Columbian Lodge A.F. & A.M.

Our Musical History

The Officers of Columbian Lodge process in to the sound of our Organist playing "Columbia, Gem of the Ocean". The music and lyrics were written by Thomas á Becket in 1843 for actor David Shaw, who tried to publish the song under his own name. It was used on occasion as an unofficial national anthem in competition with "Hail, Columbia" and "The Star-Spangled Banner" until the latter's formal adoption as the national anthem of the United States in 1931. Click here for a PDF of the sheet music to view while listening, courtesy of the Library of Congress' Encyclopedia of Performing Arts.

The Columbian Lodge Grand March was written By Ben Bolt in the style of John Phillips Souza of the time. The year was 1895: our cenntenial year.