CoeXisT

The Level is the one symbol that distinguishes Freemasonry very differently from all other organizations and societies in the world and has the potential to make it a world leader in advocating peace. There is no Masonic distinction or division of religion, race, wealth, title or political persuasion. All Masons are equal in stature and operate on the level. Masons seek to share what they have in common and keep away from that which divides them.

Every Lodge is an oasis of peace, every Mason a non violent member of his community. Tolerance and non judgmental-ism are the guides a Mason uses to interact with his fellow human beings and live a peaceful life. He doesn’t sanction evil but he does adopt a position of peaceful coexistence with many different paths. Thus the lesson of the video is one every Mason has learned and practices.

Yet the influence that Freemasonry has upon civil society and world peace is very much diminished from what it used to be. This can be attributed to the banning of any involvement with religion or politics. This purging of all interaction with society except in charitable causes is a corruption of the original design of Freemasonry. It reminds me a great deal of the civil argument over separation of church and state where freedom of religion is being interpreted as freedom from religion.

Freemasonry prohibits sectarian religion and partisan politics. In other words it wants no proselytizing within its ranks. Thus non sectarian religion and non partisan politics is perfectly acceptable. So there should be no compunction to avoid issues like honesty in government, world peace or support for schools both private and public. Nor should Freemasonry hesitate to speak out against ethnic cleansing, racial prejudice, false imprisonment, and other violations of human rights.

If Freemasonry desires to have the support and membership of the intellectuals, power brokers, and leaders in arts and sciences then it is going to have to come out of its cocoon and interact with society and become a force in its own right in the world. Freemasonry was never designed to be a cloistered sect.

If Freemasonry can become a force for good in the life of an individual it also can become a force for good in the life of the world. If Paul Revere was here today he would tell you so.

coexist

GM Joseph Warren Offered A Masonic Warrant To Prince Hall

The Plumbline

The Plumbline

A recent story in the Scottish Rite Research bulletin newsletter, “The Plumbline,” titled “A Scottish Lodge in the Grand Jurisdiction of Massachusetts” intrigued me.  Written by old friend Michael Kaulback and Richard Van Doren it chronicles the early growth of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts with a heavy concentration on Saint Andrews Lodge. Saint Andrews Lodge became the first Lodge of the “antients” working in the colonies, as the authors tell us, chartered by the Grand Lodge of Scotland. There already was a Provincial Grand Lodge of “moderns,” most often referred to as St. John’s Grand Lodge, operating in Massachusetts Bay Colony since 1733. Soon after Saint Andrews partnered with three military antient Lodges attached to the British Army, No 58 English stationed with the 14th regiment, No 106 Scottish stationed with the 64th regiment and No 322 Irish stationed with the 29th regiment, to form a Grand Lodge.

In 1768 Saint Andrews petitioned the Grand Lodge of Scotland to have Joseph Warren as their Grand Master. He was so appointed and served until he was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill in June 1775. The battle between the antients and the moderns was more than just about ritual and the regularity of practice. It was just as much about the makeup of the two Grand Lodges. St. Johns Grand Lodge was made up largely of wealthy merchants, traders and landed gentry. Saint Andrews Grand Lodge was made up of what we would today call “blue collar” working men, men who worked with their hands. Kaulback and Van Doren give us an example of some of the Saint Andrews members.

  • George Bray – Baker
  • William Burbeck – Carver
  • James Graham – Chair maker
  • Samuel Peck – Glazier
  • Thomas Milliken – Bricklayer
  • John Jenkins – Baker
  • Moses Deshon – Auctioneer
  • Joseph Webb, Jr. – Ship Chandler
  • Samuel Barrett – Sail maker
  • Paul Revere – Silversmith
  • Joseph Warren – Doctor

Two very interesting stories come from this article. The first is that on August 28, 1769 William Davis was made the first Knight Templar in the United States at Saint Andrews Lodge. Paul Revere followed on December 11, 1769 and Joseph Warren on May 14, 1770. Davis and Warren distinguished themselves at the Battle of Bunker Hill, Warren not surviving the ordeal. This means that before the United States became an independent nation we had Knights Templar on our soil. That is an important development in the history of Freemasonry because at that time the degrees were so new. But the conferring of the degrees  Excellent, Super Excellent, Royal Arch and Knight Templar laid the foundation for what would become the “American Rite.”

Joseph Warren

Joseph Warren

Paul Revere became the second Grand Master of the union of antients and moderns into the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts that occurred in 1792. Saint Andrews Lodge held out until 1807 when they reached a final agreement with the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. Kaulback told me personally when I spoke to him by phone that the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts is much more reflective of the antients because the antients won. The union with the moderns was on their terms and the practice of Freemasonry in Massachusetts henceforth was really a practice of antient Freemasonry.

The other interesting story to come from this article is that Grand Master Joseph Warren met with Prince Hall who wanted to form a Masonic Lodge and he agreed to give Hall a warrant to open his Lodge. Before he could execute that decision Warren was killed in the Battle of Bunker Hill. This decision is recorded in the minutes of Saint Andrew’s Grand Lodge minutes. MONUMENTAL! What a game changer that would have been. Of course Prince Hall found another avenue to obtain his warrant.

Perhaps Hall went quickly to another source because Warren told him that while he wanted to give him a warrant the majority of his members would never approve it. Perhaps Hall chose a British antient military Lodge because Saint Andrews had formed itself into a Grand Lodge by association with the same and he was told that. THAT’S ALL SPECULATION. But one has to wonder if Prince Hall had waited and bided his time to approach Warren’s successor, what American Freemasonry would have looked like over the next 200 years.

Prince Hall

Prince Hall

What we can say is fact that is that Massachusetts was the leader of the nation in the abolitionist movement, that in the 1750s and 1760s Massachusetts had a number of freed Blacks, more than any other state, and that according to the minutes of Saint Andrews Lodge it had 7 Black members in the 1780s and 1790s.

People change and times change and an opportunity lost is sometimes lost forever and sometimes lost for just a long, long time. Sometimes the opportunity lost changes the course of history. GM Joseph Warren was killed in battle so he did not get to give Prince Hall his warrant. Abraham Lincoln was assassinated and a bitter and acrimonious post Civil War Reconstruction followed that never would have happened under him. JFK was also gunned down and Lyndon Johnson hurtled us headlong into the Vietnam War, a move JFK would never have made. Men who rise to the occasion sometimes get shot down and we are all the poorer for it.

But dream with me a minute. Let’s change the clock of history and go back, back, back to 1775. GM Warren doesn’t die in the Battle of Bunker Hill and he does right away grant Prince Hall his warrant to form a Masonic Lodge. That would have set a precedent for every other Grand Lodge in the United States. You have got to think that New York and Pennsylvania and other northern states would have followed suit. Oh, maybe the South wouldn’t have gone along. But then again post Civil War they too might have admitted Black men into their Lodges. Freemasonry could have changed the whole history of this nation and maybe, just maybe the 60s wouldn’t have been the bloody 60s of Civil Rights battles. And maybe Martin Luther King, another assassination that changed history, would still be with us.

Dreaming is fun but it’s not reality. Yet I have to believe that Freemasonry still has a major role to play in the world because it changes the hearts of men. The current world conflict between Muslims, Jews and Christians could be ameliorated by Freemasonry and peace could be made by a Freemason who rose to the occasion. If one does let’s take protective measures to assure that he does not die before his mission has been completed.

Palmestry Freemasonry and Apollo

In case you were wondering what those funny hand-signs were, Chris Constantine , editor of the website Let the Truth be Known, has made a video to tell you what they mean.

By association, he seems to believe the secret hand and finger signals of Illuminati, Freemasons, Wiccans, Pagans, Druids all relate to Apollyon the Beast, the dread monster from the Book of Revelation aka HALIOS or Zeus.

He reveals his startling revelation of in hand maps of palmistry which use the names of so called Greek “gods” (Nephilim) to name the fingers.

There is so much truth in this video that it’s like a truth bomb.  Kidding, of course.

Enjoy.

Smashing The Pyramid

I’m constantly amazed at the new discovery by some of the things in plain sight for centuries.  I can’t say for certain about Canada, but American Masonic lodges have been pretty open in recent years, some open across an entire state.

Maybe this video troupe is part of the gotcha media, the one that Sarah Palin was so loth to decry a few years back.

The footage come from Press For Truth, an expose group whose motto is Smashing The Pyramid One Brick At A Time.  Presumably, the pyramid bricks are the emblems of the Illuminati/Freemasons?  At least that’s what they say in one of their videos.

Go figure.

The group comes out of Canada which might explain it (just kidding).  I just like how they say Masonic – “May-zonic”, it just sounds so much cooler.

The first video is a walking tour discovering a Masonic lodge, and the other two are of a propaganda ambush for their video blog.  Apparently, they were giving away free DVD’s to share their insights.

Gotcha.

I have to say, the brother they talked to did his best, given the odds and environment of the exchange.

If your into the conspiracy stuff, give the patriot activist Dan Dick’s YouTube channel a watch for more informative videos.

Knights Templar – Freemasonry Connections

Once again the Beehive is indebted to Brother Wayne Anderson of Ontario, Canada for a great article. Every Sunday Brother Anderson sends out an article to “his list.”

If you would like to be on his list please contact him at wda_572@sympatico.ca.

The subject of the origins of Freemasonry is a hot potato. The article from Brother Anderson seems to have been written shortly after Born In Blood was published. Since that time much research has been done that points to The Templar as NOT being the source of the beginnings of Freemasonry. Some scholars have presented evidence that shows that very few Templar fled mainland Europe for the British Isles.  Many, they say, went to Portugal.  Others went to Switzerland, says Stephen DaFoe our resident Templar expert, where the now famous Swiss international banking system was set up by Templars.

My thought is that even if the Knights Templar, or knight Templar rituals, did not start Freemasonry, perhaps, they infiltrated it to hide from their persecutors and in the process added an additional dollop of secrecy to the Order. I have never been satisfied with the belief that builders needed such veiled secrecy with a myriad of passwords, grips and signs. It seems to me that is what the Templars needed to stay hidden. For a revelation of their affiliation could be lethal. Take the Grand Hailing sign, something I can see much more needed by a Templar over a stone worker.

Perhaps Freemasonry, invented by the ancient builder guilds, was influenced by  an influx of Knights Templar that occurred heavily in one fell swoop. Alas, I know that I am far from an authority on this aspect of historical Freemasonry. But I know that we have some erudite readers who perhaps will chime in. If you have some information and knowledge on this subject consider sharing it with all of us in the comments section so we can learn

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From Summer 91 edition of the Missouri “The Freemason”
More about Born In Blood.

By John C. Allen,
Past Master Pleasant Grove Lodge #42 Otterville, MO.

In the summer issue of this year’s Freemason appeared a review by Zel Eaton of the book Born in Blood, by John J. Robinson. I am prompted to write this article by a conclusion drawn by Mr.  Robinson about the origin of Freemasonry. In his review Mr. Eaton alludes to this aspect of the book only vaguely.

I am referring to Mr. Robinson’s theory that modern Masonry actually had its origin from the Knights Templar, outlawed in 1312 by Pope Clement V and the French King Philip the Fair. It was Mr. Robinson’s conclusion that the Templars not apprehended went under-ground to escape the heavy hand of the Papacy and then resurfaced centuries later as lodges of Freemasons.

York, christian knight, templar descendant, english knight
York Rite Cross and Crown – A Cross and Crown laid upon the Cross Pattée inscribed with “In Hoc Signo Vinces”

Most traditional Masonic researchers, of course, have contended that the Order and its ritual somehow developed from the early crude organizations of the stone mason labor guilds. I, for one, have never been able to accept that view. Several years ago I arrived independently at the same conclusion as Mr. Robinson. Our Masonic ritual, steeped as it is in Kabbalistic occultism and mystery ceremonials of the Middle East, could never possibly have been developed out of the crude beginnings of the stone mason guilds. In that era even the skilled artisans and their speculative associates were far too unlettered and unlearned to have been capable of coming up with anything as elaborate and esoteric as even the earliest forms of Masonic ritual. Knowledge of the Hebrew Kaballah and the Middle Eastern mystery dramas had been ruthlessly suppressed by the Papacy during the Dark Ages and could have returned to Western Europe only by way of the Crusades. For bringing it back, the Templar became the logical bridge.  During their stay in the Holy Land, the Templars had come into close association with a Moslem sect called the Sufi, who previously had adopted many of the beliefs and ritualistic forms of the Gnostic, or primitive Christians. From the Sufi the Templars borrowed many of their own esoteric beliefs and ceremonials. A number of these have made their way into modern Freemason beliefs. One of these, for example, is the Junior Warden’s call of the Craft from labor to refresh-ment and from refreshment to labor, referring in a symbolic sense to death and rebirth. The Gnostics, the Sufi, and the Templars all believed in reincarnation.

Is this view about Masonic origins borne out by any prestigious Masonic scholars?

Read: In Hoq Signo Vinces

Yes, it certainly is—by one of our most celebrated scholars, Brother Albert Pike. My readings in Brother Pike’s Morals and Dogma have convinced me that Mr. Robinson, in his recent book, was on the right track.  Jacques B. de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, according to Brother Pike, masterminded the plans for Freemasonry while he was awaiting execution. Before coming in unequivocally to that assertion, Brother Pike cited conclusive evidence that long before the Templars went underground, they considered themselves builders, or masons, and were even called by the English, through careless pronunciation, Freemasons. This is clearly shown by the following extract with reference to de Molay:

“The Templars, or Poor Fellow Soldiery of the Holy House of the Temple intended to be rebuilt, took as their models, in the Bible, the Warrior Masons of Zorabel, who worked, holding the sword in one hand and the trowel in the other. Therefore, it was that the Sword and the Trowel became the insignia of the Templars, who subsequently concealed themselves under the name of Brethren Masons. The name Freres Macons in the French was corrupt-ed in English into Free Masons. The trowel of the Templars is quadruple, and the triangular plates of it are arranged in the form of a cross, making the Kabalistic pantacle known by the name of the Cross of the East.”

On page 820 of Morals and Dogma, Brother Pike leaves no doubt that he considered Freemasonry the brain child of Jacques de Molay as this extract will indicate.

“But before his execution, the Chief of the doomed Order organized and instituted what afterward came to be called the Occult, Hermetic, or Scottish Masonry. In the gloom of his prison, the Grand Master created four Metropolitan Lodges, at Naples for the East, at Edinburgh for the West, at Stockholm for the North, and at Paris for the South. The initials of his name, J.B.M., found in the same order in the first three degrees are but one of the many internal and cogent proofs that such was the origin of modern Free Masonry.”

Brother Pike’s reference to the initials, of course, is to the words Jachin, Boaz, and the Master’s Word in the third degree. Could this be a mere coincidence?

Brother Pike then went on to say that

“The legend of Osiris was revised and adopted as the central theme of the third degree ritual, to symbolize the destruction of the Order, and the resurrection of Khurum, slain in the body of the Temple of Khurum Abai, the Master, as the martyr of fidelity to obligation, of Truth and Conscience.”

templar cross, equal arm cross
Emblem of the Military Order of Templars.

According to the legend of Osiris here referred to, as the fragments of the god’s body lay on the ground, a lion reached down with his paw, scooped up the pieces, and lifted them back again to erect and living form. In the new Order succeeding the Templars this served as a symbolism. The Papacy and the King had slain the Grand Master but failed to accomplish their purpose. The grip of the lion’s paw had triumphed again over extinction’ The prostrate corpse of the Knights Templar had been raised from death. Once again it lived in the form of a new Order—Freemasonry. The old Order, vitally obsessed with building, lived on as builders still. The trowel remained still as its principal working tool. The Templars continued their role as “Brethren Masons.”

Why are Freemasons so obsessed with the Holy Saints John? “Oh, the labor guilds were expected to have patron saints, so the stone masons adopted the Holy Saints John.” We have all read that lame explanation. If a labor guild wanted patron saints, why would it choose two saints with contrasting religious beliefs?  For the Knights Templar to do so was perfectly logical, as Brother Pike took note in Morals and Dogma. From their very inception, the Templars functioned as a dualistic Order. Their avowed and pretended purpose was to protect Christians making pilgrimages to the Holy Land. Their actual and secret objective was to rebuild the Temple of King Solomon to recapture its original splendor and restore Jerusalem to the days of its pristine glory. In their outward aspects they posed as loyal supporters of orthodox Catholicism. This facade they craftily cultivated to gain the approval and sanction of the papacy. For this reason they adopted John the Baptist as one of their patron saints. St. John the Evangelist, however, was the one who had been regarded as the spokesman of the Gnostic religious views to which they adhered and wished to make supreme in their restored city of Jerusalem, designed by them secretly to displace Rome as the center of Christendom. St. John the Evangelist, therefore, became their most cherished patron saint. If Freemasonry did indeed stem from the Templars, it is only natural that the Masons would also adopt both of these patron saints.

fate of the templars, demise of the templars, templar execution
Templars burned at the stake

Since the Templars chief objective was the rebuilding of King Solomon’s Temple, one would reasonably expect them to continue in that preoccupation when they established a new Order to succeed the Templars. Need there be any mystery, then, as to why Freemasonry is similarly obsessed with the same Temple?

The Templar Connection would also nicely explain the mystery of the “bloody” Masonic obligations. If the Templars had any part in drafting these obligations, we would expect them to be fraught with dire consequences. We say today that the obligations are intended to be only symbolical. To a Templar member of the early guilds or lodges they would not have been considered symbolic. A Templar was a marked man with a price on his head. The long arm of the Papacy could reach him even in non-Catholic Scotland. Wherever he fled, there was always the threat of hired assassins. He could take no chances of having his identity or activities revealed.  Many of the other secrets of Freemasonry can be similarly accounted for as safe-guarding the security of the Templars who probably dominated the earliest lodges.

In one respect perhaps the traditionalists were right. Perhaps Freemasonry did develop in and come down to us from the stone mason guilds of Scotland. Its concept and ritual, however, could not have been originated by the stone masons per-se. Perhaps the Templars who escaped to Scotland decided to infiltrate the stone mason guilds and there introduce the system of de Molay’s new Order.  They had very good reasons to do so.  The Templars had also been builders, or masons. In their heyday the Templars had exerted complete control over not only the stone masons but also over all other skilled craftsmen throughout Western Europe. That being true, the Templars would obviously have experienced little difficulty trying to infiltrate the guilds.

As a final argument for the Templar Connection, we should not forget the religious element. Freemasonry is regarded as a semi-religious Order. If the Templars did really found Masonry, it would be surprising if they hadn’t placed a very strong emphasis on religion, because the Knights Templar was instituted primarily as a religious Order.

Blue State – Red State Freemasonry

350px-Red_state,_blue_state.svgThe United States of America is like no other nation in the world. There are two diametrically opposed cultures within the US where compromise is not possible. Nothing is more evident to the truth of this statement than to watch the nation during a Presidential election year.  Democrats and Republicans, Liberals and Conservatives are in possession of two different world views. These views translate into two different life styles. The positions held by each side are considered basic life core principles that cannot be changed, diluted or compromised.

There are Liberals and Conservatives in other nations but their belief systems are not ingrained into stone and compromise is not a dirty word. Take Canada to our north. There are many different social, political and religious views in Canada and a diversity of culture in some areas while in others a much more sameness. The differences foster much discussion and debate but seldom WAR! Canadians who are not on the winning side of an issue have more of an attitude of, “Oh well, life goes on.” While here in the sates you will find both sides employing deliberate misinformation, loud ill tempered language leading to a radicalization that can give way to outright violence. Ask yourself when was the last time a Canadian Prime Minister or other prominent political figure was assassinated, or there was even a thwarted assassination attempt? In the United States we can point to the recent shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (where 6 others were killed), the attempt on Ronald Reagan, and the successful assassinations of Malcolm X, John F. Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald, Jack Ruby, Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King.

And this is not a new phenomenon. You can go all the way back to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln to see how long this aspect of American Society has been going on. Right from our nation’s inception we were two different worlds joined together. In the beginning there was the small farming, commerce, business and trading North versus the big plantation system of the South practicing self sufficiency and isolationism. There were the slave holders versus the abolitionists.

No other nation suffered such a bitter, protracted Civil War with huge losses of life that left a bitterness that never really healed. Who else in Western Society had a Ku Klux Klan that in its heyday had a larger membership than Freemasonry?

Today we have the Blue States and the Red States.  No matter how bad the nominee the Blue States will always vote Democrat and the Red States Republican. That leaves a handful of swing states to decide the Presidential election.  Most Presidential elections have a voting spread near a 52% to 48% margin. We are nation still seriously divided.

This division is not just political. If it were it would not be so all persuasive. There is also a social, religious, economic and racial division separating Americans into two different camps. You can make a good case for there being two different American cultures. We might call them the heartland culture versus the cosmopolitan urban culture. It is two life styles that view most every aspect of living from a different, opposing perspective.

The role of government in society

How we dress

What language we use

How we raise our children

The role of religion in society

What is taught in our public schools

Dependence versus personal responsibility

Individualism or collectivism

Parochialism versus centralization

How we regard our military

What social behaviors should be legalized

What should and should not be an entitlement

 

This all pervasive view of society and our role within in it has bled over into Freemasonry. We have Blue State Freemasonry and Red State Freemasonry. Just like the commerce based North versus the plantation South, Freemasonry has grown into two different versions of the same Fraternity. SOME of the differences are:

 

Evangelical Christians                                   Secular

Wear religion on sleeve                                Many unchurched, some use Lodge

As their church

Prayers to Jesus                                            No prayers to Jesus

Only Holy Bible on altar                               Multiple Holy Books on altar in

Some Jurisdictions

Casual dress                                                  Formal dress

Christians only                                              Any religion acceptable

No foreigners, non English speaking         Any language, any nation

Grand Master supersedes Constitution    Grand Master obeys Constitution

Heavy restrictions on who can use            Light restrictions on who can use

And rent Lodges                                           And rent Lodges

No alcohol in the building                            Alcohol permitted some

Jurisdictions

No handicapped, no employees in              No such limitations

Liquor business

Frequent expulsions without Masonic      No expulsions without Masonic

Trial                                                               Trial

Some GL control of private Masonic         No GL control of private Masonic

Websites                                                        Websites

GL owns local Lodge building                     Local Lodge owns its own building

Caucasians only admitted                            All races welcome

 

These and other differences have divided Freemasonry into sometimes warring camps. Our civil government under the Articles of Confederation soon changed into the United States of America under the Constitution and slowly evolved into more centralized control in Washington. From 13 states loosely joined in common cause we transformed ourselves into a united nation where citizens ultimately called themselves Americans.

Freemasonry never evolved like our civil government did. It has remained stuck in the Articles of Confederation stage. Each state Grand Lodge is like a nation unto its own. As the years have gone by the differences have become greater and magnified.

This is not a call for a National Grand Lodge nor a reinventing or remaking of American Freemasonry. But at the same time we must recognize that there is too much strife and discord, too many ill feelings and too much unmasonic conduct within American Freemasonry. Maybe 51 Grand Lodges are too many for the United States, leading to too many differences, too many rivalries with not enough cooperation. Perhaps there might be some voluntary consolidation.  Canada with somewhat the same area has much fewer Grand Lodges. Whatever American Freemasonry does voluntarily The Craft must find a way to come together with some commonality, reducing friction and strangling tight control while still permitting states their jurisdictional powers. It must find a way to bridge the gap between a Blue State and a Red State mentality. American Freemasonry needs to become a fraternity, a way of life, which embraces free thinkers as it has in the past, frees up Masonic creativity, and becomes a Craft of principles and virtues not of men.

Don’t Mess With Texas!

South Central Guild #3

“We’re the best in Texas, yes we are.”  “They come to watch us from afar.” (or something like that)

Left, left, left, right, left…to the right – MARCH…Halt, one, two…Right face…about face…forward march… to the rear march…

Such was a tiny micro example of the precision marching of the Lone Star Guild Drill Teams that I witnessed at Prince Hall Texas’ recent York Rite Conclave. Now I know of men’s Knight Templar drill teams but I have never heard of or seen women within Freemasonry performing within drill teams. Then again I haven’t been a York Rite member or a Prince Hall Mason for a long time either.

Bro. Frederic L. Milliken with Two South Central #39 Guild Members

Bro. Frederic L. Milliken with Two South Central #39 Guild Members

I don’t know for sure but I’m going to bet that my Mainstream Brethren have never heard of this. But it does go to show what a Masonic family is all about. In Prince Hall’s it means meeting with the female Bodies in the same building at the same time and coming together for some common functions and some good times. Luncheons, banquets, social mixers, yearly allocutions, awards ceremonies and installations are gender mixed. This builds a strong bond between the men’s side and the women’s side. And it provides strong cross support going both ways.

The Lone Star Guild Drill Teams Performances was one more thing that brought the

Prince Hall Family together. And it was a real morale booster. I left feeling really inspired and confident that my fraternity was going to do great things in the future. This sense of solidarity is a vital component of a healthy, growing, motivational Freemasonry and one that should be emulated elsewhere.

Grand Princess Captain R. Lucille Samuel was responsible for the creation of the Texas Guild’s drill teams and she will further educate us on how they came about and what they do.

LONE STAR GRAND GUILD

DRILL TEAMS

R. LUCILLE SAMUEL

GRAND PRINCESS CAPTAIN

In February of 2006 I was elected as the Grand Princess Captain of the Lone Star Grand Guild of Texas.  It was not until 2008 when I traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina that I came up with an idea.  At the Annual International Grand Encampment and International Grand Court of Cyrene Crusaders Session I saw men and women Drill Team competitions.  At the time the Right Eminent Grand Commander of Texas, Tony M. Moore had a men’s drill team.  There were only two members at this time but they stole the show.

Being a Retired Army Veteran I thought this could be a piece of cake as well as so much fun for the Guilds to compete in Texas.  Little did I know we would go on to the International Session and bring home 1st Place 2 years continuously.

When I returned to Texas, I sent out an email with the Drill Guidelines to all the Princess Captains and Special Deputies.  Each Guild Drill Team was to perform at the 2009 Grand Conclave in Killeen, Texas.  The Drill Team that competed was South Central Guild #39 of Killeen, Texas.  We were the host for the International Grand Encampment that year in Ft Worth, Texas.  South Central Guild placed first and became the 2009 International Grand Champions.

In 2010 we had two more Drill Teams to emerge at the Texas Grand Conclave in Houston giving us a total of 3.  They were Heart of Texas #38 of Temple Texas, South Central Guild #39 of Killeen, Texas, R. Lucille Samuel Guild #41 of Waxahachie, Texas.  At the International Session in Memphis, Tennessee all 3 Guilds placed.  4th Place R. Lucille Guild #41, 3rd Place South Central Guild #39 of Killeen, Texas and the 2010 International Grand Drill Team Champions Heart of Texas Guild #38!

In 2011 because there were no Teams Registered for competition in Baton Rouge, Heart of Texas Guild #38 remain the reigning International Grand Champions.

In February 2012 these 3 Drill Teams met again at our Texas Annual Grand Conclave in Dallas.  South Central Guild #39 (Valiant Ladies) are the Texas State Champs once again!

As you can see each Drill Team is unique in their own uniforms and styles of Drill and Entertainment.  It takes a lot of hard work, practice and dedication to ensure each member of the Drill Team is on the same step and beat as the others.  The Drill Teams have been watched and evaluated by myself and other Veterans or Sir Knights.  It is a competition but the most important thing is that they perform together as “ONE”.

The Drill Team Competition not only brings notoriety throughout the State and Nation but it gives these ladies a sense of pride and builds their self-esteem to compete in public.  It builds camaraderie among the Guild members and hopefully will encourage other members to form Drill Teams for their Guilds.  We have 12 Guilds in the state of Texas.  I am very proud of each and every member.  It is my dream that one day each Guild will have their own Drill Team.   “DON’T MESS WITH TEXAS!”

Please do not hesitate to contact Grand Princess Captain Samuel at rouchellion@yahoo.com and tell her what you think.

HIGHEST HILLS OR LOWEST VALES

Once again the Beehive is indebted to Brother Wayne Anderson of Ontario, Canada for a great article. Every Sunday Brother Anderson sends out an article to “his list.” If you would like to be on his list please contact him at wda_572@sympatico.ca.

Having participated in raising Masons in an outdoor Communication in the forest at a low vale and attended a tyled meeting on a mothballed WWII Heavy Cruiser, I know the feeling of experiencing Freemasonry in different venues. Author Keilh Arrington takes us through some of the examples of “outdoor Freemasonry,” its pitfalls and pleasures.

Frederic L. Milliken

Highest Hills or Lowest Vales

By Keilh Arrington

For many years, Brother Keith Arrington served as the Assistant Librarian for the Grand Lodge of lowa Library, where he served as a “fount of knowledge” for scores of Masonic students. He has had many articles printed in Masonic journals. We thank Brother Arrington for this discussion of open air meetings

Tradition has it that in ancient times – Masons met on the highest hill and in the lowest vales to secure privacy. The tradition alone has been sufficient to stir the imaginations of modern Masons with the result that Masonic meetings have been held in many “strange and weird places,” as one who frowned on the practice put it.

According to Harry Carr’s “The Freemason At Work,” early Masonic manuscripts tell of Masons meeting in the open air, but in a remote and quiet place. This emphasis on isolation and solitude is illustrated in the “Laws and Statutes” of the Lodge of Aberdeen in 1670: “Wee ordaine Iykwayes that no lodge be holden within a dwelling house wherther is people living in it but in the open fields except it be ill weather, and then Let there be a house chosen that no person shall heir nor see us. . .”

One ancient document stated: “A lodge is two Entered Apprentices, two Fellowcrafts and two Masters on the highest hill or the lowest valley of the world without the crow of a cock or the bark of a dog  day’s journey from a borough town…” Obviously, the idea was that the lodge should be far away from any human dwelling far enough so that a watch dog or a crowing cock could not be heard. In keeping with this, it is recorded that tinners assembled at Crockentor, in the county of Devon, England, in the 17th century. This was a rocky hill rising to a height of 1300 feet, littered with granite boulders, and was a wild and remote spot, ten miles from any town. The spot was a natural amphitheatre where boulders on the rising sides could have provided seats for one hundred or more, while a table and seats were hewn from the moorstone.

A British army major told of a 1935 meeting in what is now Pakistan, near the Khyber Pass.  Members of Lodge Jamrud No. 4372 met in the compound of a Mohammedan village, screened by the mud walls of the buildings. Mud heaps provided seats and pedestals; tent mallets were gavels; pick handles were rods. No degree was worked, but lodge was opened on the first degree and closed before dusk.

Dwight L. Smith writes in “Goodly Heritage” that the legend persists that members of Salem Lodge No. 21, chartered in 1822, were forced to meet in a wooded area on a hill. Smith also writes of Indiana military lodges meeting upon the mountain tops and in the valley on numerous occasions.

According to the same historian, a few of the older Indiana lodges are said to have resorted to secluded outdoor spots during the antiMasonic hysteria of the 1830’s.

As Masonic groups have eagerly pursued this link with the past, lodge meetings have been held in caves, quarries and gravel pits.  Masonic degrees have been conferred in forests, on hills and on mountain tops. From Death Valley at two hundred eighty feet below sea level and the Carlsbad Caverns, seven hundred fifty feet underground, to Mt. Aylmer, Alberta, at 10,355 feet above sea level, Masons have flocked in great numbers to experience familiar rites in novel settings. Depending on the nearness to population concentrations and the uniqueness of the outdoor scene, crowds have varied from a “good turnout” to more than one thousand.

One lodge, Golden Rule Number 5 of Stanstead, Quebec, made up of members from both sides of the border, was said to have been chartered to meet in a natural lodge room on top of a mountain. In 1857, this lodge was granted a dispensation to open and hold a lodge on the summit of Owl’s Head Mountain at Lake Memphremagog. Here, in a great ravine at an elevation of two thousand four hundred eighty feet above the lake, situated due east and west, surrounded by massive rocks that afforded perfect seclusion, is a lodge that “seems as if hewn by the hand of nature for the use to which it is.”

The rocks offer suitable watchtowers, from which the sentinels can readily observe the approach of any eavesdroppers. As many as two hundred fifty Masons make the difficult ascent to the top, confer a third degree and then descend two hours later to join their ladies for a picnic dinner.

Historic Mammoth Cave, one hundred thirty five feet below Kentucky’s surface, has been the setting for lodge meetings, as have the Carlsbad Caverns of New Mexico, at a depth of seven hundred fifty feet. Since the temperature in the Caverns is fifty six degrees, those attending have been urged to dress warmly.

However, in Death Valley, California, third degrees have been conferred under the stars on the sun baked floor of the “Devil’s Golf Course” near Furnace Creek. These meetings have been limited to other than summer months, when temperatures may reach one hundred sixty five degrees. On one occasion, forty years ago, “an ample lodge room was marked off and defined by rows of electric lights operated by a portable power plant. All furniture for the lodge was transported over one hundred miles to the site, which was surrounded by such rough salt fields that any approach, except by the road which was fully tiled, was virtually impossible.” One observer found most impressive the door from the preparation room, which had been hauled in and set up in the northwest corner of the lodge.  He commented, “When that door was opened, it opened to the universe!”

Malheur Cave, Oregon, an unusual formation with an interesting history, has been the site for many annual outdoor meetings. The list of unusual sites chosen for these outdoor meetings would fill a book and only a few typical ones can be discussed here.

In central Wyoming there is huge granite mass known as Independence Rock, which served as a landmark and way station on the old Oregon Trail. It was here that the first Masonic meeting in what was to become Wyoming, was held on July 4, 1862, by a group of Masons traveling to the west. The rock has become a Masonic shrine and commemorative meetings have been held there periodically.

A comparable meeting has been held in Montana at the summit of Mullen Pass, the first known meeting place of Freemasonry in Montana. The pass is a low divide through the Rockies, once a heavily traveled military road.  The area is owned by four lodges and preserved as a memorial to pioneer Masons of the territory. A stone altar and stone officer’s stations have been constructed.

About 1908, the town of Park City, Utah, was destroyed by fire and Uintah Lodge No. 7 was given permission to hold a special meeting on what is now called Mount Masonic, north of town. Later, Kaibab Lodge No. 25 of Utah received permission to hold a meeting in the Kaibab Forest, Arizona. This became an annual event, with the Master Mason degree being conferred. Just at sunset, in the virgin forest, which is a plateau about sixty by forty miles in extent at an elevation of eight thousand feet, “as the stardecked heavens superseded the cloudy canopy, the work was put on with the same form and ceremony as within a regular lodge room. ”

Another “high hill” meeting, held in impressive surroundings of natural and simple beauty, is the annual Ft. Hill meeting near Harrisonburg, Louisiana. Here, atop historic old Ft. Beauregard on the Ouachita River, degree teams from various cities have performed before gatherings numbering as many as 1500.  The site is still studded with virgin pine timber and has been furnished in a manner carrying out a rustic motif. The original breastworks of the fort, first used by Confederate forces, are still intact.

A small natural amphitheater, surrounded by timber, was discovered in the historic Amana Colonies of Iowa by a brother who flew over the area in his light plane. “Hiram In the Hills”, an annual outdoor degree, is the result of his discovery and his vision. Lodges of two adjacent counties cooperate in sponsoring the early August event in this lovely and peaceful setting. In preparation each year, the grass on the gentle slopes is mowed and the area is sprayed from the air by the discoverer of the site, to eliminate mosquitoes and other insect pests. Entrance to the site is through a gate at the end of a lightly traveled country road, where tilers admit Masons from a wide area, beginning in mid-afternoon. By late afternoon, Iowa beef and roasting ears of corn, cooked in covered pits, are ready for a picnic in a meadow area. After the meal, the men take seats on the grassy slopes or in folding lawn chairs which they have brought along. The natural lodge room is furnished with rustic, simple furniture in keeping with the beauty of the setting. While most of those attending are comfortably dressed in casual attire, the complete corps of Grand Lodge officers, who will confer the degree, are fully attired in tuxedos, embroidered aprons and sparkling collars for their jewels. The proceedings are conducted with impressive dignity and this event is eagerly awaited by the several hundred who annually attend.

The appeal of these outdoor meetings seems to be multiple. First, there is the tradition that it was thus that the ancient Masons met; hence, the desire to recapture the past. There is also the appeal of the great outdoors, even though sitting through a degree is rather passive activity. Perhaps there is something intangible about the open air meetings that can be experienced only by actual attendance. The novelty obviously has great appeal as does the sociability, with the more relaxed atmosphere of the informal setting.

There are many Masons, of course, who do not approve of outdoor meetings. They object to the risks taken of exposing Masonic work to the public eye and they object to the carnival atmosphere which is created.

While many conscientiously believe that these outdoor meetings in unusual spots add to Masonic interest, others see them as closely allied to such things as being married on an elephant’s back. While they do attract publicity to Masonry, they do not increase the dignity of the institution, it is argued. Aside from the practical consideration of providing necessary security for the meetings, opponents see these events as “more of a show or entertainment.” One Grand Master, in refusing to grant permission for an outdoor meeting, expressed the fear that the public might confuse such an open air, nighttime function with the activities of the Ku Klux Klan.

Grand Lodge approval must be obtained, of course, to move a charter to a sylvan glen, a quarry or to a mountain top for the purpose of opening a Masonic lodge. Careful selection of the site to ensure maximum security is a prerequisite. Elaborate arrangements for tiling have sometimes been found imperative. At a rock quarry in Indiana, an Old Settlers reunion was attended by eighteen hundred Masons in 1967.  Here forty five tilers were stationed around the rim of the cavernous opening to guard against the approach of eavesdroppers. At one Oregon meeting, tiling was accomplished by a sheriff’s posse, which was composed entirely of Masons.

Tilers on horseback have been used at a Marietta, Ohio, quarry site, each in turn shouting from the rim of the quarry to report.

One Grand Lodge committee, in studying the propriety of open air meetings, found that there had been such meetings held which did not appear to have been carefully and adequately tiled, but conceded that much of the same laxity occurred in meetings held inside buildings.

Other preparations for these events vary greatly from place to place. The choice of site should be the most important consideration.  Probably the site should suggest the activity, rather than the reverse. The setting is important to create a proper atmosphere of dignity compatible with that of the Masonic institution.  Thought should be given to accessibility, natural beauty, adaptability to Masonic usage, and the comfort of the audience. For instance, a quarry may be excessively dusty and, if the affair is held in midday with the sun bearing down, the heat may become unbearable.

In some locations more or less permanent outdoor lodge rooms are established and maintained from year to year. Lodge furniture is constructed from natural materials found on the location. At Marietta, the furniture was made from rough cut tree trunks or limbs, lashed together. Stone altars have been constructed at some quarry and mountain sites. At other sites, this may not be possible and lodge furniture is hauled in for the occasion.

A recent British Masonic magazine featured on its front cover a photo of the Master of a Texas lodge in ten gallon hat and short sleeved sport shirt, seated in a folding chair at a pedestal for an outdoor meeting. With two microphones at his station, two more folding chairs close by and a car in the background, nothing else was visible except miles and miles of Texas plains.

A lodge at Ely, Montana, dedicated an open air lodge room on Mount Lebanon. Here the forest service had built a road to within one hundred yards of a lodge room, which was described as being very unique, atop a beautiful mountain, with a rock and concrete altar.

A rustic Middle Chamber, complete with pillars and winding stairs, was set up at a country site in Indiana in the 1930’s. Here, on a tree encircled hillside, one of the degrees often the second was conferred annually.

The location may even indicate the time of day for the meeting, if this has not already been set by local practice. An Indiana quarry lodge was held at five a.m. on July 4. Certainly, early morning before the heat of the July day hit the quarry would be ideal. Evening hours, with closing before lights become necessary, may be more desirable at some locations. If access to the site takes considerable time, a midday hour may be necessary.

Two features of these meetings which are commonly observed; food and degree teams.  While some meetings are preceded by a meal at the lodge hall or a restaurant, more often a picnic in some variation is provided. Degree teams are often imported from another area to provide additional interest.

Once established, these meetings tend to become annual affairs, some continuing for many years. The Marietta quarry meeting is being revived in 1981 after thirteen years of inactivity.

Lodge leaders, constantly seeking ways to interest the membership and to find some way to get more attendance at meetings, are becoming more interested in any such novel and different activity as this. Success in one open air meeting invites attempts at copying elsewhere.  However, those who have succeeded are quick to caution that a successful outdoor meeting does require much work and advance planning.  The printed program for the open air degree put on by Harmar Lodge Number 390 at Marietta lists a general chairman and fifteen committees. They caution that the ambition and desire of those in charge is a must. Without enthusiastic and dedicated leadership, there is no guarantee of success, even though the idea may be fresh and untried in your area.

Hando Nahkur Plays Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto

The Further Exploits Of Brother Hando Nahkur

Hando Nahkur Plays Rachmaninoff, Piano ConcertoConcert pianist, Brother Hando Nahkur recently won First Prize in the “2012 Algur H. Meadows” International Concerto Competition in Dallas. This was quite an honor and gave him an opportunity to perform as a soloist F.Liszt‘s “Totentanz” with the SMU Meadows Symphony Orchestra and Maestro Paul Phillips in two big Symphony Concerts “Stars of Tomorrow.”

Nahkur holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Gabriel Chodos; a Certificate in Performance and Master of Music degree from Yale University School of Music, where he studied with Boris Berman; and an Artist diploma from Texan Christian University School of Music, where he studied with Tams Ungar. Currently Nahkur is continuing his studies with Joaquin Achucarro at Southern Methodist University Meadows School of the Arts.

On March 2, 2012 Nahkur performed Liszt’s Totentanz, a powerful piece, with the full SMU Meadows Symphony Orchestra at the Caruth Auditorium on campus. Completed in 1849, with revisions in 1853 and 1859, the final version of Totentanz (Dance of Death) was first performed at the Hague in the Netherlands on April 15, 1865, by Liszt’s student Hans von Bulow.

Brothers Hando Nahkur & Fred Milliken

Brothers Hando Nahkur & Fred Milliken

Nahkur, fast becoming an international star, held the honor of performing last as the featured soloist where he promptly brought down the house. His interpretation of Totentanz was breath taking earning him three standing ovations at its conclusion and two curtain calls.

You can see much of the life and accomplishments of Nahkur as well as some excellent videos on his website http://www.handonahkur.com

Freemason, accomplished artist, friend, it is a privilege and honor to know such a great man.

Brothers Hando Nahkur & Fred Milliken after his performance on March 2, 2012 at Caruth Auditorium on the SMU Campus.

Some Interesting Masonic Trivia

Taken mostly from “The Truth is Stranger than Fiction”
By Bro. Alphonse Cerza,
Masonic Service Association,
1934.

register, masonic paper, freemason history
Masonic Register from 1876

At one time, Golden Lodge #5, Stanstead, Canada occupied a lodge room, which straddled the boundary between Canada and the United States.  There were entrances on both sides of the border.

Washington Chapter #3 of Portsmouth, NH announced its meetings via the town crier, who received from 6 to 25 cents for his work.

In 1872 the Commissioner of Patents held that the Masonic emblem could not be used in a trademark or trade name for commercial purposes.

In Hammer v. State, 173 Indiana, 199 (1909), the Supreme Court ruled that it was a criminal offense to wear the emblem of any society or organization of which one is not a member. The court based its decision on the fact that the membership in such societies is the result of fitness and selection and that the wearing of such emblems by non-members is a deceit and false pretense.

In Robinson v. Yates City Lodge, 86 Illinois, 598 (1877), a court ruled that an expelled Mason was not entitled to the return of his degree fees. The court held that the plaintiff voluntarily paid the fees and the expulsion under the provisions of the rules of the organization does not constitute the rescission of a contract under which the fees were paid.

Frederick A Bartholdi, a freemason, designed the statue of Liberty which stands in NY harbor.  The Grand Lodge of NY laid the corner stone on August
5, 1885.

Bernard Pierre Mangam, Marshall of France and Senator was appointed Grand Master of the Grand Orient of France and served from 1862 to 1865. This is unusual because he was not a Mason. He was appointed by Emperor Napoleon III.

The letters of the English word GOD are the first three letters of Hebrew words for beauty, strength, and wisdom. G in Gomez, O in Oz, D in Dabar.

In 1860 in Limerick, Ireland, there as found a stone in a small chapel, dated 1517, with the following inscription: “I will serve to live with love & care, upon the level, and by the square.”

Francis Stephens, the Duke of Lorraine, received the first two Masonic degrees in 1731 in a special lodge convened at The Hague, Holland, becoming the first known royal freemason. Later he received the third degree in England. In 1735 renounced his title.

Dr. Joseph Ignace Guillotine was a member of Concorde Fraternelle Lodge of Paris and a member of the French Assembly. He obviously invented the device that bears his name and was later executed with one.

The Rev. William Dodd, first Chaplain of the Grand Lodge of England, was hanged for forgery on June 2nd, 1777.

In 1839 the Mormons left Missouri and settled in the area of Nauvoo, IL. On October 15, 1841, the IL Grand Master issued a dispensation to form a lodge at Nauvoo. On March 15th, 1842, Joseph Smith received his first degree and the others shortly after. Certain irregularities were reported – in five months the lodge initiated 256 candidates and 243 were raised. After investigation, the Grand Master revoked the dispensation, but the lodge continued to work. On April 5, 1844, the Mormon masons dedicated a Masonic Temple. IL Masons got in trouble for taking part in the ceremony. Opposition to the group and internal dissension led to the assassination of Joseph Smith and the removal of the Mormons from IL.

Operative Lodge #150 in Aberdeen, Scotland is unusual in that it is only open to operative stonemasons.

Dr. Edward Jenner, in 1789 discovered the vaccination process against smallpox. He was worshipful master of Faith and Friendship Lodge #270 in Berkeley, England at the time.

In July 1863, Confederate raiders rode into Versailles, IN, capturing the local militia and stealing the county treasury. The next day, General John Morgan (CSA), learned that his men had also made off with the jewels of the local lodge. They were returned the following day.  Morgan was from Daviess Lodge #22, Lexington, KY.

Wheelock Commandery No. 5 in Texas had all 55 of its members killed serving in the Confederate Army. The Commandery ceased to exist.

Missouri’s first Confederate Capitol was the Masonic Building in Neosho, MS. From here the legislature passed the Act of Secession.

USA General Thomas Benton, also Grand Master of Iowa, ordered Federal troops to protect Albert Pike’s home and prevent the library from being burned, when his troops took Little Rock, AR.

July 2, 1751, Ferdinand VI of Spain issued an edict against Freemasonry. Father Jose Torrubia secured a special dispensation from the Pope, joined a lodge, secured the names of its members, and proceeded to have them arrested. Hundreds were arrested, persecuted, and imprisoned.

When Mussolini gained control of Italy, Masonic lodges were declared illegal and the Grand Master was arrested, tried, and imprisoned, where he died.

Mussolini also ordered all Masonic references removed, including the emblems on the base of Garibaldi’s monument in Rome.

After the restoration of the republic, fascist emblems were removed and the Masonic emblems restored.

In Fascist Spain under Franco, it was a crime to be a freemason. Masons convicted had to serve prison terms equal in years to the number of Masonic degrees possessed. Master Mason – 3 years.

Winnedumah Lodge #287 of Bishop, CA holds its meetings at 270 feet below sea level, the lowest lodge in North America.

In 1954 Martin’s Station Lodge No. 188 of VA was opened 952 feet below the surface of Cumberland Mountain in Cudjo’s Cave, which lies between Cumberland Gap, Tenn. and Middleburo, KY. 345 Masons were present and a MM degree was conferred.

Chicago, IL has three American Legion Posts whose memberships are entirely Masonic.

All four Presidents of the Republic of Texas, David Burnett, Sam Houston, Mirabeau Lamar, and Anson Jones, were Masons.

Between 1737 and 1779 two sailing ships of interest operated off the U.S. eastern seaboard, Freemason and Master Mason.

The Freemason caught fire and sank in Marblehead Harbor, Mass in 1779.

On November 10, 1928, the Grand Lodge of California held a special communication at Culver City, to lay the corner stone of the Masonic temple. The lodge room was so crowded that the Grand Lodge officers were unable to enter. They retired to the Ladies’ powder room to open the grand lodge for the ceremony.

In 1801, Czar Alexander I of Russia banned the craft. In 1803 he rescinded the order and became a Freemason. But in 1822 he again ordered Freemasonry banned in Russia.

In May, 1843, a group of representatives from fourteen Grand Lodges met in Baltimore, MD, with the view of adopting uniform Masonic rituals. The meeting was presided over by John Dove of VA; Charles W. Moore of Mass. prepared the proposed ritual. The convention’s work was not generally accepted.

In 1799, Barton Lodge in Upper Canada accepted “good merchantable wheat” in payment of lodge dues.

Lodge St. George in Bermuda has rented an old state house since 1816 from the Governor for the sum of “one peppercorn per year.”

Abraham Jones served as Grand Master of Kentucky 1833-34 and Grand Master of Illinois, 1840-41.

Dr. Carlos Rodriguez-Jimenez was grand master of the grand lodge of Venezuela in 1947.

In 1957 he became the grand master of the Grand Lodge of Japan.

In 1892, the tallest building in the world was the Masonic Temple at Randolph and State Streets, Chicago, IL.

Brother William Brockmeier (1866-1947) of St. Louis conducted 5586 Masonic funeral services.

Thomas Jacob Shryock served as Grand Master of Masons in Maryland for 32 years. He died after being elected to serve his 33rd Term.

The largest Master’s chair is in Ophir Lodge #33 Murphys, CA. It is 15 feet long and can seat the Master, living Past Masters, and visiting dignitaries.

On June 7, 1921, Mystic Lodge #21 of Red Bank, NJ had conferred half of the MM degree on brother Lyman C. Van when the power went out. He didn’t receive the rest of the degree for several weeks, making him for a time, a “two and half degree” mason.

When the great Obelisk of Alexandria (Cleopatra’s Needle) was moved to New York in 1880, there were discovered certain emblems on the original foundation and pedestal. One is clearly a square, causing some to conclude that Masonry existed in ancient Egypt. This issue is still open to debate.

The two structures in the U.S that have elevators which move sideways, in addition to up and down are the Arch in St. Louis and the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria.

The Grand Master of Mass. commanded rebels at Bunker Hill while the Grand Master of England commanded English forces. The G.M of Mass. was killed.

On August 23, 1879, Lodge #239 of France held a meeting in a balloon flying over Paris, at which time a candidate was initiated.

On his famous solo flight across the Atlantic, Charles Lindbergh wore a square and compasses on his jacket as a good luck piece. He was a mason.

Richard E. Byrd and his pilot Bernt Balchen, both brothers, dropped Masonic flags over the north and south poles. Brother Balchen also tossed his Shrine Fez on the South Pole.

Gordon Cooper, in his Mercury capsule, carried a Masonic coin and a blue Masonic flag on his 22 orbit flight, which he later presented to his mother lodge.

Montana’s first livestock brand was the Square and Compasses and is still in use. It was registered by Poindexter & Orr of Beaverhead County, MT in 1873.

Andrew McNair, a Philadelphia Mason, rang the Liberty bell in Independence Hall of July 8, 1776 to call the people together to hear the reading of the Declaration of Independence. The bell developed a crack when it was rung for the death of Chief Justice Marshall, Past Grand Master of Virginia.

Grand Masters generally have the power to make “masons at sight,” which means the Master can do away with the formalities such as filing of petitions, waiting periods, etc. Some famous Masons who were made include: William H. Taft, General George Marshall, and General Douglas MacArthur.

In the 1800’s several grand lodges established Masonic colleges.  The most successful of which was in Hannibal, MS in 1847. Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Georgia all tried it but all were eventually closed due to lack of support.

In the spring of 1966, brother Dallas Coleman of Denison Lodge #373 of Kansas was digging a pond when he came across an overturned gravestone marked with the Square and Compasses. Research lead to a determination that it belonged to Brother Henry Craig (1832-1862) of Valley Falls Lodge #21. The brethren of the lodge reset and cleaned the monument and erected a fence around it to keep livestock away and continue to maintain it.

Lyndon Johnson took the first degree of Masonry on October 30, 1937 but never progressed any further.

Sam Rayburn, Speaker of the House took his first degree on August 7, 1922. He died in 1961 without receiving the second.

Warren G. Harding was initiated on June 28, 1901 and it took him 19 years to complete the other two.

Lodges in Mass. have no numbers.

In Penn. there are 11 lodges that have numbers but no names.

In Georgia there are two lodges with the number 1.

In Maryland, Tennessee and Penn. there is no lodge with the number 1

Masonic Place Names in the US: Anchor, IL,  Beehive, MT,  Boaz, AL,  Charity, MS,  Circle, MT,  Cowan, TN,  Emblem, WY,  Eureka, WV,  Faith, SD,  False Pass, AK,  Fidelity, IL,  Five Points, AL,  Freeborn, MN,  Grand Pass, MS,  Hiram, MA,  Hope, AK,  Jachin, AL,  Justice, IL,  Lodge, SC,  Mason, KY,  Masonic Home, KY,  Masontown, WV,  Square, MT,  Steward, IL,  Symbol, KY Temperance, MI,  Tyler, TX.

Hiram Abiff Boaz, born Dec. 18 1866 in Murray, KY. Received his degrees in 1922 before an unusually large crowd and served as Grand Chaplin (TX) in 1953.

Joseph A. Gilmore (1811-1867), former governor of N.H. was made a Mason at sight on April 28, 1863. He received Scottish Rite degrees and was awarded 33rd degree on May 7, 1863 – only 9 days later.

Between 1890 (when it became a state) and 1951, every Governor of Wyoming, except one, was a Mason. The one, Mrs. William A. Ross, was the wife of a mason and a member of Eastern Star.

Every President from Tenn. was a Mason (Jackson, Johnson, Polk)

President FDR raised two of his sons on the same night, Nov 7, 1935 – Architect Lodge #519 in NY.

In 1951, while President, Harry Truman served as Master of his lodge.

Sacramento Chapter #3, Royal Arch Masons has supplied 4 governors of CA. (J. Neeley Johnson, Lantham, Pacheo, Hiram Johnson)

William Hesketh Lever Lodge #2916, England was the only lodge named for a non-mason, the first Viscount of Leverhulme (the soap manufacturer) who was first initiated there and later formed Leverhulme Lodge #4438.

Paul Revere was a Mason, as was his cohort, Robert Newman, who hung the lantern in the Old North Church.

Angelo Soliman, was born in Africa in 1721 and brought to Europe as a slave at the age of ten. He was educated, married, and became a favorite in the royal court in Vienna. Somewhere before 1771 he became a mason. When he died 1776, the Emperor had his body stuffed and mounted in the Natural History Museum, becoming not only the first black of African birth to become a mason, but the also the first mason to be stuffed, mounted, and displayed.

John Aasen of Highland Park Lodge No. 382 in Los Angeles, CA was the largest known MM ever raised. At the time he was 8.5 feet tall and weighed 536 pounds.

Charles Stratton, a.k.a. Tom Thumb, was 24 inches high and weighed 16 pounds when raised in 1862.

Theodore Parvin was Grand Secretary for Iowa from 1844 to 1901, except for 1852- 53 when he was Grand Master.

When asked of Masonry, President William McKinley explained:  “After the battle of Opequam, I went with the surgeon of our Ohio regiment to the field where 5,000 confederate prisoners were under guard.  As soon as we passed the guard, the doctor shook hands with a number of prisoners and began passing out his roll of bills. On the way back to camp I asked him, ‘Did you know those men?’ ‘No’ ‘But you gave them a lot of money, do you expect to get it back?’ ‘If they are able to pay me back, they will. It makes no difference to me; they are brother masons in trouble and I am only doing my duty.’ I said to myself, ‘If that is Masonry, I will take some of it myself.'”

– Sent to Beehive from Carl’s List