Masonry was somewhat active in Warrenton prior to the date of Mt. Carmel's first charter - December 11, 1823. The Grand Lodge of Virginia issued a charter to Warrington Lodge No. 69 on 14 December 1803, with James Wright as Master; Gideon Johnston, S.W.; and William Hayes, J.W. For an undetermined length of time, meetings were held in a room of the courthouse building which was equipped for this purpose. After a span of several years, this Lodge went out of existence.
Mt. Carmel Lodge No. 133 in Warrenton, Virginia has operated under three separate charters issued by the Grand Lodge of Virginia; the first being dated December 11, 1823; the second being dated December 16, 1846; and the third and current charter being dated December 15, 1852. The first scheduled meeting of Mt. Carmel Lodge was held in Warrenton on January 9, 1824 by virtue of that first charter with Edward E. Cook as Master.
For reasons which do not appear in the minutes, the Lodge ceased to function or meet from May 28, 1835 to April 27, 1846. It met on that last date and did not convene again until September 22, 1852. Moreover, it was dormant during the Civil War, and no meetings were held from February 26, 1861 to September 26, 1865.
From 1831 until 1877, Mt. Carmel Lodge met in the brick building which was owned by the Odd Fellows at the corner of Main and North Second streets.
Mt. Carmel Lodge then met on the third floor of the brick building on Culpeper Street from June 14, 1877, until it moved to its present location on Stuyvesant Street in 1969.
Mt. Carmel No. 133 is currently in District No. 4 of the Grand Lodge of Virginia.
Our Stated Communication is on the 4th Tuesday of each month EXCEPT December when we meet on the 2nd Tuesday. Our stated communications are at 7:30 PM, with dinner served at 6:30 PM. All are welcome to attend dinner, visiting Masonic Brothers are always welcome at the Stated Communications.
Lodge breakfast open to the public on the LAST Saturday of each month at 9:00 AM.
We have adopted the Black Horse Cavalry motto: "The Bravest of the Brave," as the motto for our lodge. According to a lodge historian, W Ken Kerrick, some of our members are believed to have ridden with the Black Horse Cavalry. W James Ramser, MD did further research on the matter and the link below documents some of the exploits of the Brethren of Mt Carmel Lodge during the Civil War. The motto also honors the horse tradition of Fauquier County, and our lodge is in the county seat, Warrenton.
