Fulton County GaArchives News.....The Best In The South June 25, 1891
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Linda Blum-Barton http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00003.html#0000645 April 7, 2006, 1:28 am

The Constitution, Atlanta, Ga. June 25, 1891
Cornerstone Of The Equitable Laid Today.
Imposing and Impressive Ceremonies by the Masons - Ex-Mayor John T. Glenn Will 
Deliver the Address -- Public Invited.

The cornerstone of the Equitable building will be laid today.

It will be laid with the regular Masonic ceremony by the grand lodge of the 
state.

In the absence of Grand Master John S. Davidson, of Augusta, who is attending a 
Masonic convention in soutwest Georgia, Past Master W. F. Parkhurst, of 
Atlatna, will officiate as grand master.

At 4 o'clock this afternoon the Masons will assemble at the Masonic asylum, 
corner of Marietta and Alabama streets. At 4:30 o'clock the procession will 
leave for the building.  The Knights Templar, with Grand Marshal John S. Parks, 
will act as an escort.  The order of the procession will be:
Tyler with drawn sword.
Two stewards with rod.
Master Masons.
Past master with vessel of corn.
Architect with square, level and plumb.
Two past masters with vessels of wine and oil.
Treasurer.
Secretary.
Fiver orders of architecture.
Past master with light.
Past master with Bible, square and compass, supported by two stewards.
Two past masters with lights.
Grand chaplain.
Senior and junior grand wardens.
Deputy grand master.
Grand master, supported by senior and junior grand deacons.

At the foundation of the building the procession will be met by the directors 
of the East Atlanta Land Company.  After music, Mr. Joel Hurt will formally 
turn the building over to the Masons, who will conduct the interesting 
exercises.  In the ceremony a place is provided for an oration, and at this 
point Mr. Howard Palmer will introduce ex-Mayor J. T. Glenn, who will deliver 
the address.  The stone will not be in place, as is often the case, but will be 
suspended.  With three distinct motions it will be lowered to the foundation, 
and at each pause public grand honors will be given.  During this ceremony a 
solemn and sacred piece of music will be rendered by the band.

Grand Architect Bruce will superintend the placing of the stone and plumb and 
adjust it on the foundation.

The receptacle in the stone is on the underside, and in this, while suspended, 
a lead box, hermetically sealed, will be placed.  The box will contain a varied 
list of articles, and among them will be an Atlanta Constitution of today.

The exercises are public, and all are cordially invited to attend.

The Building.
The erection of the Equitable marks an era in southern architecture.

This building will be eight stories high, and in design and construction will 
surpass any in the south, and be equaled by few structures in the great 
cities.  For seven years, Mr. Joel Hurt has labored with a view of constructing 
in Atlanta this magnificent building, the formal announcement of the erection 
of which is made by today's ceremonies.  The first fully published history of 
the great undertaking of the East Atlanta Land Company, which led to the 
building of the Equitable, is found in The Constitution of February 7, 1888, 
and is accompanied by an editorial on the value and necessity of opening 
Edgewood avenue.  In the published interview with Mr. Hurt the city council and 
property holders were assured that the opening of the street would lead to the 
construction of buildings that would more than compensate the city for its 
expenditure.  Work on the building is progressing rapidly, and the entire 
foundation will soon be above the surface.

The Banquet.
At the Kimball house tonight an elegant banquet will be given by the company, 
at which a number of short speeches will be made by members of the company and 
prominent citizens.  Mr. J. A. Brown, of the Equitable Life Assurance Society, 
will be present at the laying of the cornerstone, and will attend the banquet 
in the evening. 

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