Our membership includes
people from all aspects of the maritime community,
including ship masters, mates, tug and yacht officers,
boat operators, shoreside managers, and related business
interests. Detroit Lodge No. 7 is the largest lodge
in the International Ship Masters' Association.
We support the I.S.M.A. Grand Lodge, and share its
mission:
To be the respected voice of
licensed professional mariners in matters related
to navigation and safety on waters of the Great
lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway System. In this
process, we work with, and provide input to,
regulatory agencies, legislative bodies, industry
associations and other working groups on matters
affecting navigational safety.
To provide opportunities for
licensed merchant mariners to network, to offer
their feedback, and to enhance their knowledge in
a variety of ways.
To maintain mutual respect,
support, and encouragement among our members, and
to promote the pursuit of personal and
professional excellence.
To encourage and assist those
preparing for careers as merchant marine officers.
HISTORY OF DETROIT LODGE NO. 7
Detroit Lodge No. 7 has a
long and proud history. Over the years, our
membership has included many well-known ship Captains and
prominent Detroiters.
The history of our lodge dates back to the
spring of 1890, when organizers from the
Shipmasters' Association visited Detroit in hopes of
forming a lodge. Following the passage of several months,
and much discussion, it was determined there was
sufficient interest within the marine community to sustain
a lodge in Detroit. In March of 1891, Grand
President Alexander
Clark responded, when he traveled to Detroit
from Buffalo. He was accompanied by the father of the
association, Captain Martin Niland, who acted as Grand
Marshal. (Click
Here for newspaper article announcing the
formation of Detroit Lodge No. 7)
Organized with 34 charter members, the lodge
was issued a charter by the Grand Lodge on April 2, 1891
and was designated as Lodge No. 7. Captain
George McCullagh was elected lodge President;
Charles L. Wilson, First-Vice President; and John C. Shaw,
Secretary. Within a short time, the membership had
increased to 90. The following fall, a large hall at 12 Woodward
Avenue was rented and fitted up in elegant
style. The new quarters, located on the 3rd
floor of the Detroit United Railway Company headquarters,
contained a well-stocked library, along with reading,
club, and meeting rooms. In 1907, the lodge rooms moved to
the 2nd floor of the Biddle House, at 234 Jefferson
Avenue. The quarters at the Biddle House included a
billiard room, along with a parlor and library for the
Ladies Auxiliary. The lodge rooms moved again to
several locations over the years, including rooms on the
7th floor of the Merchants
Building from 1933 to 1939, the Lincoln
Building (now demolished) from April of 1939 to March of
1946, the Barlum
Hotel
(later called the Henrose Hotel) from December
of 1946 to March of 1961, and the Pick-Fort
Shelby Hotel from January of 1962 to 1968.
In January of 1968, by arrangement with Curator Robert E. Lee,
lodge meetings shifted to the Dossin Great Lakes Museum on
Belle Isle. When John Polacsek took over as Curator
in 1981, he continued that arrangement until his
retirement in 2006. Since January of 2007, the lodge
has been meeting at the Island Cove Marina on the Clinton
River, the Great Lakes Yacht Club on Lake St. Clair, and
at the J.W.
Westcott Company on the Detroit River. Our last
winter meeting is traditionally held at Mariners’
Church of Detroit.
Lodge meetings are held about every 10 days
during the winter months. Luncheons precede the meetings,
allowing members and their guests enjoy each other’s
company and discuss the issues of the day. Business
meetings follow the luncheons and speakers are often
invited to address the members on issues pertaining to
safety and navigation on the Great Lakes. Occasional
meetings are scheduled in the evening as joint functions
with the lodge’s auxiliary, spouses and guests.
The Lodge Dinner Dance, an annual event since
1894, is the longest running dinner dance in Detroit’s
history. For many years, the dinner-dance was a
major event on the city's social calendar. In 1914,
attendance peaked at 4000
guests when the event was held at the
newly-opened Arcadia
Dancing Hall on Woodward
Avenue.
Over the years, Lodge No. 7 has provided a
number of prominent mariners who have served faithfully as
Grand Lodge Officers and committee members. As far as can
be determined from existing I.S.M.A. records and
directories, the following have brought honor to Detroit
Lodge No. 7 by serving as Grand Lodge President:
Detroit
hosted its first I.S.M.A. convention in 1895.
In more recent years, Lodge No. 7 has hosted conventions
in 1962 at the Pick-Fort Shelby Hotel in Detroit; in 1970
at the Detroit Hilton (Statler) Hotel; in 1977 at the
Dearborn Inn; in 1983 at the Northfield Hilton in Troy; in
1991 at the Fairlane Holiday Inn in Detroit; in 2002 at
the Doubletree Hotel in Novi, and in 2011, at the
Doubletree Fort Shelby Hotel in Downtown Detroit, and in
2023, at the Doubletree Hotel on Detroit's far west side.
On April 2, 2011, the lodge celebrated its
120th anniversary. {Click Here for photos}
For a list of past officers of Lodge No. 7, Click Here.
