A history shaped by consolidation, continuity, and the patient work of the Craft in northern New Jersey.
[Placeholder — write the story of the lodge name. The three constituent lodges (Alpine, Tilden, and Tenakill) and how their merger formed Lodge № 77. Include founding dates of each constituent lodge, the year of consolidation, and any meaningful detail about why these particular lodges came together.]
[Placeholder — origin and history of Alpine Lodge prior to consolidation.]
[Placeholder — origin and history of Tilden Lodge prior to consolidation.]
[Placeholder — origin and history of Tenakill Lodge prior to consolidation. Note: "Tenakill" is the Lenape name for the local creek and historical district.]
Freemasonry is one of the world's oldest fraternal organizations — a society of men who have come together to improve themselves and serve their communities. Its lessons are taught through ritual, allegory, and symbol drawn from the tools and practices of the medieval stonemasons who built the great cathedrals of Europe.
A Mason's work is internal. The square, the compasses, the plumb, and the level are not implements of construction but of conscience — instruments by which a man measures his own thoughts and actions.
Freemasons are guided by three foundational tenets:
Regard for every member of the human family as a brother — the cultivation of friendship, tolerance, and mutual respect across differences of background, faith, and station.
The active practice of charity. To soothe the unhappy, to sympathize with their misfortunes, to compassionate their miseries, and to restore peace to their troubled minds.
To be good men and true is the first lesson taught in Masonry. Sincerity and plain dealing distinguish the Mason in all his actions.
Freemasonry has never solicited members. A man must come of his own free will, after due reflection, and ask to be admitted. It is sometimes said: To be one, ask one.
If you are considering Masonry, we invite you to write the Secretary. The lodge welcomes thoughtful inquiry, and the conversation costs nothing.