The Daily Times

A coin found in the 1957 time capsule opened by members of First Christian Church in Maryville stirred up quite a bit of curiosity here in the newsroom. Photo intern Ben Smith got a nice shot of both sides of the coin at the church’s 100th anniversary celebration kickoff Jan. 15.

It’s about the size of a half-dollar, one side imprinted with a hammer and chisel and the letters “HTWSSTKS” in a circle in the center of the coin. On the other side, the words “Maryville Chapter 186 R.A.M., Maryville, Tennessee” encircle the edge of the coin, the words “Chartered January 26, 1915” are in an inner circle, and “one penny” is imprinted in the center.

We knew the coin was associated with Freemasonry, but that was about it. So, I showed a printout of the photo Ben took to our resident newsroom expert on all things historical, Editor Dean Stone. If Dean doesn’t know the full answer, he knows people who do — in this case, Neil Miller, a member of Prudentia Lodge in Alcoa, who provided the following information on the Maryville Chapter No. 186 Royal Arch Masons:

“This chapter received its charter from The Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Tennessee on Jan. 26, 1915. A Chapter Penny composed of several letters in a circle with the date 1915 was deposited in a time capsule at Fort Craig Elementary School.

“The letters encircling the coin were ‘HTWSSTKS.’ These letters are the general mark of all Mark Master Masons, the fourth degree in the York Rite of Masonry.

“This chapter met at New Providence Lodge No. 188 F&AM (Free and Accepted Masons), located in a rented building in Maryville.

“In 1935 New Providence Lodge built a two-story brick building at 318 Ellis Ave., Maryville. At this time Maryville Chapter No. 186 helped in the building and several features found in this building were built for the use of Capitular (Royal Arch Masonry) degree work. Over the years, several improvements have been made to this building and of this date, the building is in excellent condition and should serve the community for many years to come.

“Membership is open to any Master Mason in good standing in Tennessee or any other jurisdiction recognized by the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Tennessee.”

Dean provided additional information as it appears in his “Snapshots of Blount County History, Volume VI,” also done with the help of Mr. Miller. Volume VI was published in 2010.

“Freemasonry, which claims to be the oldest and largest fraternal organization, has six lodges and approximately 1,000 members in Blount County, dating from 1823. The organization was officially formed June 24, 1717, by four lodges in London, England. Some records show that the principles and basic structure had apparently been in place for centuries, no one knows the exact source or development of the fraternity before 1717.”

The first lodge in North America was St. John’s Lodge, Boston, which was granted its charter in 1733 by the Grand Lodge of England. Each state has its own Grand Lodge today which is independent of all other Grand Lodges. Tennessee’s was established in 1813. John Sevier was the first worshipful master of Lodge No. 2 in Knoxville.

Six lodges are presently in Blount County. New Providence Lodge No. 128 F&AM was chartered as No. 48 in 1823. George Washington Lodge No. 181 was chartered Oct. 3, 1852, at Louisville. Unitia Lodge No. 295 was organized in 1861, moved to Friendsville in 1897 and now meets in a building on College Street, Friendsville. Rockford Lodge No. 469 was formed in 1874. Mountain View Lodge No. 519 was chartered originally as Trigonia Lodge No. 519 in 1883 in Loudon County, moving in 1928 to the Wellsville community in Blount County. The name was changed at that time. Prudentia Lodge No. 719 in Alcoa began in 1923 when James O’Keef was sent from New Providence to build a new lodge.

Many thanks to Neil Miller and Dean Stone for providing “the rest of the story.”

“Snapshots of Blount County History Volume VI” is no longer available for purchase but Volumes I through V, as well as “Smokies Snapshots,” are available at The Daily Times reception desk.

Linda Albert is Sunday Life editor and a staff writer for The Daily Times. Her column runs every Sunday in the Life section. You may contact her at 981-1168 or (linda.albert@thedailytimes.com)

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