Colonel James Kilbourne, the first Master of New England Lodge and founder of Worthington, had the vision to found a new settlement in the "Western Country" and to practice the virtues of Freemasonry.

Kilbourne founded the Scioto Company with seven other interested men. He and Nathaniel Little, of Blandford, Massachusetts, were appointed agents to explore the open country during the months of August and September 1802. Kilbourne and nine men journeyed in May 1803 to the newfound area to plant crops and build cabins. Their first task was to build a double log cabin to serve as a schoolhouse, town meeting hall, and church. They named their town after a county in Connecticut where James Kilbourne lived.

On October 19, 1803, he applied for and received a warrant from the Grand Lodge of Connecticut to take with him to the wilderness in Ohio.

New England Lodge has been continually operating since that time.