Masonic History

The history of Freemasonry has an astute and linear start beginning in 1717 England.

After that point, nearly every meeting has been documented in one-way shape or another. The question of Freemasonry then turns to where did the fraternity begin?  Where goes beyond the history of Freemasonry before it began?

The answers to these mysteries, unfortunately, lie in the sands of time. We do, however, have a few fragments that we can look upon to form a hypotheses and make conclusions on the origins of Freemasonry.

This section strives to look at that history and find some degree of clarity from the selected works.

More on: Masonic Symbols and Freemasonry FAQs

Freemasonry Under Nazi Fascism

Freemasonry, one of the oldest fraternal organizations in the world, has long been a symbol of Enlightenment ideals such as fraternity, liberty, and reason. Its values often clashed with authoritarian regimes, which saw its secretive nature and progressive philosophies as a threat to state control.

Freemasonry’s Resistance to Nazi Fascism and the Post-War Legacy of Persecution

During the rise of Nazism in Europe, Freemasonry became one of the many targets of Adolf Hitler’s regime. The Nazi Party viewed Freemasons as part of a global conspiracy undermining German nationalism, and this belief resulted in brutal persecution. 

Emblematic Freemasonry – A.E. Waite

AS EMBLEMATIC FREEMASONRY is the Craft of Building memorialized, it follows that intellectually, at least, our figurative and speculative art has arisen out of the Operative…

The Templar Orders in Freemasonry – A.E. Waite

HAVING regard to the fact that Emblematic Freemasonry, as it is known and practiced at this day, arose from an Operative Guild and within the bosom of a development from certain London Lodges which prior to the year 1717…

Origin of the Word “Freemason”

In the Winter 1963 issue of THE ROYAL ARCH MASON magazine there is an article entitled “Earliest use of word ‘Freemason'” which indicates that the first known use of that word was in 1526..

600 Years of Craft Ritual

BRETHREN, MANY Of YOU will know that I travel vast distances in the course of my lecture duties and the further I go the more astonished I am to see how many Brethren believe, quite genuinely, that our masonic ritual came down straight from heaven, directly into the hands of King Solomon…

Time Line of Recorded British Freemasonry

The time line of recorded events leading up to the formation of the United Grand Lodge of England in 1717

Ancient Evidences

It was the good fortune of the writer to see the great obelisk called Cleopatra’s needle, as it stood at Alexandria and also to witness the “opening of a house” in Pompeii.

A Secret History of the Civil War

Freemasonry wasn’t the only influence in the American Civil War. Secret societies (societies similar to the Freemasons) that were active in the years leading up to and during the Civil War.

The Masonic Role in American History

Freemasonry may not have been the principal influence motivating the great men of history, but it certainly didn’t hurt that they were masons.

A Brief History of the Illuminati

The Illuminati is one of those well-known shadowy organization shrouded in myth and legend. But Are they connected to the Freemasons? And if so, how?

A Modern History of the OTO

On offshoot of Freemasonry, James Wasserman shares his experience in the development of the modern Thelemic movement, some observations on the contemporary scene, and his continued enthusiasm for the spiritual teachings of Aleister Crowley.

The History of Prince Hall and Early American Freemasons

An address by Cambridge, MA, Mayor E. Denise Simmons before the Cambridge Historical Society on February 18th, 2009 at about the time of the celebration of the placement of a monument to Prince Hall on the Cambridge Common.

Montana 3-7-77 – How Freemasonry Tamed a Territory

Historians and scholars agree that Montana’s 3-7-77 stood for a vigilante movement in the 1860’s which cleaned up Montana and made it safe from thieves, armed robbers, claim-jumpers, and cutthroats. The numbers “3-7-77” struck fear into the hearts of the outlaws of the day and, as such, must have been developed by a force to be reckoned with Freemasons.