Facts about Freemasonry

Freemasonry is a fraternity, not a religion. As a fraternal association dedicated to making good men better, Freemasonry respects the religious beliefs of all its members. Freemasonry has no theology and does not teach any method of salvation. In particular it does not claim that good works gain or guarantee salvation.

Freemasons are united in their desire to be of service to mankind. While Freemasonry supports homes for members and their spouses, most Masonic services, including Shrine medical and burn center, are available to all citizens. 

Freemasonry is an open, not secretive, society.  Masonic meetings are announced publicly, Masonic buildings are marked clearly and are listed in phone directories, and Masons proudly wear jewelry identifying their membership. Freemasonry inherited a tradition of trade secrets from the cathedral-building guilds of medieval Europe.  The only "secrets" still belonging to modern Masonry are traditional passwords, signs of recognition, and dramatic presentations of moral lessons.

Freemasonry is open to all men of good character who believe in God.  Freemasonry does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, or social class.

The Masonic family of organizations is open to all.  Freemasonry admits only men, but many Masonic-related organizations, such as the Eastern Star, Amaranth, Job's Daughters, Rainbow for Girls and DeMolay for boys, offer ample opportunities for women and youth.

Freemasonry does not require improper oaths.  The solemn promises taken in Freemasonry are no different than the oaths taken in court or on entering the armed services. The much discussed "penalties," judicial remnants from an earlier age, are symbolic, not literal. They refer only to the pain any honest man should feel at the thought of violating his word.

Freemasonry teaches individual improvement through study. Freemasonry encourages study, including literature by the great writers of ancient times. Freemasonry does not sanction the views of these authors but offers them for each individual's reflection and evaluation.

Freemasonry teaches in steps.  Masons learn through a series of lessons.  These "degrees" of insight move from basic to more complex concepts. This no more hides the nature of Freemasonry from novice members than does having a student understand fractions before calculus.

Masonry is practiced worldwide. There are approximately 2.5 million Masons in the United States and nearly 6 million throughout the world.

Freemasonry has not a single spokesman.  Freemasonry is made up of many individuals in numerous organizations, all subordinate to the Grand Lodge within their jurisdiction (i.e. state). None of these members or organizations can speak for Freemasonry; that is the responsibility of each Grand Lodge within its jurisdiction. No Masonic body nor author, however respected, can usurp the authority of a Grand Lodge.

Many of the world's most respected men-including business, military, intellectual, political and religious leaders-have been or are Masons.

( Information provide by the Masonic Information Center Silver Spring Md )

Masonic Trivia

Excerpts from "The Truth is Stranger than Fiction,"  

By Bro.Alphonse Cerza, Masonic Service Association, 1934.

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 square and compasses. Research lead to 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 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 Places 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, KENtucky masonic Home, KY Mason town, 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 usually large crowd and served as Grand Chaplain (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 Leverhulm (the soap manufacturer).

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 Master Mason 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 my self, 'If that is Masonry, I will take some of it myself.'"

Excerpts taken mostly from "The Truth is Stranger than Fiction,"