Charity Lodge No. 134 is the only Lunar Lodge in the State of Maryland. Charity Lodge No. 134 does not have a fixed date for their meetings. They meet monthly from September through June. Meetings are held on the Saturday on or before the full moon. According to the history of the Lodge, members leaving the meetings would have the advantage of full moon light as they journeyed to and from the Lodge. Many traveled by horse, cart, buggy or foot. Since train service ceased well before the Lodge closed, one brother reportedly walked twenty five miles after Lodge closed that he might be at work by 5:00 A.M.

Charity Lodge was chartered on May 11, 1868 in Bentley Springs, Md. It was known as Bentley Springs Lodge No. 134. Bentley Springs was located on the Northern Central Railroad. The track for this railroad was laid in 1832 and ran from Baltimore to the Pennsylvania Line.

Bentley Springs was named after Charles Bentley, who lived there and became the first Master of Bentley Springs Lodge No. 134. He served in that capacity from 1868 to 1873.

On January 15, 1868, on recommendation of Mt. Moriah Lodge No. 116, of Towson, (then known as Towsontowne) Grand Master Coates issued a dispensation for the formation of this Lodge.

Meetings were held in the Boarding House in Bentley Springs for eight years, when on May 9, 1888, by Dispensation of the Grand Lodge of Maryland, it was moved to Parkton, Md. The name was then changed to Charity Lodge # 134. Meetings were held in the Presbyterian Church which stood on the hill by the Northern Central Railroad, which later became known as the Pennsylvania Railroad. On November 17, 1888 a communication was received from a Mr. J. S. Brown inquiring if the Lodge was interested in purchasing the Church. A committee was formed to determine the feasibility of this. On June 28, 1890 the project was stopped (reason unknown) and all moneys were returned.

On August 6, 1892 a motion was made to remove all Lodge possessions from the Church as soon as possible. This apparently prefaced the move to the building owned by Mr. Ayres in Parkton.

In 1938 the Parkton Temple was enlarged and modernized.

On June 1, 1968, Charity Lodge celebrated it’s 100th anniversary in the Hereford Fire Hall. Brother Roy Calk, P.M., Worshipful Master, invited Grand Master Thomas Middleton and Grand Line to this affair. Over 300 guests attended this auspicious occasion. Grand Master Thomas Middleton granted permission to Worshipful Master Calk to preside over the Cornerstone Ceremonies at the educational building in the Methodist Church in Bentley Springs. Grand Master Middleton furnished Worshipful Master Calk with grand lodge tools that were well over 100 years old for this special occasion.

In 1972, Charity Lodge's building in Parkton sustained considerable water damage from "Hurricane Agnes". Water reached halfway up the first floor wall. Worshipful Master Ed Berry headed up a crew of members to repair the extensive damage. Many records and other historical items were damaged beyond salvation during this storm. Our history for this period is not as clearly defined as it could have been if these records had not been lost.

In 1988 Charity Lodge No. 134 initiated discussions relative to the purchase of the Church for use as a new Lodge. Brother Les Orlidge, Worshipful Master, initiated the necessary paper work to the Grand Lodge and their committee on Lodge buildings.

Several properties were available during this period of time but the Lodge eventually voted to pursue the Methodist Church property at the intersection of Middletown and Freeland Roads. In May of 1988 Lodge members signed an option to purchase the property. Zoning issues delayed further action until February of 1989 when the Lodge made application for rezoning the property for use as a "Community Building". Specific zoning for use as a Masonic Lodge did not exist. This became a lengthy process which included the necessary planning for conversion from a church to a lodge layout, architectural drawings and finally permits. In February settlement on the property was held, the purchase contract was signed for sum of $65,000 and the building and lot officially became Lodge property.

Several years of delay occurred while the Lodge waited impatiently for the State to declare the property adjacent to the old Lodge excess.

In August of 1990, Charity Lodge and Pythagoras Lodge traveled to Kingston, Tennessee with Most Worshipful Grand Master B. Hope Harrison for the annual "Cave’s Degree" where under dispensation, they conferred the Maryland third degree and raised Brother Peter Tinley, one of Charity Lodge’s members. The Kingston Lodge hosts the "Caves Degree" each year with a different Masonic Jurisdiction invited to confer the degree. Brother "Pete" Tinley was raised by Worshipful Master Karl Knouse. The obligation was given by Brother J. R. Biggs, Junior Warden.

In 1991 Worshipful Master George E. Lang III, P.M. got the actual demolition and construction of our new Lodge building started. The bell and bell tower were removed from the front of the building along with an interior wall extending from "North to South" and about 20’ from the East by the U.S. Tower Service, friends of Brother Jack Biggs.

Finally in the Spring of 1992 the state sent appraisers to evaluate the property. In June of 1992 the State decided on the price of $18,700 for the property. This was more than members were willing to spend and efforts to sell the building continued with the thought to allow the new owners the responsibility of dealing with the State.

On May 6, 1992, Worshipful Master J. R. Biggs invited Bro. John Smith, M.W.G.M. and his Grand Line to Charity's new Temple to conduct a "Corner Stone" ceremony. The Boumi Temple Highlanders drum and bagpipe corps "piped" the Grand Master and the Grand Lodge Line accompanied by the Worshipful Master and the Charity Lodge Line across the property to the Cornerstone. The Hereford High band provided appropriate patriotic music for the festivities. The Commander of the Parkton Chapter of the American Legion, presented Worshipful Master Biggs and Charity Lodge with an American Flag. Local residents also attended the ceremonies and press coverage was provided by several local newspapers.

The following items were placed in the "time capsule" within the cornerstone:
• Charity Lodge Communications for 1992
• A picture of the new building prior to renovation.
• Three pictures of the old building in Parkton, Md.
• Pictures of the 1992 line officers, Charity Lodge Past Masters present at the 1992 Installation of officers.
• A glass from the Cornerstone Ceremony
• Charity Lodge By-laws from 1991
• A directory of Lodges and concordant Masonic bodies
• A 1992 Grand Lodge Directory of Officers, Lodges and Worshipful Masters
• A Bible
• A picture of Grand Master Smith
• 1991 Grand Lodge Proceedings
• A 1991 Commemorative coin from the Ground Breaking Ceremony at Bonnie Blink
• A 1991 Commemorative coin from Harvest Home Day
• Cornerstone Ceremony Program
• Volume XXXVIII number 4 of the Knight Templar, the Spring 1992 issue of the Royal Arch magazine
• The June 1992 issue of the Scottish Rite Journal
• The "Star Spangled Banner" issue of the Scottish Rite magazine.