In attempting to compile this, we would be most remiss if we did not mention some of those who aided materially in supplying us with information. Wor. Bro. Secretary Jim Evans, who was a great source of help in our research and Wor.. Bro. Frank Wilson, who was Master during our seventy-fifth anniversary, and also to Bro. Frank Sykes, whose phenomenal memory of the early figures in Credit Lodge was indeed a great help. Bro. Sykes' father was Master of Credit Lodge almost seventy years ago. Fortunately too, a brief resume of the highlights of the early years was compiled by our good friend and sponsor in Masonry, the late V. W. Bro. Archdeacon W.G. O. Thompson. His notes were gathered in 1944 while many of the men who witnessed early days of the Lodge were still alive.

    And we can think of no better way of beginning, than using the very words that the Archdeacon used to open his talk on our 75th Anniversary, October  18th, 1944.
    "The nostalgia of orphaned Masons for the tyled door, the Masonic ritual, with its characteristic phraseology, and the atmosphere of brotherly love, relief and truth, leads such orphaned and homesick groups wherever and whenever found, to seek the organization of a lodge. Such a condition resulted in the formation of Credit Lodge, No. 219, Georgetown, on October 15, 1869.

    The meeting to form a lodge was held in a hall connected with Canadian House, Mill Street, under dispensation. Little information can be obtained about this hall, but the Ontario Archives reveals the existence of a tavern, the Canadian House, in Georgetown in the mid nineteenth century. At any rate, it was there, the following charter members, under special dispensation held their first and forming meeting.

    The first Master was James M. Dunn, a V. W. Bro. and past master of Guelph, who had agreed to guide the lodge; Solomon Page, SW; Dr. Milton Starr, J.W.; Officers appointed were Sidney F. McKinnon, Tres.; Duncan McTavish, Sect'y.; Hugh McMillan, S.D.; James Stewart, J.D.;
John Crozier, I.G. and John Harley, Tyler.

    Other Master Masons present were Samuel Phillips, Thomas Harley, Joseph Craig, and James Bradley. Present also were a large delegation of Masons who had journeyed from Milton to help the birth of the fledgling lodge.

    There was a strong surge of Masonry in Georgetown at this time, as on Dec. 17th, 1869, there were 13 applications. However, at this time only one blackball was needed to reject a candidate, and this night, alas, five of the 13 suffered rejection.

    A committee had been set up a the first meeting to acquire suitable quarters, and affiliation fees were fixed at $4; and annual dues at $3. In May, of 1870 a committee was set up to prepare by-laws, which were adopted on June 10th, of the same year.

    A motion to join Wellington district was passed on July 8th, 1870. Early in September, a peculiar degree sequence was observed when first the M.M. degrees conferred; 1, 2, 3; then the  E.A., 3, 2, 1; and finally the Fellowcraft: 1 2; and then back to the first for closing!

    Meetings were held on the Friday before the full moon, and on Oct. 7th, 1870, the first of many efforts to change the lodge night was defeated.

    It would seem timely to insert part of the Grand Lodge meeting of 1870 proceeding here, as the report of R. W. Bro. P. Willson, DDGM of Hamilton District (of which Georgetown was still a part), dealt at some length with Credit Lodge. In part, it says: "With respect to my predecessor's report of 1869, to the application of Brethren of Georgetown for a dispensation to open a lodge there, I have to say that R. W. Bro. Parry placed such an application, together with the correspondence in  his possession and I opened a fresh correspondence on the matter, which resulted in the withdrawal of the first petition and submission of a new one, with the name of V. W. Bro. J. M. Dunn, of Guelph as first W.M., which application I recommended to the Grand Master who graciously granted a Dispensation for Georgetown to open a Lodge.  I respectively recommend that a Warrant be granted." The resubmission of the application was due evidently to the fact that a  Past Master was necessary to officiate as  the first W.M., an oversight in the first application.

    It is interesting to note that our Credit Lodge is one of the few with its Charter signed by two Grand Masters. Also in passing during the early years, a charter member, S. F. McKinnon, then a Toronto resident, while making a tour of the Holy Land, visited Jerusalem where he attended King Solomon's Lodge, the members of that group presented him a gavel for his mother lodge.  This gavel was made of seven different kinds of oriental woods. It was still in use in our lodge only a few years ago.

    The Building Committee was set up on April 14th, 1871 and they completed a lease with Brother Joseph Clark, the proprietor of the Clark House, now know as the McGibbon Hotel, and met in the first hall, located over what is now the Evelyn Shoppe and Boughton Jewellers.

    That year saw the first committee set up to look after the ' circumstances of our Masonic widows and orphans. also not such a generous note  was struck when, at the same meeting, the Lodge suspended a number of members for non  payment of dues. An attempt was made at Dec 22nd meeting, 1881, to make two black balls necessary to reject an applicant. No doubt this was a very laudable Christmas spirit of Charity, but the attempt proved abortive and also that "there's no Santa Claus."
    A unique custom was inaugurated April  9th, 1872, when a committee was appointed  to tend the garden of a deceased widow. there is no record of a committee report but we trust the garden was well tended.
    One June 21st, 1872, the initiation took place of one who became a Mason  of prominence, W.M. of Credit Lodge and our first member of Grand Lodge, Major Lachlan Grant. Through the generosity of his granddaughter, Mrs. J. Arnott Early, Credit Lodge become the possessors of his Master's and Grand Lodge regalia. He'd the honour of having been , at 27 our youngest master.
    On June 24th,1872, 'the committee on the furnishings is directed to procure linen and lay the floor at right angles to the doorway and alter.'

    A request was received from Acton brethren on June 24,1874, to seek permission to organize a Lodge. Permission was granted at a special meeting , two nights later, and was moved by J. W. Mcleod, a prominent Mason and businessman and later to rent the Lodge long time quarters, over what is now the bank, and was at that time part of his department store.  Although not of interest  Masonic-wise, we might note that Br. Mcleod had among other interests, a tailor shop, on the second floor, just below the lodge rooms, where he employed some sixty (60) tailors!

    A motion "to remain as heretofore in Hamilton District" was made on May 10th, 1878, is noted, but we could find no mention showing a change from Wellington to Hamilton, so presume that the motion to join Wellington, in 1871, was defeated.

    Evidently we were not free from the 'rebel movements' that wracked freemasonry in Upper Canada during the  mid 1800's, a communication was read asking for the  names of dissident members who had criticized Grand Lodge denied official knowledge of the letter and 'condemned the writing of such anonymous correspondence.'

    1880 came in with a great deal of warm discussion as to the merit of moving to new quarters owned by Bro. W. McLeod. The move seemed to have been headed by Wor. Bro. Lachlan Grant and the rent was 'to be $85, $5 more  than heretofore, not inconsequential amount' according to the minutes. A vote was taken in June and the ballot was favourable to the move. On March 15,1881, R. W. Bro. Meakins, DDGM assisted by Grand Lodge officiated at the dedication of the Hall which was to remain the home of Credit Lodge for some eighty years until the building of the new Temple on Hwy. 7.

    A member having 15 years in good standing in the lodge shall pay only $2 dues and Charter members will pay no dues, according to a motion of Feb. 15th, 1889.

    That year end there were 49 members, and an average attendance of 16. The following year an emergent meetings was held in January to receive the Grand Master, the MW Bro. John Ross Robertson, of Toronto newspaper fame, who game an address on 'Early History of Masonry in Canada.'

    A board of general purposes was set up in  1899, consisting of the  W.M., five Past Masters and two M.M.'s. This board was most effective as it persuaded the owner to reduce the rent from $90 to $75 and install electric lights at the landlord's expense.

    A unique event took place in 1902, when M.W. Bro. Judge John E. Harding, convened Grand Lodge in Glen Williams hall, to lay the corner stone of St. Alban's Church. At 3.15 the Grand Master laid the corner stone. Wor. Bro. Samuel Beaumont applied the plumb rule, and R. W. Bro. W.H. McFadden applied the square and level. The chaplain of Credit Lodge, was rector of St. Alban's at the time, and along with W. B. Sam Beaumont was very active in it's construction.

    During the 1900's, Credit Lodge made slow, but steady progress. Undergoing a nation-wide period of 'hard times' for much of that period, physical growth of the lodge was slow (population in Georgetown actually declined). During this period, two other fraternal groups at various times occupied the room adjacent to the lodge hall. Entry was effected through a door behind the cupboard where the dishes were kept for so many years.

    In june of 1915, a rather terse notation appears "that $100 be sent to Belgian War Relief fund." A rather impressive sum for that era.

    Wor. Bro. E. W. 'Ev' Cole was Master during their 50th anniversary. Evidently no ceremony marked the date, other than a prayer for the continued well being and prosperity of the lodge in the next 50 years.

    During the 20's the Lodge started to grow once more, and reached the impressive total of one hundred members. During these years, too , the lodge had the pleasure of seeing the elevation of three of its members to Grand Lodge, R. W. Bro. E. Y. Barraclough; R. W. Bro. Sam Kirk and V. W. Bro. George Ford. E. Y. Barraclough was a textile manufacturer in Glen Williams, Sam Kirk operated a greenhouse that encompassed a large part of the east side of King St., adjacent to the Sarah St. subdivision, and George Ford was a painter and decorator, famed in Masonic circle as one who mastered the ritual that whatever part he was asked to give without notice he could and did!

    The Depression years saw a natural falling off of applications, which had its peak two years in the mid-thirties, when there were absolutely no candidates for initiation. It was not until 1936 that once more applications started to flow in, and in 1938 there were seven applications.

    At various times the question of new quarters came up, but each time did not materialize, even as the lodge continued to grow and prosper. During the war years a steady growth was witness, climaxed by their 75th Anniversary held on October 18, 1944, Wor. Bro. Frank Wilson was Master.

    January, 1945, Grand Lodge bulletin had to say = "Credit Lodge, No. 219, celebrated its anniversary in the Masonic Hall on Oct. 13. After a reception there for the Grand Master, M. W. Bro. T. C. Wardley the large group adjourned to Knox Church, to attend their anniversary banquet. The toast to the King was made by toastmaster W. Bro. F. Wilson, and a short history of the lodge was given by V. Wor. Bro. W. G. O. Thompson. The toast to Grand Lodge was given by W. Bro. E. V. MacCormack and replied to by the Grand Master. "Our Armed Forces" was proposed by Wor. Bro. K. M. Langdon; The Visitors by Bro. H. C. Wrigglesworth, which was responded to by the DDGM, Rt. Wor.. Bro. T. E. Green." This was the first anniversary of the lodge that was commemorated in such an extensive manner.

    Modern history, is we think, still too fresh to repeat, and we shall not attempt to do so, other than a few brief remarks.

    Credit Lodge was honoured some twenty years ago by the election of a District Deputy Grand Master, Right Worshipful Brother E. V. MacCormack, and the later appointment of his secretary, V. W. Bro. W. C. Ford. And now of course, our latest member of Grand Lodge, R. W. Bro. W. E. Wilson, our popular and hard working member who spearheaded so many of the committees that ultimately resulted in the erection of our new Masonic Temple.