[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 24890]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        RECOGNIZING THE BICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF HIRAM LODGE

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                         HON. MARSHA BLACKBURN

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 14, 2009

  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in 
celebrating with the Hiram Lodge #7, Free & Accepted Masons, in 
Franklin, Tennessee, on the occasion of their bicentennial.
  Hiram Lodge is home to the oldest continuous Masonic Lodge in 
Tennessee, predating the establishment of a Grand Lodge in the state. 
Located just off the square in Franklin, this beautiful structure has 
been home to many historical occasions--from President Andrew Jackson's 
negotiations with the Chickasaw Nation, to serving as a lookout post, 
barracks, and hospital during the Civil War. The Lodge is undertaking 
careful renovations to ensure this magnificent structure, the oldest 
Gothic Revival building in the state of Tennessee, survives for 
generations to come.
  More importantly, however, is the role the Lodge has played in the 
life of the community over these past 200 years. So many of Franklin's 
leaders have been members of the Lodge, and to this day the Lodge is 
deeply involved in the civic and charitable affairs of the City.
  Please join me in honoring 200 years of the Hiram Lodge's past, and 
celebrating this momentous occasion.

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