Indians, and directed to cut a road immediately from Will's Creek to the "fork of the Monongaly."

The Treaty of Lancaster was signed with the Indians in June, 1752. But the Ohio Company lost its advantage. It didn't build a strong fort at the Forks of the Ohio. The French took advantage of this oversight. They raided the English post at Pickawillany. When Captain William Trent finally arrived with a message from Governor Dinwiddie of Virginia, he found the settlement practically deserted.

The now governor-general of Canada, Duquesne, was extremely pleased with the attack upon Pickawillan. He expected this would put an end to English trading on what he called "our land." The English were not protecting the Ohio country. Even Indians friendly to the English were bitter. Yet the English policy continued to be indecisive.

Early in 1753, a French force built a fort at what is now Erie, Pennsylvania. Using this as its headquarters it sent expeditions throughout the Ohio Valley.

This brought a young man named George Washington into the picture. He arrived in Williamsburg toward the end of October. From the pages of the "Virginia Gaze" he learned the Governor needed help in the Ohio Valley. Washington called on Governor Dinwiddie and volunteered his services. They were gratefully accepted.

In his journal for "Wednesday, October 31, 1753", Washington wrote: "I was commissioned and appointed by the Honourable Robert Dinwiddie, Esquire, Governor, & C. of Virginia to visit and deliver a Letter to the Commandant of the French forces on the Ohio, and set out on the intended journey the same day."

The following day, Washington arrived at Fredericksburg and his first act was to "engage" Jacob vanBraam, his friend and brother Mason, as "my French Interpreter." They purchased necessities in Alexandria. At Winchester, they obtained horses, baggage, and other items. They arrived at Wills Creek on November 14.

Washington wrote in his journal: "Here I engage Mr. Gist to pilot us out, and also hired four others as servitors." When they arrived at the forks of the Ohio, Washington agreed with his predecessors. It was the logical place for a strong fort.

Upon his arrival at Fort Le Boeuf, Washington was treated courteously. Yet, according to his journal, the French were frank: "The Wine, as they dosed themselves pretty plentifully with it, soon banished the Restraint." His journal continued, "They told me, that it was their Absolute Design to take Possession of the Ohio, and by G - - they would do it; for that altho' they were sensible the English could raise two men for their one, yet they knew their Motions were too slow and dilatory to prevent any undertaking of theirs. They pretend to have an undoubted Right to the River from a Discovery made by one LaSalle 60 years ago."

Washington headed back to Virginia through icechoked paths and rivers. He arrived in Williamsburg in January, 1754, and immediately reported to Dinwiddie.

Washington's journal proved that a clash with the French was inevitable. But Dinwiddie could get no support from the Burgesses. He then appealed to the stockholders of the Ohio Company. To protect their holdings, they put up enough money for Dinwiddie to send Captain Trent with
33 men to build a fort at the Forks of the Ohio, following Washington's suggestion.

Dinwiddie appealed to Pennsylvania, New York, and Maryland for help, but they were not interested. Somehow, Dinwiddie managed to raise enough money to send 500 men to man the fort at the Forks of the Ohio. Among these men and second in command was George Washington. Surprisingly, their first skirmish with the French proved to be a victory. Then the French sent a numerically superior force in pursuit of the English. They met at Great Meadows
where the English had thrown up a hastily improvised fort. It was aptly named "Fort Necessity." And it was here that the "Seven Years War" began.

The superior French force, aided by Indians with their skill in frontier warfare, with plenty of ammunition, forced Washington to surrender. This was to be the only time this would ever happen to Washington. Fortunately, another Mason named Benjamin Franklin saw the need to drive the French out of the Ohio country. Through his aid, and that of other influential men, a conference was called at Albany. Plans were made to unite the various colonies against the threat from the French. But this "Albany Congress" achieved nothing.

It was apparent that only a well organized and strong expedition could restore English power and prestige on the Ohio. The Colonies could not be depended upon for unified action. The undertaking would have to be carried out by the English government itself. So, Major General Edward Braddock was sent to America. His orders called for him to drive the French out of the Ohio Valley and from Niagara. This would break up the communication between French posts on the St. Lawrence and those on the Mississippi.

Braddock landed in Alexandria, Virginia, in February, 1755, with two regiments of English troops and the accompanying artillery. He made preparations for his ill-fated westward campaign against the French. Braddock disliked the colonists, yet he asked George Washington to accept a post as a voluntary aid. Washington accepted. He served without rank and acted as the eyes and ears for the veteran he admired.

Into the wilderness they marched, with Braddock at the head of his vast forces. He found the going rough. Washington's earlier difficulties were magnified because of the larger force. Contracts to supply pack animals, wagons and supplies were unfilled. Only Benjamin Franklin honored his commitments.

At the rate of two miles per day, the English force moved toward Fort Duquesne. At Washington's suggestion, the General finally agreed to push ahead without the wagon. The faster coverage brought them to within 10 of the fort on July 7. On the eighth, they crossed the water to be met by a French force of 900 which included more than 600 Indians. The English were butchered. Washington had two horses killed from under him as he was fighting. Four bullets tore his clothes. The regular troops panicked and ran. Braddock was killed, but before he died he praised the Virginians he had earlier condemned. And, before he died, he sent Washington to bring back Colonel Thomas Dunbar with reinforcements. But, Dunbar destroyed his guns and wagons and retreated to Philadelphia to set up winter quarters - in August! Washington was horrified. The English were whipped.

After Braddock's defeat, the Indians began to attack, burn and murder the settlers. Households were abandoned. Frightened people fled to safety east of the Blue Ridge. Dinwiddie had to do something to stop the slaughter and flight. So, on September 17, 1755, he appointed George Washington "Colonel of the Virginia Regiments Commander-in-Chief of all the forces that now are or shall be raised ." Washington was frustrated by politicians at every turn. He was able to accomplish little.

The English politicians claimed that Ohio was separated by a chain of mountains from the English colonies. These were "rude, difficult, impractical," and for the most part impassable. But, both the French and English readily agreed that ownership of the Ohio Valley was important to each. The controversies finally resulted in England declaring war on May 18, 1756.

Charles Stuart of Cumberland, Pennsylvania, had been captured by the French. He left an interesting account of conditions in the Ohio country at this time. As he was taken through the Ohio country on his way to Detroit, he saw few human habitations. At Detroit, he claimed French officials and priests were urged to fight against the English and "to kill, burn and destroy all, save none unless it be one for their own use." His report and that of Virginian, Major Smith, made England realize the French would have to be driven out of Ohio if the English were to be safe.

It was going to be necessary to win the Indians over to the English if they were to drive out the French. A Moravian missionary, Christian Frederick Post, was selected to go into the Ohio country for this purpose. He left on July 18, 1758. About the same time, General John Forbes, who had been sent to America with orders to capture Fort Duquesne, began his march across Pennsylvania.

Post had done his work well. When the French tried to capture Forbes, the Indians refused to back the French. Post went deeper into the Ohio country, winning the Indians over to the English.

The sequel came swiftly. Deprived of Indian aid, the French officers at Fort Duquesne knew further resistance was hopeless. They demolished the fort, burned it, and retreated to Venango.

French resistance collapsed in the Ohio Valley. The English had completely won over the Indians. A year later, all French garrisons in the Ohio country were called into Detroit. French power in the Ohio Valley had come to an end. This brought about the "Treaty of Paris" in 1763.

But, the English did not know how to handle their victory. They were tactless in their treatment of the Indians. This brought into being "Pontiac's Conspiracy." He set about destroying all English forts west of the Appalachians and drove the English back across the mountains. He
succeeded everywhere but at Fort Pitt and Detroit, leaving the English with only nominal control over the Ohio country.

On October 3, 1764, Colonel Henry Bouquet, alone with experienced woodsmen of the Virginia Militia, left Fort Pitt for the perilous journey into the heart of the Indian country. His march was successful. On October 17, he received representatives of the Delawares, the Shawnees, and the Senecas, in a setting that was skillfully arranged. Standing in a bower, with his troops stationed alongside, "to appear to the best advantage," he received the chiefs of the tribes. They sued for peace. Bouquet gave the chiefs twelve days in which to surrender their prisoners to him without any exception, including Englishmen, Frenchmen, women and children. When they complied, he would let them know the terms upon which they could have a treaty.

His bold speech was effective. The Indians were awed by his daring and the display of force. In a little more than three weeks, 306 captives were surrendered to the English. The immediate problem of peace in the Ohio country had been settled. Bouquet returned to Fort Pitt on November 18, 1764.

The Crown rendered another of its harsh rulings. By "Royal proclamation" on October 7, 1763, the American colonies were prohibited from sending settlers to "any lands beyond the heads or sources of any of the rivers which fall into the Atlantic Ocean from the West or Northwest." This territory was to be reserved for the Indians and all persons who had settled upon these lands were to remove themselves immediately. This would have prevented any settlement of the Ohio territory and it would have caused some who had settled in western Pennsylvania and western Virginia to move.

Another agreement was finally reached. This was known as the "Treaty of Fort Stanwix." But, before any valid settlements could be made the Revolutionary War broke out, and the settlement of the Ohio Valley was delayed.

Thomas Hutchins, on June 18, 1766, began a journey from Pittsburgh that would have far-reaching effects on the Ohio Valley. He was accompanied by Captain Henry; Gordon, chief engineer in North America. Gordon kept a journal of the Ohio Valley giving distances and places which described "with more accuracy than had been done by any other person."

In 1778, Hutchins published a report of their findings of his journey. The many windings of the Ohio River and its branches were described. The map also gave the prin cipal overland trails. The descriptive pamphlet contained interesting observations about the resources of the region. It was this work that would help open up the Ohio country. It would make immigration possible when the Indian menace had been removed and the Revolution ended.

In 1778, a Mason named George Rogers Clark played a decisive part in driving the British from the Ohio Valley. He and his men celebrated July 4, 1778, by seizing Kaskaskia, on the Mississippi, about 50 miles south St. Louis. He and his 200 "Long Knives" had flatboated west from Virginia to liberate the Illinois country from the British. Then he received word that British Lieutenant Colonel Henry Hamilton, known as "The Hair Buyer,' had captured Vincennes, on the Wabash.

In the dead of winter, with the rivers flooded and choked with jagged blocks of ice, Clark and his men waded arm-deep toward Vincennes. It took a week to trave the last nine miles, but the British were taken completely by surprise. Vincennes was captured by Clark. Hamilton was taken prisoner.

With the Americans firmly planted in Vincennes, the Indians were under control. Clark wanted to take Detroit. So did Washington, but no effort was made to cooperate in the venture. Consequently the Americans lost a golden opportunity to drive the British out of Detroit.

On August 1, 1780, with some 1,000 men, George Rogers Clark crossed the Ohio at the mouth of the Licking River to journey into the interior of the Ohio country. At the present site of Cincinnati, his men erected a blockhouse to take care of stores and to shelter those who had been wounded in a fight with the Indians. From there, he traveled to engage the Indians wherever he found them. In the meantime, Fort Pitt was in bad shape. Rations were running out. The men were placed on a small allowance of food. Washington pleaded with the Pennsylvanians to supply the me at Fort Pitt, but his pleas were in vain. The Congress did not help matters any. It planned to conciliate the Delawares by mere promises that they would support those who would volunteer to engage in the service of the United States. When the Revolution was over, it was apparent that the Ohio country had been saved for the United States. But, it had been mainly saved by men like George Rogers Clark who, along with a group of Virginians and Kentuckians, had been able to hold the Wabash Valley against the British and the hostile Indians. He had received no support from any source connected with the Congress. He had received no help in his plans to take Detroit. Consequently, the British were still secure there. Elsewhere the American cause was on the assent. The Ohio country was awarded to the United States in the Peace Treaty. But, this merely recognized the "status quo." The next problem would be to pacify the Indians and to provide for the orderly settlement government of the Ohio Territory.

In 1779, Clark, the soldier, had won the back country for the New Nation. Three weeks after Clark's capture of Vincennes, the Congress formally laid claim to the whole of the Northwest. Later, John Adams was instructed to negotiate for peace with the understanding that the country's Northern and Western boundaries were to be the line of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi. But, there were factors other than Great Britain to be contended with. France and Spain were closely allied. Spain had no sympathy at all with the American cause. She did not want the he United States for a neighbor on the Mississippi.

John Jay came upon the scene of negotiations in Paris in the Spring of 1782. He had no trust for the Spanish politicians. He strongly suspected Spain was using her influence with France to keep the United States from getting the territory between the Lakes and the Ohio. Benjamin Franklin, a member of the Peace Commission, agreed with Jay.

It was proposed that Spain would resume possession of the Floridas. The area between the Mississippi and the Appalachians, and south of the Ohio, was to be an Indian territory, half under Spanish and half under American "protection." The entire region north of the Ohio River was to be kept by Great Britain, or to be divided between Great Britain and the United States. Jay saw the Spanish-French influence in the proposal. He convinced Adams and Franklin to join with him in negotiating a treaty with England.

Great Britain was a beaten nation and from the beginning her commissioners had to accept this fact. The boundaries were quickly drawn. Great Britain preferred to see the disputed western country in American hands rather than to take a chance of it falling under the control of Spain. The "Treaty of Paris" was made final. The interior boundary of the new nation began at the Great Lakes and connecting waters, down the Mississippi to latitude 31º, east to what is now the northern boundary of Florida, and then to the ocean. Three nations again shared the North American continent; Great Britain kept the territory off the Lakes; Spain ruled the Floridas, and everything west of the Mississippi; the United States held the remainder - an area of more than 825,000 square miles with a population of three and one half million.

Not many saw what the United States would one day become. But, the Spanish Count d'Aranda did. He wrote to his King in 1782: "This federal republic is born a pygmy. A day will come when it will be a giant, even a colossus. Liberty of conscience, the facility for establishing a new population on immense lands, as well as the advantages of the new government, will draw thither farmers and artisans from all the nations."

There was finally some unity of purpose found among the northern states. The seven which had some sort of title to tracts extending westward to the Mississippi wisely yielded their claims to the nation. This created a single domain which could be dealt with in accordance with a consistent policy. The Congress in 1780 had pledged the national government to dispose of the western lands for the common benefit. It promised they should be "settled and farmed into distinct republican states, which shall become members of the Federal Union, and have the same rights of sovereignty, freedom, and independence as the other states."

Then came the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. It was remarkable because it was framed for a territory that had practically no white population. It didn't belong to th United States at all. It really belonged to the Indians. But through patient negotiations starting in 1785, George Rogers Clark was able to conclude agreements with the Indians that acquired title to the southeastern half of the state of Ohio. During the next thirty years, treaties brought the whole northwest from Indian hands to the new nation.

But, in 1785, the Indians were taking exception to white invasion of what they considered to be their lands. Consequently, Colonel Josiah Harmar, who was commanding at Fort Pitt, sent some of his soldiers down the Ohio to drive the Indians back. They reported Virginians and Kentuckians were moving into the forbidden country by "the forties and fifties," and that they gave every evidence of remaining there. So, to protect these and future settlers Fort Harmar was built at the mouth of the Muskingum River.

On March 3, 1786, General Rufus Putnam (who was a U.S. Surveyor previously in Ohio) and some other Continental Officers met at the "Bunch of Grapes" tavern in Boston. After some discussion, they decided it would be to their advantage to exchange their paper certificates for land in the Ohio Territory. The certificates had been payed to them for their military services. Accordingly, an "Ohio Company" was organized. Dr. Manasseh Cutler, "preacher, warrior, doctor, statesman, scientist, and land-speculator," was sent to New York to push the matter in Congress. The Congress authorized the sale of one and a half million acres east of the Scioto to the Ohio Company. The newly formed Scioto Company could have purchased 3,500,000 acres. Payment to be made in six equal installments.

Beverly W. Bond, Jr., in "The Foundations of Ohio," states: "With the adoption of a general plan for granting large tracts, the American colonial system, which had been formulated by the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Government Ordinances of 1787, was now in working order. Hopes ran high that the Ohio country would be speedily settled, and that a large portion of the Federal debt, as well as the Revolutionary land bounties, would be retired. Especially promising was the outlook in the Ohio Valley. The survey of the Seven Ranges was nearing completion, and immediately to the westward the grant to the Ohio Company would open up a desirable area. Between the Scioto and the Little Miami, the Virginia Military Tract would be available to settlers, and between the Little Miami and the Miami was Symmes' Miami Purchase. In central Ohio, the setting aside of 1,000,000 acres to fulfill military bounties would give the immigrant still another area in which to settle. Finally, in the northeastern corner of the Ohio country Connecticut's Western Reserve had been set aside . . . (This) would mark the final triumph of the Americans over the British."

Preparations for settlement in the Ohio country were made in New England. The Ohio Company first set aside 5,700 acres at the mouth of the Muskingum for the first settlement. This would be protected by Fort Harmar against Indian attacks. There were to be 60 squares, divided by streets 100 feet wide. Four squares were reserved for public purposes; the others were to be divided into lots for houses.

The Company employed four surveyors, with 22 helpers, six boat builders, four carpenters, a blacksmith and four helpers. Each man was furnished with tools and ammunition General Rufus Putnam was placed in charge of the advance party, one leaving from Danvers, Massachusetts,
the other from Hartford, Connecticut. In the winter of 1787, they left for the Youghiogheny in Pennsylvania to build a boat.

On Aprfl 2, 1788, the boat, called the "Adventure Galley" and later rechristened "Mayflower," along with others, left Sumrill's Ferry (now West Newton). On April 7, the 48 men landed on the east bank of the Muskingum across from Fort Harmar. They were warmly welcomed by Delaware and Wyandot Indians.

The men promptly went to work. Temporary huts were built, the land cleared and surveyed for lots, and crops planted. Rapidly, the little settlement took on the appearance of a New England town.

The directors and agents of the Ohio Company held their first meeting in the Ohio country on July 2, 1788. The name was quickly changed from Adelphi to Marietta, in honor of Marie Antoinette of France. The public square, where a stockade would be built, was named Campus Martius.

Later in the month, Marietta became the "capital." Territorial Governor, General Arthur St. Clair, arrived.

Before long, Ohio would become a recognized entity. Freemasonry was already a recognized organization in the wilderness. The Governor was a Mason. There were several other Masons in Marietta, including Rufus Putnam. Others were stationed at Fort Harmar, along with the best known of all - Jonathan Heart who held the warrant of the famed American Union Military Lodge.

The cornerstone of Freemasonry was about to be laid within the frontier of the wilds of the Ohio Territory.

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