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The Grand National Mother Lodge of the Prussian states in Berlin - called "Of the Three World Globes" - issued the constitution so that on February 23rd 1776 Memel's St. Johannis Lodge "Memphis" could be originated. For that purpose a deputation of the Königsberg Provincial Lodge - called "Of the Three Crowns" - arrived in Memel consisting of the brothers Graf von Keyserling, Kommerzienrat Kribbing, Regiments-Quartiermeister Zilcher and Kaufmann Schön. At the same day the Advokat Zeyse, Kaufmann Joh. Meyer and Amtsrat Radtke-Heydekrug became members of the lodge; Johann Simpson became the Warshipful Master, and von Mirbach got the position of the Senior Warden.




Since then the Lodge hasn't stopped its activities. The number of members in 1776 already amounted to 25 and increased within the next 3 years to 41. The lodge's location was initially in the merchant Bowlor's house. Because the generosity of the Brothers von Mirbach, Johann and Ludwig Simpson, Lorck and Reitenbach the property (formerly Schwarzboff's property) could be made as a gift to the Lodge in 1780. That property was at both sides of the "Lindenallee" at that time, so it also contained the today's two houses opposite the Lodge, and a pond was between them which became replenished before the arrival of the king in 1802.

According to: Johannes Sembritzki, GESCHICHTE DER KÖNIGLICH PREUSSISCHEN SEE- UND HANDELSSTADT MEMEL, 1926



The Freemasonry had been forbidden in the Nazi Germany. So Memel's Lodge Memphis in July 1935 was closed too. Soon thereafter it became the restaurant "Lindengarten". By a publication of January 1942 one learns the former Jews Lodge was redesigned inside and outside.

Source: Photos: UMBAS' Postcard Collection

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