By: Dean Shalhoup

Have you ever been downtown, maybe waiting for a walk signal or stopped at a red light, and found yourself gazing up at that giant, handsome stone building at Main and East Pearl streets in Nashua and wondering what, beside the Villa Banca, is actually in there?

You wouldn’t be alone. The lettering “Masonic Temple” above the main doors isn’t a lot of help, because most of us would ask, “Who goes to this place, and why? Do people go there to worship? To conduct business? For social gatherings? To make friends?”

The simple answer is “Yes, bits and pieces of all of the above,” for inside the stately edifice is Nashua’s home of Freemasonry, or simply Masonry, probably the world’s oldest fraternal organization and perhaps the least understood.

The men who belong are Masons, a cohesive fraternity of individuals who pride themselves on strength of character, personal and family values, loyal friendships, and the importance of charitable and philanthropic endeavors.

There’s tons to know about Masonry, and thanks to a fairly new endeavor begun by state grand master C. Wayne Libby, the ideal opportunity will come up next Saturday, when the Nashua lodge and many others throughout the state will throw open their doors to the public.

Contrary to generally held beliefs, Masons love talking about their organization, and are eager to answer people’s questions and to explain Freemasonry’s fascinating origins and rich history.

Hence, Libby said, the semiannual open houses, which are preceded by radio and other advertisements urging anyone and everyone to stop by their local lodge and gain a better understanding of what goes on inside these typically historic, solemn halls of brotherhood.

For instance, while the cornerstone for the building we see today was set in 1889, local Freemasonry was born in 1822, when the region was still part of Old Dunstable. Chartered by local pillars John Lund, Israel Hunt Jr. and Moody D. Lovewell, it was christened Rising Sun Lodge No. 39. Ephraim Blanchard was named its first Worshipful Master, or president.

The first lodge meetings were held in the home of John Hunt, which was off Main Street near Salmon Brook. The city’s first post office was also located there.

Until the new lodge was built, meetings rotated to such places as The Nashua Literary Institution on Park Street and the Nutt Building.

In 1870, several Nashua and Milford Masons petitioned for a second Nashua-based lodge, and on July 4, 1871, Ancient York Lodge No. 89 held its first meeting in the Nutt Building.

Today, both lodges and several affiliates, including Pilgrim Chapter 55, Order of the Eastern Star (the Masons’ women’s organization), Nashua Assembly 9 of the International Order of Rainbow for Girls and the Indian Head Shrine Club are headquartered in the Masonic building.

Libby and several other lodge officers showed me around the place this week, and I must say, it’s quite impressive, from its massive gallery of past masters’ portraits to the spacious, cathedral-like meeting room, its walls bearing iconic symbols of Masonic history and with every piece of gorgeous, original wood trim polished shiny.

There’s the “armory,” where one would expect to find weapons. Within are original wood-and-glass lockers holding historic garb, including parade uniforms and formal attire.

“Nashua Freemasons want to tell their story,” said Chris Busby, a member of both lodges and, at 34, one of the youngest members. “We want Nashua to understand who we are.”

The open house “is a great opportunity to (show) people what we do,” he said.

Libby, a New Hampshire native and longtime Nashua resident who rose to state grand master from his leadership of Rising Sun Lodge, said the Masons are a charitable, philanthropic fraternity that’s sometimes mischaracterized as a religious, or secret, society that shuns outsiders.

“We’re everybody,” he said. “We’re a microcosm of society. We’re a self-governed, disciplined organization that’s based on respect, very strong principles and freedom.”

While Masons require members to have a “belief system,” or a belief in a higher power or being, there are no restrictions on what or who that being is.

As a matter of fact, Libby said, religion is one of two subjects that members are forbidden to discuss at meetings. The other is politics.

Keeping those volatile topics off the table has proved immensely effective over time, he said.

Joe Beaumont, master of the Ancient York Lodge, said his time in military service led to his desire to join the lodge.

“I missed the camaraderie of the military,” Beaumont said. “Being a Mason is a lot like the brotherhood you experience in the military.”

Libby, meanwhile, said he got the idea for the open houses from a similar initiative in Massachusetts. Like almost all fraternal, social, and civic clubs and organizations in the last decade or so, the Masons have seen few new members.

“The average age used to be 77-plus,” Libby said, but recent awareness campaigns have drawn new members that dropped it to 65 or so. In New Hampshire, the minimum joining age is 18.

There are currently around 250 members in Rising Sun Lodge and 105 in Ancient York lodge. Statewide, there are about 7,250 members in 68 lodges.

And there’s plenty of room for more.

“What we’re saying to people is, ‘Come in and talk to us, ask us questions,’” Libby said. “Come see who we are.”

KITCHENER — Raymond Daniels has never drunk blood from a skull, sacrificed a virgin or ridden a goat inside his lodge. Or so he says.

As the top-ranking Freemason in Ontario, the retired Kitchener high school teacher has heard just about every far-fetched accusation you can imagine: that Freemasons, one of the world’s largest “secret societies,” are devil worshippers, a Jewish front for world domination, and evil plotters who arranged the assassination of JFK.

Yes, there are people who genuinely believe those things. Which means Daniels, the first grand master for Ontario’s 50,000 Freemasons to hail from Kitchener, spends a lot of his time dispelling the myths and conspiracy theories that have dogged his organization for centuries.

Though Freemasons first built lodges in Galt and Kitchener some 150 years ago, the society still remains an obscure organization for many non-members today. Daniels is trying to change that with a new openness for a group that was once very closed to outsiders.

“Conspiracy theories sell more books than the truth,” Daniels said during a recent sit-down interview. “There are people who delight in calling us a cult … but I’ve never attended a lodge ceremony where we sacrifice virgins or kill babies. I’m still waiting for that.”

The truth about Freemasons may be far less exciting. What if they’re just a bunch of guys who are into brotherhood, non-satanic rituals, self-improvement, and charity work?

In its heyday in the 1960s, there were some 120,000 Freemasons in Ontario. Then, the Masons went into a long, slow decline where “no one joined anything,” Daniels said. Today, there remain about 1,000 members in Waterloo Region.

Daniels thinks things may finally be changing for the better. His organization inducted about 1,350 new members last year, most of them “disillusioned young men” who are “looking for something more” in their lives, he said. And they just christened a new Masonic lodge in Afghanistan, a sign that Freemasonry is growing in popularity among Canadian troops, he said.

Though Freemasons went “underground” in the early part of the last century, Daniels said, it’s hardly a secret society anymore.

“We’re in the phone book. I wear a ring. I have a decal on my car. We have quite an extensive web page. We publish a magazine that anyone can see. Now, if that’s being secretive, we’re not very good at it,” he said.

But that hasn’t stopped detractors, including religious fundamentalists, from accusing Freemasons of everything from conspiring with aliens to holding wild orgies and occult rituals to secretly running the world — or trying to destroy it.

Part of the conspiracy theories may be blamed on the number of important men in history who have been Freemasons. George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Sir John A Macdonald were all members. So was John Diefenbaker, and about a dozen premiers of Ontario. And so was Horatio Herbert Kitchener, the British war hero this city is named after.

Even in the age of the internet, Freemasonry still retains enough mystique to invite uninformed speculation. Lodges keep their doors closed to non-members, except for rare open houses, and windows are generally made of concrete, not glass. The organization places great importance on Egyptian symbols, secret passwords and hidden meanings. But even the secret Masonic handshake, once a way for Masons to identify themselves around the world, can be found in a quick Google search.

Daniels, as grand master, carries his ceremonial clothes in a plain black briefcase. Inside, there’s a gold collar with entwined serpents and the North Star, attached to the Masonic symbol of a compass and ruler. There’s the “all-seeing” eye — yes, the same one you can find on the U.S. dollar bill — and an ornate lambskin apron decorated with lotuses, suns and pomegranate.

Though few Freemasons actually work in stone anymore, the stonemason imagery at the centre of their organization still has meaning — the idea that like stone, the lessons of Freemasonry outlasts all else.

“As builders of character, we’re trying to build lasting character in our members,” said Daniels, who was elected to a two-year term in 2009.

He says Freemasonry has given him a good life. He joined his father’s Orillia lodge in 1959 and remained active during the 23 years he taught music and history at Eastwood Collegiate in Kitchener. In 1993, he became a worshipful master, or a Masonic teacher, and worked his way up the organization’s ranks.

“The men I have been associated with have changed my entire outlook and my entire being for the better,” he said. “I’m so grateful for the things they’ve given me.”

It’s not all about self-improvement, though. Ontario’s Freemasons do charity work, too. In 2005, they raised $2 million for hearing research at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Every year, lodges across the province give away thousands in bursaries and scholarships, and money to a wide range of local charities, from summer camps to the Children’s Wish Foundation.

You don’t need a connection to join, and any man over 21 can apply for membership. Because Freemasons put such importance on being law-abiding citizens, applicants will need to go through a background check and a criminal record check.

Applicants who pass that process will be visited by three Freemasons, who will try to gauge their character through a series of interviews. They may speak to family, too. Lodge members then take a vote on the applicant’s admission, and undergo an initiation rite that is imbued with symbolism.

“It’s almost like getting a job at Wal-Mart,” Daniels said.

Not everyone makes the cut. And about once or twice a year, a Freemason in Ontario is kicked out of the organization for bad behaviour, a delicate procedure that Daniels oversees.

Local Masons include Christians, Jews and Muslims, and the whole spectrum of trades and professions, he said. The only religious questions applicants are asked is: “Do you believe in a greater power than yourself?”

The draw, Daniels said, is the character-building lessons and mentorship offered by an organization that has been around for more than 300 years. Masons call each other brother — and live by a code of fraternity and equality that overrides everything else, Daniels said. That appeals to many men, he said.

“Where else does a young man look today for role models, stability and trustworthiness?” he said. “The old trustworthiness of another man, that’s something we cherish.”

With an emphasis on gentlemanly behaviour and being a good citizen, Freemasons offer members strict moral principles in a morally deprived society, Daniels said. And if that makes Freemasons old-fashioned, so be it, he said.

“You’re darn right we’re out of step with modern society,” he said.

Links of Interest:

• Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario
• More Posts about Canadian Freemasonry

A historic bronze sculpture created by legendary local artist Frederick Carder has recently been loaned to the Corning Museum of Glass.

The bronze facial bust of Frank B. Hower, the major donor of funds for the Masonic Cathedral on Walnut Street, was created by Carder in 1931.

The bust was recently purchased from the Masonic Cathedral by Marshall Ketchum, a member of the Carder Steuben Club, who recently loaned the piece to the Frederick Carder Gallery at the museum.

“I just think it belongs in Corning,” Ketchum, an Arizona native who owns a summer house on Cayuga Lake, said recently. “I purchased it from the Masonic Cathedral and have agreed to a long-term loan with the Corning Museum of Glass. Eventually, I plan to donate it.”

Contents of the Masonic Cathedral were sold during an auction in 2008, when the cathedral relocated to a smaller building on Reynolds Avenue.

“We loaned the bronze sculpture to the Corning Museum of Glass until a buyer could be found,” Frank Hamm, a trustee at the Masonic Lodge of Perfection, said Monday.

Several months after the 2008 auction, local Historian Tom Dimitroff contacted Ketchum about possibly purchasing the bronze bust.

“For months I was trying to find a home for the bronze bust, and luckily a fellow from Arizona, (Ketchum) recently bought the piece and is giving it to Corning Museum of Glass,” Dimitroff said. “I feel it’s a part of the history of Corning.”

Hamm agreed.
“It was in the lobby of the cathedral since the 1930s and we didn’t auction it off,” Hamm said. “We wanted to try to make sure it would stay here in Corning. Luckily that was accomplished.”

Jane Spillman, curator of American Glass at CMoG, said the bronze bust, recently placed in the back of the Carder Gallery, is a great addition.

“It’s really nice to have a bronze sculpture along with all of the glass work we have here at the Frederick Carder Gallery,” Spillman said. “Carder was a very versatile artist.”

The Carder Gallery features about 3,000 pieces the iconic artist created in his distinguished career in glassmaking, extending from 1880 to the 1950s.

The gallery displays early pieces, hundreds of the objects he designed when he managed Steuben Glass Works between 1903 and 1933, and some works he created later in his career.

Carder first moved to Corning from England in 1903 at the invitation of Thomas G. Hawkes, owner of Steuben Glass Works.

For the next 30 years, he had a free hand in designing the firm’s products and developing new colors and techniques.

In 1932, when Steuben’s new president decided to concentrate on colorless glass, Carder left Steuben to become design director of Corning Glass Works.

By: Lauren J. Hoffman

When the Masonic Fraternity is mentioned in conversation, the first thing that comes to mind might be a secret organization featured in the movie “National Treasure.” However, for Elizabethtown College students, Masonry hits slightly closer to home.

On June 25, 1910, the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania opened the doors to its new Masonic Village in Elizabethtown. Over the years, the Village has become not only a retirement community but also a health care center, a children’s home and a valuable asset to the community. Now, in 2010, the Masonic Village is celebrating its 100th anniversary.

“Our centennial is exciting because while much has changed on our campus … our mission to provide loving care and services to our residents and the community … has remained timeless,” Lindsay de Bien, public relations coordinator for the Masonic Village, said.

Some of the many exciting events taking place include a musical celebration culminating in fireworks June 25. A coffee-table-style book titled “Masonic Village: 100th Anniversary” will also be available, beginning June 25.

The Masonic Fraternity is often seen as mysterious, but they are simply an organization of men who have committed themselves to the values of brotherly love, charity and truth.

The Masons chose the location of Elizabethtown for many reasons, such as the availability of land, the large fresh water supply, the fertile soil, the closeness of the railroad station, and the proximity to Harrisburg and York. All of these factors contributed to the Village’s current status as a staple of the community.

Because of the closeness of the Village to campus, Etown students have had the privilege of volunteering and interacting with members of the Masonic Village for years. This is only possible because of the Masonic Village’s shared value of the importance of service.

“I think the attitudes of the people working at Masonic Village definitely reflect Etown’s motto to ‘Educate for Service.’ Everyone there is so willing to help everyone out and answer all the questions that I throw at them,” said Lauren Ott, a junior occupational therapy major completing her field work at the Village.

Not only occupational therapy majors can interact with the Village. Anyone with a heart to volunteer can do so through the Center for Global Citizenship. It is just one of the many ways Elizabethtown students can fulfill the College’s motto.

“We have been given such great opportunities here at Etown, and, honestly, I don’t see the point to education, talents or wealth if we don’t use those things to make our world a better place,” Ott said.

The 100th anniversary of the Masonic Village is another reason to celebrate not only the rich history of the Village, but also the value of service in the community.

“With a farmer’s market, wellness center, a pool which community members may join, rehab services, various employment and volunteer opportunities, tutoring by residents, use of campus amenities by numerous not-for-profits, the Conoy Creek restoration project, and beautiful walking paths, the Masonic Village has something to offer everyone,” de Bien said.

Where does the Village’s commitment to service come from? The Mason community sticks to four main values: quality of life, respect for the individual, quality of service and outreach.

“My father and brother are Masons, and their main goal is to protect the values of the American family. Community service is just one of the many ways they do that,” first-year Courtney Comstock said.

It is hard to imagine such an extensive organization, dating back hundreds of years, that cares so much about the people around them. Yet, the Village is the 10th-largest nonprofit senior living community and service organization in the United States.

“Our community members are our neighbors. We share common needs and interests,” de Bien said.
Perhaps Etown has become so devoted to service by being so close in proximity to this humble organization.

“Service in the community, whether it is local, domestic or abroad, helps to make our world a better place to live and brings us closer to our neighbors,” Nancy Valkenburg, director of civic engagement at Etown said. “Elizabethtown College has a commitment to service. We have that in common with the Masonic Village. ‘Educate for Service’ is a motto worth living!”

Join in the celebration this year through living by not only Elizabethtown College’s motto, but also by the values of the Masonic Village. Get out and help your neighbors, your community and your world!

Freemasonry and fraternity

No, the Masonic Village residents have not been secretly hosting frat parties for the past 100 years, nor do they belong to that kind of fraternity. The Freemasons comprise the oldest and largest brotherhood organization in the world, founded on the ideals of love, charity and truth, sometime in the Middle Ages. As purported on the Masonic Village Web site, Freemasonry aims “to make good men better.”

But don’t worry, ladies; Freemasonry isn’t just a boys’ club. In the 1800s, the Masonic Organization created the Order of the Eastern Star (established 1855), the Order of the Amaranth (1873) and the White Shrine Jerusalem (1894) as women-oriented affiliations of the Freemason brotherhood. The Masonic Organization also supports many youth organizations, including the Order of DeMolay, the International Order of Rainbow for Girls and the International Order of Job’s Daughters. These groups focus on character development, community service and leadership.

Where do I sign up?

In Pennsylvania, Freemason hopefuls have to be recommended for membership through a Masonic friend — and, of course, must be of the male persuasion (sorry, ladies!). Once a dedicated dude receives said recommendation, he must then submit his age, occupation and place of residence via a signed petition. This petition is voted on anonymously by lodge members, and the ballot must be unanimous for acceptance into the Freemasons. Additional membership requirements include the following, according to the Masonic Village Web site:

Age of at least 18 years

Belief in the existence of a Supreme Being
Voluntary candidacy
Motivation to join for reasons unrelated to personal gain or profit
Favorable opinion of Freemasonry
Desire for knowledge and will to earn it
No prior petition for membership
Willingness to conform to the Ancient Usages and Customs of the Fraternity

Name that Mason

Here’s a handy list of famous Freemasons:
Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, U.S. astronaut
Irving Berlin, U.S. composer
Nat King Cole, U.S. pianist and singer
Bob Dole, U.S. politician
Duke Ellington, U.S. jazz musician
Henry Ford, U.S. founder of Ford Motor Co.
Benjamin Franklin, U.S. founding father
J. Edgar Hoover, first director of the FBI
Harry Houdini, Hungarian escape artist
Rudyard Kipling, U.K. author and poet
Charles Lindbergh, U.S. aviator
Harpo Marx, U.S. film comedian
Wolfgang A. Mozart, Austrian composer
Brad Paisley, U.S. country music artist
Arnold Palmer, U.S. professional golfer
Richard Pryor, U.S. comedian and actor
Ed Rendell, governor of Pennsylvania
The Ringling Brothers, U.S. circus promoters
Mark Twain, U.S. author
George Washington, first U.S. president
John Wayne, U.S. actor
Oscar Wilde, Irish playwright/novelist/poet

“This ritual is called … Crossing the Desert”

OK, OK — for all you “Simpsons” fans out there, the Freemasons aren’t actually synonymous with the Stonecutters. However, all Masonic meetings are grounded in ritual. Though each Jurisdiction (regional body of Masonry) may choose its own meeting format, all Jurisdictions utilize medieval stonemason tools symbolically to teach lessons of morality and ethics. Most common among these tools are the square and the compass.

Additionally, a candidate must progress through different degrees (steps) of initiation before he is deemed a member of the Masonry. In some Jurisdictions, a man is considered a Mason after concluding the Initiatory Degree, while other Jurisdictions also require him to complete the Fellowcraft and Master Mason Degrees. Don’t confuse the process with LAIRE from “Role Models;” this is serious business.

However, the secret society rumors do have some justification; Freemasons often use special signs (gestures), grips (handshakes) and passwords to recognize each other and to gain admission to meetings.

Website:

Masonic Village Website

It took a Dan Brown novel to prompt them, but the Freemasons have finally come out of hiding and turned a spot light on their famously secret society.

Following a resurgence of interest in the society after Dan Brown’s novel The Symbol focused on the organisation, the Freemasons have produced a book about the society in Australia called, It’s No Secret – Real Men Do Wear Aprons by Peter Lazar.

It is the first to identify notable Australians as Freemasons, the first to include quotations from the ancient Masonic rituals still in use and the first to show Masonic “Tracing Boards”, which are at the heart of Masonic teaching.

Masons trace their origins back to the time of King Solomon and the stone masons who built his temple. Famous Australian Masons include Matthew Flinders, Robert Menzies and Don Bradman.

There are more than 200 lodges in NSW, including the Grand Lodge at the corner of Goulburn and Castlereagh Sts – home to an extensive museum collection open to the public on weekdays. Few are allowed into the inner chambers.

Almost every family has a connection with the Masons according to the society. Most have a dad, or an uncle, or a grandfather who went off to a lodge – without ever saying what happened there.

Masons believe in a higher power, but one that could derive from any number of faiths and Masonic altars contain a number of holy texts including the Bible, the Koran and the Torah.

History was made in Shady Cove on March 7 when members and guests of Cascade Masonic Lodge 208 celebrated the dedication of their newly purchased lodge. Freemasons from all over Oregon assembled to consecrate the building and to participate in an impressive ceremony of ancient tradition. The Grand Master of Oregon, Art Bush, wearing a top hat, led the ritual before turning the lodge over to Upper Rogue Master Bill Littlefield.

After prayers that not only dedicated the building but dedicated the member’s lives to God, an altar in the middle of the room was uncovered. Three candles on it were lit by the Oregon Grand Marshall, Tomey Greer. This was followed by scattering corn, an emblem of nourishment, into a silver chalice on the altar. Wine was then poured on top of the corn as an emblem of refreshment. Finally a vessel of oil was poured over the corn and wine symbolizing the pouring of oil over the troubled waters of strife.

Standing with their arms traditionally folded across their chests, the Masons reverently took part in the ceremony. After each addition on the altar, the Masons clapped “three times three” for a total of nine claps. And from time to time during the ritual, with military precision, Masons marched with a quiet dignity around the room.

After the first part of the ritual, three faded schoolbooks were placed on the altar to combat ignorance in the name of Freemasonry, the oldest fraternity in the world. The books signified a support of the public school system in this country. The Masons stand for protection and perpetuity of schools.

As well as supporting education as part of a true democracy, the Masons are intensely loyal to their country, said Bush. Using poetic terms, he described America’s flag of stars and stripes as sun kissed and wind tossed — a red, white and blue symbol of liberty.

At the end of the age-old ceremony, Bush tapped a metal plaque several times with a gavel, proclaiming the lodge to have been dedicated.

Before Bush handed the gavel to Littlefield, he offered a glimpse into local history. The Upper Rogue Masons began in June 1948 in Shady Cove. In the early sixties, they built a lodge on the north end of town at the corner of Highway 62 and Cleveland but financial difficulties caused the members to sell the building several years ago. The brethren, as they were called by Bush, were hit hard over losing the lodge.

Recently however, recovering financially, the Masons were able to buy the old Grange on Chaparral to own a lodge once again. Funds left over from the purchase will enable the Masons to continue support of schools, Little League Baseball, the Easter egg hunt and the Children’s Christmas party. Bush said, “I am tickled to death today to dedicate a new lodge. This will be the highlight of my year as Grand Master.”

The Masons teach that each person has a responsibility to make the world better and a lodge gives an opportunity to join with other like-minded people. Members of the Cascade Lodge would like to build the roster but traditionally anyone wishing to join the Masons must ask. Members are not allowed to recruit because part of the ritual is to ask those joining if it is of their own free will. For more information call Bill Littlefield at 541-878-2860.

To go to You Tube and watch this video – click here. (This will open a new window)