Stated Communications: 1st and 3rd Tuesdays, 7:00 pm; Special Communications, Degree Work, and Practice: Thursdays, 7:00 pm; Social Hour/Meal: Starts ~1 hour before any meeting. Its singular purpose is to make good men better. Its bonds of friendship, compassion and brotherly love have survived even the most derisive political, military and religious conflicts through the centuries. Freemasonry is
neither a forum nor a place for worship. Instead, it is a friend of all religions which are based on the belief in a Deity. In 1805, a Revolutionary War veteran named John Hunt built a log cabin at the Big Spring and began what would grow to become the modern city of Huntsville, Alabama. Just six years later, on August 21, 1811, Madison Lodge #21 received its dispensation from the Grand Lodge of Kentucky. In 1812, it received its official charter from the Grand Lodge of Kentucky. John Hunt was among the original members, as was Leroy Pope who had originally named the city Twickenham. On April 6, 1818, a second Lodge was formed in the county, Bethesda Lodge #2. In 1824 the two Lodges combined as Helion Lodge #1 under the Grand Lodge of Alabama. Helion Lodge survived the dark years of the American Civil War, when Huntsville was often occupied by the invading Union Army. The quiet little town grew rapidly after World War II, when the area became host to both Redstone Arsenal and the Marshall Spaceflight Center. Notable members involved in the growth of Huntsville's defense and space industry are Senator John Sparkman and Mayor Joe W. Helion Lodge soon came to have the largest membership in the state. As a result, in 1962 a new Lodge was formed in Huntsville, Solar Lodge #914. Most of the members came from Helion Lodge. Five years later, in 1967, a third Huntsville Lodge was formed, Apollo #921. Both younger Lodges consider Helion Lodge as their mother Lodge and dual membership is common.
