Written By David Gomez
NAPIER - Beneath the glow of candlelight inside an 1850s log cabin, members of the Napier Masonic Lodge gathered on Wednesday, October 15, to commemorate a milestone that tied their rural Ontario community to its earliest settlers and military roots. The evening was both a formal ceremony and a living reconstruction of how Freemasons once met generations ago — a vivid reminder of the traditions that helped shape Napier’s identity.
The event took place at the home of Dana Bernier, local historian and long-time resident of Napier, who, along with his wife Nancy, restored the cabin on their property in 2010. “This cabin was built in 1850. We dragged it here and restored it back to that period — there’s no hydro, just candles,” Bernier said during the gathering.
As lodge historian, Bernier shared his research tracing the roots of Freemasonry in Napier to the early 19th century. “They think it’s 150 years, but it’s probably closer to about 170,” he said. “They used to hold it in a log cabin because they were all military people, and they had a travelling charter.”
The evening’s re-enactment received special dispensation to hold a formal Masonic meeting within the historic structure — a nod to how early settlers, many of them British officers, once gathered in tents, barns, or homes to maintain their traditions. “England was broken after the wars and allowed veterans to convert their rank into land,” Bernier said. “They all settled here — and most of them were Masons”
Bernier’s passion for local history extends beyond the cabin itself. On his property, he has assembled a small museum featuring artifacts, photographs, and documents that trace Napier’s early days — from the former cheese factory and blacksmith shop that once operated in the community to maps and records of its first settlers, including Captain Christopher Beer, a Royal Navy veteran who arrived in 1829 and whose home once hosted the earliest Masonic gatherings.
Though the gathering was modest in size, it carried deep meaning for those present. “We didn’t advertise much,” Bernier said. “If we had, we could have had hundreds here tonight.”
For the Napier community, the evening wasn’t only a commemoration of Masonic history — it was a tribute to the spirit of the pioneers who built it.
