Master Mason Certificate, 1816

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Master Mason Certificate, 1816
Issued to John Stevens, Columbia Lodge No. 91, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
A2016/020

A history of Columbia Lodge No. 91 notes that, in 1803, two years after members established the lodge, brethren decided to “procure a draft or design for a certificate plate.”  Lodges records did not capture the name of the artisan who did the work and the plate was not signed. Because engraver David Edwin (1776-1841) later became a member of the lodge, scholars have suggested he was responsible for the plate. However, many engravers worked in Philadelphia at the time. Without more information it is not possible to say who created this handsome certificate.