About our Lodge
Markham Union Lodge Was INSTITUTED IN 1857
Our Lodge has enjoyed a long and storied history in Markham, Ontario, Canada. With many of our Past Masters of the lodge being active in the Town of Markham as huge contributors to its growth and development over the years. Not only our long line of Past Masters, but our brethren in general have been outstanding members in the craft and also in the community. The Town of Markham itself was named by the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, Colonel John Graves Simcoe shortly after his appointment in 1791. Col.Simcoe himself being a celebrated Freemason in Canada The familiar name of the Reesor family appears in our lodge history as well with four of the Reesor family descendants serving as Masters of our lodge. Our first Master of the Lodge was W Bro. William Campbell, who upon receiving the Lodge Charter or Warrant of Constitution from the Grand Lodge in 1857, sat for the term of one year before being replaced by the following Master and the long line who followed him on an annual basis as is the way of Freemasonry.
Since then, over 160 years have passed and over 130 men have served as Master of Markham Union Lodge No.87. Today, our lodge membership consists of men from all walks of life who in their likemindedness, enjoy the fellowship of each other through the practice of Freemasonry. No matter our position in life, whether we be doctors or lawyers, plumbers or ploughmen, engineers or labourers, we all meet as equals and on the level when we sit in lodge together. This act in practice and of itself is still extraordinary even today. It is a part of what makes the craft so meaningful and purposeful to all who enjoy membership under its banners. The craft, is a term often used in Masonry today. Where some jurisdictions use the term Blue Lodge, in our jurisdiction we use the term Craft Lodge. Freemasonry being a craft, an art and a science, it follows that this is the structure of the teachings in the order.
Our Lodge has moved around over the years first meeting at Anthony Size's Hotel in Unionville from 1857 to 1858. In 1858 through 1872, the lodge met at the Wellington Hotel in Markham which was located on the corner of Wellington and Main street. In 1872, the lodge held its meetings at the Orange Hall on the corner of Church and George street and stayed there until 1882. In 1882, the lodge started meeting in what is now the Old Town Hall on Markham Main Street. Our lodge stayed at this location the longest and remained there until 1959 when it moved to the Old Markham High School at the corner of Albert and Joseph Streets in Markham. Here our lodge convened until 2004 when it once again moved. This time up the road into Stouffville where it met at the Stouffville Masonic Temple until 2007 when it then moved to the Thornhill Masonic Temple at 30 Elgin Street where it met until 2010. Our lodge moved to its current location at 4953 Old Brock road in the Hamlet of Claremont in 2010. In Freemasonry, it is not uncommon to travel. To sit with other brethren in other lodges and enjoy the larger scope of fellowship in Freemasonry in all its places to be found. The itinerant history of our own lodge figuratively reflects that traveling spirit. Where light may be found, there you will find us seeking it as well. We meet on the second(2nd) and fourth(4th) Wednesdays of each month excluding the months of July and August when lodge is closed for those summer months.