Masons in Madison

I was going through some old photos, and I came across this drive-by shot of a Masonic Lodge in Madison.

Something seemed vaguely familiar about it, so I leafed through my historical text on Madison.

It’s the old 1825 Presbyterian Church!

According to the Freemason’s own website:

When the Presbyterian Church moved to larger quarters on Green Avenue, Madison Lodge purchased the building at 170 Main Street, renovated the interior and have met there since 1931 utilizing furniture from the early days on Waverly Place [the first meeting place of the group] and benches from the church.

How ’bout that. Apparently they’ve chopped down that obstructive tree, too.

 

Reference:

Cunningham, J.T. (1998). Images of America: Madison. Arcadia Publishing: Dover, NH. ISBN 0738537802.

Madison Lodge #93, F. & A.M. (n.d.). “Freemasonry in Madison.” http://www.madisonlodge93.com/MadisonFreemasonary.htm.

Railroad bridge!

Railroad tracks ran through Madison from 1838 onwards, but by 1913, automobiles were pretty common. Trains blocked traffic as they ran through town, creating huge jams. The townspeople rallied and cried, “Something must be done!” (Probably with pitchforks.)

So in 1913 (or 1914), they started raising the tracks so trains wouldn’t interfere with traffic. They made a two-mile long, 75-foot-deep cut towards the east side of town, and they took those 600,000 cubic yards of dirt west to build the main elevation through Madison.

The new elevation, complete with its fancy new bridges like this one, was pretty much ready by 1915 or 1916.

 
Reference:
Cunningham, John T. (1998). Images of America: Madison. Arcadia Publishing: Dover, NH.

This is the church and this is the… bell tower

Adjacent to/ possibly on Drew’s campus, this was Madison’s second Methodist church. The congregation formed in 1843, and the original structure (not this one) was built in 1844.

Since Drew continues to be (at least in part) a seminary school, maybe young ministers train here. But I have no verification for this.

The Brittin Building isn’t British.

Y’know, I can’t find any information on this building. The Brittins were one of those wealthy and well-known families in Madison, and presumably a Brittin provided most of the funds to build this building on Main Street, but beyond that, I got nothin’.

And here’s what it looked like in the late 1890s. (See below.)

Creamy creamy.

It’s ice cream season again! I think pretty much every town has its own unique ice cream parlor (at least one). This one is in Madison.

Grace! Episcopal!

Like most congregations, the congregation of Madison’s Grace Episcopal Church initially met in private homes and public halls. I don’t know the date this church was built, but I suspect it was in the mid-1800s.

…yyyyyyep.

Diners! in Madison?

The Nautilus Diner in Madison (above) is built on the site of the old Madison Diner (below).

The Goumas family initially started the Madison Diner in 1926 from their own home. And… it was called Goumas’s Diner, unsurprisingly.

 
References:
Cunningham, John T. (1998). Images of America: Madison. Arcadia Publishing: Dover, NH.

R is for Railway station

I work in a New York office, and I’m known as the employee who lives in Jersey. When my manager had to visit Madison for a client, she came back and told me the Madison train station was really beautiful, and asked if all NJ Transit stations were like that.

Answer: no.

While Madison was elevating its tracks, William Haynes Truesdale, president of the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad (formerly known as the Morris & Essex, but also known as the DL&W or “Delay, Linger, and Wait”), said that stations being built ought to be compatible with surrounding architecture. Because Madison is home to Drew University, the style of the station is collegiate Gothic; because Madison was an affluent and generous town, they raised wayyy more money for the construction of this station than other towns raised for theirs, and it is fancy indeed.

It was finished in 1916, and it’s been registered on the State and National Registers of Historic Places since 1984! The Gladstone-line shacks don’t have those kinds of bragging rights.

(P.S. Here’s a map of the line, in case you don’t remember where Gladstone or Madison are!)

 
References:
Cunningham, John T. (1998). Images of America: Madison. Arcadia Publishing: Dover, NH.

National Registers of Historic Places. (n.d.) Information board near door of station. Sponsored by NJ Transit: Madison, NJ.

Your Mom Cooks Asparagus

In 1908, the Madison YMCA was dedicated. About 20 percent of the funds were donated by James Webb (who was indeed a James but NOT one of the famed Jameses of Madison).

Most unfortunately, Mr. James Webb died just two years later.

 
Reference:
Cunningham, John T. (1998). Images of America: Madison. Arcadia Publishing: Dover, NH.

Roses are red…

Oranges are orange, and violets are violet! Except when they’re white, like this little dude.

And omigosh it’s Friday the Thirteenth. Are you supposed to wish people a happy Friday the Thirteenth? What exactly is the proper etiquette?