St. Tammany Lodge No. 5 A.F. & A.M.

                                                              Hampton, Virginia

Masonry in Hampton is traced to Scottish records, which show that on March 9, 1756. The Grand Lodge of Scotland issued a warrant for a Lodge in Hampton in the colony of Virginia. Due to the loss of records it is impossible to trace the history of Hampton Masonry continuously from that time. We do know that this earliest Lodge became dormant but are unable to determine if there was any connection between this Lodge and the one warranted by the English Grand Lodge on February 26, 1759.

Only three years elapsed from the issue of the warrant by the Grand Lodge of Scotland and the warrant by the English Grand Lodge and it is probable that even if there was no direct connection between these two Lodges, some of the Brethren of the first were members of the second.

It is under the English Warrant that the name of St. Tammany is known to have come into use. The name Tammany is supposed to have come from an Indian Chief of the Delaware Indians, and around this time there were many societies named for him. St. Tammany is one of two that survive.

While almost all the written records of St. Tammany Lodge prior to 1827 are lost or destroyed, it is interesting to know that the Lodge still possesses the Bible presented to the Lodge by a Captain Rogers in 1787. The spelling of the Lodge name in that Bible is Taminy and is found in other places spelled that way. Other spellings of Tammany are found as Tammend and St. Tammanys to name a few. The Lodge also has a complete set of solid silver jewels, which are thought to be the jewels used at, and for many years after, the inception of the Lodge.

St. Tammany Lodge was one of the original Lodges of the Grand Lodge of Virginia, and during the periods of war which forced the Lodge to lapse, (as well as a lapse due to other unfavorable conditions), the Grand Lodge demonstrated its confidence in St. Tammany, and in Hampton Masons, by never assigning No. 5 to any other Lodge.

During the periods of war in 1776-81, 1812-14 and from 1862-85, much of the furniture, records, etc. fell to destruction, pillage and conflagration. However, during each of these periods the valuable jewels were held in safety to be returned after the end of hostilities.

The Lodge officially celebrated its 200^th birthday in 1959 and published at that time a Lodge history by Past Grand Master William Mosley Brown. (Much of the information here is credited to that book.) In 1969, St. Tammany Lodge laid the cornerstone and in 1970 moved into its present Masonic Temple at 1456 West Queens Street, Hampton, fulfilling the dreams and efforts of many years.