THE OLD FRITZSCHE HOUSE
by William H. Rauchfuss
Paterson, NJ, January 17, 1927

Say, old house, if you could tell
Of things that in you befell,
What would you say?
When were your old walls first reared?
And to whom were they endeared?
When? Who were they?

You have seen the years go by,
Heard man laugh and baby cry;
And you changed too.
Years you sheltered family
Where real happiness must be
Dwelling in you.

Did you see the troops go by,
Washington, or even spy,
Of Revolution?
And the boys of Civil War?
Some returned; some nevermore –
Life’s solution.

Then conditions came again!
Wind and snow and sleet and rain
Passed right through you.
Battered windows, open door,
Dampened walls and rotted floor,
Thought of by few.

Now behold it is a home
Where Masonic Brothers come
To fraternize.
Long may this old home now live;
Fellowship and shelter give!
My! You’re a prize.

Note:  In 1927, when the above poem was written, the Fritzsche house was a 
Masonic Lodge; however, it is now again a private residence.