MASONIC HISTORY

A Postcard Memory of the 1911 Tompkins Chapel Dedication

It was a momentous occasion, an event drawing brethren from all four corners of the Empire State. “Three special trains brought Masons from New York and Albany… to participate, with about three thousand other members of the Craft,” reported the New York Tribune.

On Sunday, June 25, 1911, with temperatures hovering in the mid-70s, brotherhood was on full display as the Daniel D. Tompkins Memorial Chapel was formally dedicated on the Masonic Home campus in Utica, New York. More than seventy Grand Lodge officers were in attendance, including Most Worshipful Robert J. Kenworthy, Grand Master of Masons in the State of New York, who delivered a stirring address honoring the life and legacy of Daniel D. Tompkins.

Tompkins (1774–1825) served as Governor of New York and later as Vice President of the United States under James Monroe, but he also holds an important place in American Masonic history. A devoted Freemason, Tompkins was elected Grand Master of Masons in New York in 1811, guiding the Craft during a formative period marked by war, civic expansion, and growing public influence. He strongly encouraged Masonic charity and education, helping reinforce the fraternity’s role in early-19th-century civic life, and he presided over cornerstone laying’s and public ceremonies that symbolized the close relationship between Masonry and the young Republic.

The chapel is distinguished by its richly symbolic interior, blending traditional ecclesiastical architecture with unmistakable Masonic character. Its soaring sanctuary is illuminated by memorial stained-glass windows that combine Christian imagery with Masonic allegory, many donated by New York lodges in tribute to Daniel D. Tompkins. Inside, finely crafted woodwork, carved stone details, and a historic pipe organ create both visual warmth and acoustic depth, while decorative fixtures, most notably a zodiac-themed ceiling light honoring contributing lodges, underscore the chapel’s unique role as both sacred space and fraternal monument.

This (below) lovely 1911 Real Photo Postcard (RPPC) documents the occasion from the perspective of either a spectator or participant, offering a rare firsthand visual record of the event. Visible at the far left is the Daniel D. Tompkins Memorial Chapel, and centered prominently beyond it stands the Masonic Home at Utica. Even more compelling is the handwritten note on the reverse, which preserves a contemporary account of the day’s experience, adding a personal voice to the image and transforming this postcard from a simple keepsake into a small but vivid historical artifact.

June 25, 1911

Dear Mamey,

Your welcome card received. Glad to hear from you. Here is where Arthur [Alden VJ?] spent 5 hrs yesterday. The Temple at this place was dedicated. A large crowd attended 12 from our town. There are 200 children in the home without either parent living.

I can’t tell you all or half the good & splendor of this place. There are a lot of old men & women homeless live there. Come if you can let us know when one of us will meet you at [lyons?]

Before the day’s festivities concluded, Grand Master Robert Judson Kenworthy spoke briefly on the theme of Faith, Hope, and Charity, then offered his closing proclamation:

“And now, by virtue of the authority vested in me as Grand Master of the State of New York, I proclaim this chapel, erected to the memory of Daniel D. Tompkins, citizen, patriot, and Mason—open to the use of men and to the honor of the Masonic Orders in the State of New York. We will unite in singing our anthem, My Country, ‘Tis of Thee.”

By: VW Kyle A. Williams

Assistant Grand Lecture, Grand Lodge of New York (2026-2028).
Bro. Williams, a collector of New York Masonic history, is Past Master of Wallkill Lodge 627 in Walden, New York, where he also serves as Historian.