Nearly a century ago, a handful of Masons from Westhampton, Hampton Bays, and the surrounding hamlets grew weary of the long and sometimes risky trek to Riverhead for their lodge meetings. In 1924, they petitioned the Grand Lodge of New York for their own charter. The following spring, Potunk Lodge No. 1071 was born, carrying forward a local tradition of fellowship and service that continues to this day.
Next April, Potunk Lodge will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a full weekend of events, including a rededication ceremony at the Westhampton lodge building and a gala dinner at Camp Pa-Qua-Tuck in Center Moriches. Lodge officers expect as many as 100 members, dignitaries, and friends to attend.
“It’s a major milestone,” said Jim Geiger, Potunk Lodge’s secretary and a 32-year member. “The Grand Master and officers from New York City will be here to rededicate our building, and we’ll gather to honor those who built this lodge and kept it strong for generations.”
Potunk Lodge’s first home was Mechanics Hall in Westhampton Beach, a modest upstairs meeting room with pressed copper ceiling tiles still etched with Masonic emblems. “It was too small, and parking was a problem,” Geiger recalled. By the late 1960s, the growing membership secured land across from what is now the Westhampton Community Church on Montauk Highway, thanks to a donation from member Marshall Jagger.
Construction of the new lodge was a community effort, led by members of the Rump family—Artie, Ray, Bob, and others—who supplied the labor and craftsmanship. The cornerstone ceremony in 1968 was attended by Grand Lodge officials, and the building has served the brothers of Potunk ever since.
“My dad and uncles were right there swinging hammers,” said Tim Rumph, whose father helped raise the structure. “It was a big undertaking, but that’s what Masons did—they built something lasting together.”
For generations, Potunk Lodge has hosted everything from parades to pig roasts, using the proceeds to support local families and charities. In earlier days, the lodge partnered with the traveling circus—complete with PT Barnum, himself a Mason—for festive processions through Westhampton Beach.
In recent decades, members have organized golf outings that fund scholarships for students at Hampton Bays, Westhampton, Eastport-South Manor, and Center Moriches. For 25 years, the scholarship carried the Sinnickson name, honoring beloved lodge member Thomas D. Sinnickson.
Today, Potunk focuses its efforts on Maureen’s Haven, the Riverhead-based nonprofit that provides shelter and meals for the homeless during the winter months. Lodge members prepare hot dinners at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Hampton Bays once a month from October through April, ensuring 30 guests leave with both a meal and leftovers for the next day.
“It’s about giving back, the same way the founding members did 100 years ago,” Geiger said. Many members, Geiger noted, were deeply rooted in the community—businessmen, veterans, and craftsmen who left their mark in ways both practical and symbolic. One was Michael A. Chartuk, a Navy veteran from Center Moriches, who served as a Mason for 70 years.
A lodge treasure illustrates another story: ceremonial staffs topped with ornate metalwork were hand-forged by a brother who owned a lawnmower repair shop. “He made them out of old lawnmower blades,” Geiger said. “We still use them today, and they’ve lasted almost a century.”
As the centennial approaches, members are focused on the future. “When I joined, I was the youngest guy in the room,” Rumph said. “Now I’m one of the oldest. We want to bring in new members, young people who can carry the torch for the next 100 years.”
For Potunk Lodge, the April celebration is not only about looking back, but also about setting a course forward. “This lodge was built on brotherhood, on service, and on being part of something bigger than yourself,” Geiger said. “That’s as important now as it was in 1924.”