Clementi 313

History

Both the town of Lakefield and city of Peterborough have been home to Clementi Lodge, No. 313 GRC, Peterborough. In 1819 John Nelson had se_ttled at the site where the river drains Katchewanooka Lake, andthe place became known as Nelson's Falls. !twas later called Thompson's Rapids, Herriot's Falls, and Selby,and the post office opened as North Douro in 1856. It was renamed Lakefield in 1875. The first reference toLakefield seems to have arisen in 1853 when settler and writer Samuel Strickland reported that a townplot of that name had been surveyed in Douro Township, on the banks of the Otonabee River.The site of Peterborough was originally known by the Mississauga Indians as Nogojiwanong, "a place at the end of the rapids". It was called Scott's Mills in 1821 for Adam Scott, who built saw and grist mills on the Otonabee River.

In 1825 the name Peterborough was proposed by Frances Stewart, wife of the firststorekeeper, for Peter Robinson (1785-1838). That year he had organized the migration of 2,024 settlers from the south of Ireland to the area north of Rice Lake. Robinson was a member of the House of Assembly ofUpper Canada (1817-1824), of the Executive Council (1827-1836), and of the Legislative Council (1829- 1836), in hiscapacity as commissioner of crown lands and surveyor general of woods. Peterborough became a town and gave its name to the County of Peterborough in 1849. It became a city in 1905.

A preliminary meeting to organize a new Lodge for the Peterborough area was held on January 7, 1874, chaired by R. W. Bro. Vincent Clementi (P G Chaplain) and attended by Bros. Rev. W. D. Scott, JohnDinwoodie, Fred Dinwoodie, Charles J. Vizard and G. L. Sheppee. The meeting agreed on the name to be proposed for the Lodge, the first Master (R. W. Bro. Dr. Kincaid), SW (V. W. Bro. Charles J. Vizard), and JW(Bro. John Dinwoodie). The members then signed a Petition to the Grand Master, requesting recognition of their efforts in the form of a Charter.

At the 19th Annual Communication (July 8, 1874, Toronto), the Grand Master, M. W. Bro. William MercerWilson, reported that he had issued dispensations for the formation of nineteen new Lodges2, including one dated February 27, 1874, for Clementi Lodge at Lakefield, for which the WM was W. Bro. Robert Kincaid. R. W.Bro. J. B. Trayes, DDGM of Ontario District, reported that:"The M. W. the Grand Master has been pleased to issue, on my recommendation, dispensations for two new Lodges in this District, one, the "Grafton Lodge," in the village of Grafton, County of Northumberland, presided over by Bro. Francis Drake, a zealous Mason and a good worker; the other the "Clementi Lodge," (named after our distinguished R. W. P. G. C.3,) in the villageof Lakefield,County of Peterboro',R. W. Bro. Dr. Kincaid, PDDGM, of Ontario District, being appointed the first W. M. So distinguished a brother requires no recommendation at mu hands, as it is universally admitted that he is one of the best workers connected with the craft under the jurisdiction of this Grand Lodge.