Driving around Glen Cove you will notice street names that honor the founding families of the Glen Cove, Glen Head, Sea Cliff, & Locust Valley area. Feeks, Pearsall, Carpenter, Townsend, Downing, Coles, Valentine, Seaman, & Scudder are all familiar street names in the area as well as the names of the prominent movers-&-shakers in the areas. Many of these families came to this area of the NY colony in the mid-1600’s – very early 1700’s. One prominent name missing form street signs in the area is that of the Duryea family. Owners of one of the largest starch works in the world – these Glen Cove residents were very wealthy and were instrumental in the founding of Glen Cove Lodge Under Dispensation in 1865. The Duryea blood brothers, already Masonic Brothers, joined the men of other local prominent families – especially Coles, Seaman & Downing to become the founding brethren of our lodge. Most of these brethren were members of Morton Lodge in Hempstead (founded in the 1790s) but wanted the convenience of their own local lodge. Most of the founding brethren of the lodge has served together in Duryee’s 5^th NY Zouaves Volunteer Infantry regiment. Hiram Duryea (above) was a colonel in one of the divisions of the regiment. The first 10 years of our lodge’s history sees these same names- especially Duryea & Coles – serving as Master several times as the lodge was being built-up.  Their bonds were powerful ones – Masonic Brothers, comrades in arms who served together through battles in the Civil War as well as prominent business men. We can proud that Glen Cove Lodge has the rare designation as a “Civil War Lodge"!

Glen Cove Lodge History by W.’.Scott Cairns