One indicator of the depth of history of Bowling Green Masonic Lodge No. 73 is the story of one of its charter members, Issac Goodnight.

In 1782, Goodnight, according to some sources, was the first white male child born in what is now Kentucky.

Put another way, the United States was less than 50 years old when a group of men in Bowling Green petitioned to have a Masonic lodge in the city chartered. The charter was granted in 1822, with Goodnight as one the members.

On Aug. 26, the lodge will have a celebratory dinner to mark the day it was chartered exactly 200 years ago.

That’s the kind of history that draws new members like Stefan Lewis, who joined the fraternal organization earlier this year.

“My grandfather and father were both Masons, that’s what drew me … the history of the fraternity,” Lewis said.

The Freemasons have their origin in Europe and are the oldest fraternal organization in the world. Many of the U.S. founding fathers were freemasons, including George Washington.

As in Lewis’ case, “a lot of times it’s a tradition in the family” to join, current Lodge Master David Knighton said.

The Bowling Green lodge, as the number in its name indicates, was the 73rd to open in the state.

It has had a few different homes before the current lodge building on Westen Street opened in 1980.

The local lodge once boasted more than 800 members, including many prominent early residents.

Mason Richard Greer reads off a long list of notable names of former members to a reporter: Gerard, Moorehead, Potter, Gatewood, Claypool … .

History is also evident in one of the most important artifacts owned by the lodge: a gavel once owned by President Andrew Jackson and which was used to open the Grand Lodge of Tennessee.

The gavel was donated to the Bowling Green lodge.

In recognition of the local lodge’s long history, it will get to host the state Freemasons meeting this fall where a new state grandmaster will be installed and where the statewide organization will set an agenda for 2023.

“That’s a lot of responsibility,” Knighton said. “It sets the tone for the whole year.”

While the number of local Masons is down to about 150, the lodge building remains busy with being the home of several other organizations.

The Masons also remain active, raising funds for various charitable efforts and for fellow Masons in need.

That desire for betterment is what Freemasonry is all about, according to Knighton.

“Masons take good men and make them better,” he said.

– More information about the organization is available on the Bowling Green Masonic Lodge No. 73 Facebook page.