History of St. John’s Lodge “zum Aries” 1776-1935
Soon after the constitution of our great Provincial Lodge of the Freemasons of Germany in 1770, a lively foundation of John’s lodges began. Among other things, in 1776, Br. Anton Thomas Palmié, then 1. Overseer of the Lodge “Pégase”, donated at the 01.09.1771 in Berlin, the decision to build a new St. John’s Lodge. The co-founders came from the Johannis “Pégase” Berlin, “permanence”, Berlin, “The Golden Ship”, Berlin, and “Golden Keys”, Berlin. The lodge was built by the then-Provincial Grand Master Br. Ernst Ludwig II, reigning Duke of Saxe Gotha and Altenburg, was appointed in 1776. The lodge worked until 1780 in the Corsicaschen House by the water in Berlin, then in the Inn to the city of Paris in the brothers Street in Berlin, from 1791 in the House of the Grand Lodge in the Oranienburer Straße 72 in Berlin and this until the year until 1935, when the lodge declared itself dormant. The founder of our lodge led the hammer for 35 years until the year 1811. His successor was his son Johann Michael Palmié.
Ernst II. (Sachsen-Gotha)
The Brotherhood had grown to over 70 brothers this year. Br. J.M. Palmié was also the order master from 1821 to 1841. In 1855 the Johannis Lodge “Friedrich Wilhelm Zum Mörgenröte” was donated. Of the 32 fellow instigators, half were Aries brothers. In 1875, the number of the brothers was 190, and in 1877 it was 208. The First World War spared the Brotherhood and did not bring any losses. In 1926 the number of members was still 160. Like all Masonic lodges, our lodge was banned from 1933 – 1935 and thus closed. The resolution of our lodge took place on 17. In June 1935, 35 brothers were still part of the lodge at that time.