On March 1, 1786, eleven pioneers met at the Bunch of Grapes Tavern in Boston, Massachusetts, to plan what has become the State of Ohio and what ultimately led to the formation of the Grand Lodge of Ohio.
The scene of this meeting in 1786 is depicted in the new painting, titled, “From Whence We Came – Pioneers plant the seeds of the Buckeye State,” created by Washington, D.C. artist Peter Waddell and commissioned by the Grand Lodge of Ohio.
That meeting in Boston created the Ohio Company of Associates, four of whom were Freemasons. One of those in the picture was General Rufus Putnam, who later became the first Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Ohio in 1808.
This Association founded the city of Marietta, the first American settlement in what would become the state of Ohio.
Artist Peter Waddell, known for his research in depicting historical scenes, recently completed a set of 21 pictures for the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia.
The cost of the picture was donated by Right Worshipful Brother David L. Collins, in memory of his father, Brother Arnold Collins, a 50-year member of William Farr Lodge #672.
Prints of this picture will be made available in the future.
The caption that will be used on the bottom of the prints concludes, “Since this humble beginning, Freemasons have worked with their fellow citizens to help nurture the destiny of the Buckeye State.”