Hope Lodge No. 4 Grand Lodge of Delaware, A.F. & A.M.

On June 23, 1800, a charter was issued by the Grand Lodge of Maryland for Lodge No. 31 in “Laurel Town.” The first Worshipful Master of the Lodge was Jesse Green (1766-1834). A Maryland native who moved to Delaware in the 1790s, he was a long-time member and leader of the General Assembly who served as Adjutant General of the State during the War of 1812. Green was the presiding officer when representatives of four Lodges gathered in Wilmington on June 6 and 7, 1806, to form the Grand Lodge of Delaware. At this historic meeting Lodge, No. 31 was formally re-chartered as Hope Lodge No. 4. Elected to serve as Deputy Grand Master, Jesse Green later succeeded Gunning Bedford, Jr., becoming the second Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Delaware. Hope Lodge No. 4 moved to Seaford in 1819 and returned to Laurel in 1847. The members of the Lodge have been meeting at this location since their return. The present building was constructed in 1894.