LAST CHANCE FOR TICKETS! A Night At Indianapolis' Masonic Library & Museum

This Saturday, March 7th, spend A Night at the Masonic Museum — and tickets MUST be purchased by 5:00 PM TOMORROW (Wednesday)! Don't miss your last shot at this unforgettable evening!

Peer behind the closed doors of the Masons and peek behind the scenes of the Masonic Library & Museum of Indiana after hours in the historic 1909 Indianapolis Masonic Temple for mystery, history, and pure fun:

• Hosted by Grand Master Randy Seipel — this is your LAST CHANCE to spend an evening with the Grand Master himself! 
• Cocktail hour with drinks
• Delicious prime rib dinner (chicken/pasta options too)
• Guided tours, scavenger hunt, and access to incredible rooms like the Egyptian Room & Knights Templar Room 

 A special program presented by Christopher Hodapp, best-selling author of Freemasons For Dummies and president of the Masonic Library & Museum of Indiana

 

The SILENT AUCTION is chock full of incredible items you won't find anywhere else:

• 7 nights in a Tuscan villa
• 4 nights in an Irish castle
• Luxury stays in the Mayan Riviera & a private Great Smoky Mountains lodge
• A private tour of the Scottish Rite Cathedral + dinner with Grand Master Randy Seipel and his wife
• Rare Masonic treasures (aprons, rings, Templar swords, artisan pipes)
• Indianapolis 500 memorabilia signed by winners/drivers
• Autographed items from Brother Shaquille O’Neal & Brother Carl Erskine
• Vintage Disney watches, National Treasure shooting scripts, rare books (including Vatican Secret Archives), Old Masters and Robert Burns Scotch whisky, and much more!

 100% of auction proceeds support the Museum and restoring and preserving this National Register landmark. Credit cards and checks accepted so don't go home empty handed!

THIS IS IT! — the clock is ticking! Grab your tickets NOW before they're gone forever:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-night-at-the-masonic-museum-tickets-1981830481319

See you Saturday for an evening of history, mystery, great food, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences!

Speaking at Greenville, Ohio Tomorrow Night

by Christopher Hodapp

I'll be speaking at Greenville Lodge 143 in Greenville, Ohio tomorrow night, Friday, February 27th. Dinner begins at 6PM and is $15. This close to the event, you should probably contact the lodge to be sure there's space available. Call 937-621-9320.

Greenville is about 35 miles northwest of Dayton on U.S. 36 and just east of the Indiana border. The lodge is located at 200 Memorial Drive in Greenville.

I'm looking forward to being there!

Breaking: GL of Mississippi Rejects Prince Hall Recognition

By Christopher Hodapp

Reports on Facebook tonight are that the assembled members of the Grand Lodge F&AM of Mississippi have voted against recognition of the Most Worshipful Stringer Grand Lodge F&AAM of Mississippi (Prince Hall Affiliated) at their annual communication in Flowood, MS.

The vote was 200 in favor, 617 against.

It's taken seven long years to get to this vote since the first contact between the two historically segregated grand lodges in 2019, and it has now failed by a substantial majority. The irony of the motto on their official seal is almost breathtaking.

The so-called "mainstream" state grand lodges of Mississippi and South Carolina are the last two remaining U.S. Masonic jurisdictions that have not voted in favor of some kind of Prince Hall recognition since Connecticut first achieved joint amity 36 years ago, in 1989.

Masonic Gavel Used By George Washington For Capitol Cornerstone At Tonight's State of the Union Address

Allyn Cox 1955 mural at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial

by Christopher Hodapp

President Donald Trump's State of the Union message is taking place tonight, and there will be an important Masonic artifact there for this special occasion. 

The famous gavel used by George Washington at the Masonic cornerstone ceremony for the new U.S. Capitol building in 1793 will be displayed on the Speaker's podium in the House of Representatives tonight during the joint session of Congress.

Speaker Mike Johnson requested the gavel be present at the State of the Union address for the first time in history. The gavel is owned by Potomac Lodge No. 5 in Washington, DC.

The ceremony has been depicted several times by artists. The image at the top of this article was painted by Allyn Cox as a massive mural at the George Washington Masonic National Monument in Alexandria, Virginia. Installed in 1955, the mural underwent careful restoration in 2017. Cox also painted another version of the ceremony that is in the Cox Corridor of the U.S. Capitol.

From a press release on the Capitol History website:

 

Today, the U.S. Capitol Historical Society proudly announced that Speaker Mike Johnson will become the first House Speaker in history to display George Washington’s Gavel during the State of the Union Address to Congress. The historic Gavel was first used in 1793 to lay the cornerstone of the United States Capitol building: “The People’s House” and the physical manifestation of our democracy. Since that ceremony, the Gavel has been in the care of Potomac Lodge No. 5, the oldest Masonic Lodge in Washington, D.C. The U.S. Capitol Historical Society worked diligently with the Lodge and Speaker’s Office to enable the Gavel to rest on the rostrum during this year’s Address—marking the 250th anniversary of America’s founding.

“The U.S. Capitol Historical Society would like to thank Speaker Johnson and Potomac Lodge No. 5 for working with us to ensure the display of a historic treasure for this year’s historic Address,” said Roswell Encina, President & CEO of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society. “Complementing the State of the Union with George Washington’s Gavel beautifully reflects the importance of preserving and sharing the Capitol’s history; helping Americans connect with the people, places, and traditions that continue to shape our nation. A significant part of the Society’s mission is to bring Congress to the People. During America250, it is especially satisfying to have helped bring the People to Congress.”

In 1793, U.S. President and Master Mason, George Washington, laid the cornerstone of the United States Capitol Building. At the time, a growing schism between “Federalists” and “Republicans” threatened the American experiment in its infancy. Washington therefore lent his prestige to such events as the laying of the Capitol cornerstone to give credence to the new U.S. Government: established in 1789 after our Constitution was ratified.

Allyn Cox painting of the Masonic cornerstone ceremony in the Cox Corridor
of the U.S. Capitol. 

On the morning of September 18, 1793, Washington and a procession of artillery and Masonic lodges crossed the Potomac River to the new Federal City. They did so, a newspaper reported, “with music playing, drums beating, colors flying, and spectators rejoicing.” At the Capitol site, Washington stepped into a dug trench, laid a silver plate onto the ground, and set the cornerstone atop it. He was accompanied by brethren who conducted a Masonic ritual with corn (a symbol of nourishment), wine (a symbol of refreshment), and oil (a symbol of joy). Witnesses then chanted and celebrated until night.

After the ceremony, Washington bestowed the Gavel to Valentine Reintzel, the head of Potomac Lodge No. 5, who assisted that day and cared for the artifact until his death. In the two centuries since, Potomac Lodge No. 5 has been the Gavel’s custodian, loaning it to other cornerstone ceremonies, including the Washington Monument, National Cathedral, and Smithsonian Institution.

<snip>

As Washington himself told Congress in his first State of the Union Address:

“Knowledge is in every Country the surest basis of public happiness…To the security of a free Constitution it contributes in various ways: By convincing those, who are entrusted with the public administration, that every valuable end of Government is best answered by the enlightened confidence of the people: And by teaching the people themselves…to discriminate the spirit of liberty from that of licentiousness, cherishing the first, avoiding the last, and uniting a speedy, but temperate vigilence against encroachments, with an inviolable respect to the laws.”

In addition to the gavel, another artifact from that same ceremony is owned by Virginia's Alexandria-Washington Lodge 22: a large silver trowel used to symbolically spread the cement of Brotherly Love.

A Night At The Masonic Museum in Indianapolis - March 7th

The Masonic Library & Museum of Indiana and the Grand Lodge Free & Accepted Masons of Indiana’s Grand Master Randolph L. Seipel cordially invite you to A Night at the Masonic Museum — a black-tie gala fundraising dinner, cocktail reception and silent auction on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at the historic Indianapolis Masonic Temple, 525 N. Illinois Street, in downtown Indianapolis.

Every day, hundreds of people drive past the massive, windowless limestone building wondering at its purpose. It’s possible your father, grandfather, uncle, great-grandfather or other relative may have been a member of the Freemasons but you never knew what they were. Or they may be a complete mystery to you, calling to mind spooky images from History Channel shows.

A rare public opportunity to step inside one of Indianapolis’s most magnificent and enigmatic architectural landmarks. The evening will feature:

• Tours of the Temple’s grand spaces and behind-the-scenes Museum areas (available pre-dinner and post-dinner)
• Scavenger hunt in the Museum
• Cocktail reception
• Dinner (prime rib, with chicken or vegetarian pasta options)
• Silent auction with rare Masonic books, antique artifacts, premium items, travel packages, and unique Indiana experiences
• Program featuring Grand Master Randolph Seipel and best-selling author Christopher Hodapp (Freemasons For Dummies)

The Goal

The Temple’s prominent downtown location within the Mile Square was intended from the start to be a community resource. But decades of declining fraternal membership nationwide have led to deferred maintenance, creating urgent restoration needs. Proceeds from the March 7th gala will fund critical projects, including:

• Elevator modernization (approximately $350,000 per elevator)
• Auditorium restoration
• Air conditioning/climate-control study and upgrades for the Museum, auditorium, and other public spaces
• Major donors will be thanked on a new lobby donor wall.

This gala represents our next major step to raise funds while rekindling public awareness of the Museum and the Temple’s historic and cultural significance. 

The gala is open to the public, and we hope you’ll join us! Individual tickets are $75 per person, $140 for couples, $550 for a full table of 8 (tickets are available now via Eventbrite): https://tinyurl.com/MLMIndiana . Doors will open at 5:00PM, with cocktails at 6:00PM, and dinner at 7:00PM, followed by the program.

The Temple

The 1909 neo-classical Temple was designed by Rubush & Hunter during the City Beautiful Movement and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It has served as both Indiana’s Masonic headquarters and a vibrant cultural hub for the city. At its dedication, so many people turned out that the governor couldn’t reach the stage for his planned speech. During World War II, the Masons operated a USO-style Masonic Army-Navy Service Center supporting thousands of servicemen, and in the 1950s it hosted U.S. citizenship swearing-in ceremonies, exemplifying Freemasonry’s values of religious and political tolerance, brotherly love, charity, mutual assistance, civic pride, and democratic governance.

Since 1818, at least 29 of Indiana’s 50 governors have been Masons, along with sports figures, business and civic leaders, actors, musicians, authors, scholars, and more. Locally, Hoosiers like aviator Weir Cook, Vice President Thomas Marshall of Indiana, comedian Red Skelton, Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas, auto legend Harry Stutz, civic leader Bill Mays, former Mayor Bill Hudnut, shopping center developer Sidney Eskenazi, and current Senator Jim Banks have all been members of the Indiana fraternity.

In addition to the Library & Museum, Today, the Temple remains the headquarters for the Grand Lodge F&AM of Indiana, the state’s oldest men’s charitable fraternal organization. Highlights of the building include: 

• An impressive grand marble staircase
• Seven ceremonial lodge meeting rooms
• A banquet hall
• The unique Egyptian-themed Red Cross lodge room
• Indiana Freemasons Hall — a 1,100 seat auditorium that hosted plays, concerts, lectures, political debates, literary figures, and early Butler University theater performances. 

The Library & Museum

The Museum preserves one of the top collections of Masonic objects and related rare books in the U.S. You’ll find Masonic artifacts from the White House and President Harry Truman, Masonic aprons from the early 1800s, and discover some of Indiana’s famous Masons. Displays dispel the many myths about the Freemasons; explain the mysterious symbols that appear in Masonic rituals; explore associated Masonic groups like Shriners, Scottish Rite, Order of the Eastern Star, and Knights Templar; and describe the unique history of Prince Hall’s formation of the first Masonic lodge for black men in America in 1776. The Museum serves as an educational resource for the public, members, and researchers, especially highlighting Freemasonry’s role in Indiana history. It is open to the public during weekly hours.

We hope you will be a part of this exciting event! For tickets, sponsorships, donations, or media inquiries, please contact us directly at the Masonic Library & Museum of Indiana.

Indiana's Circumpunct Lodge 777 Symposium: April 18th

by Christopher Hodapp

Indiana's Circumpunct Lodge No. 777 announces its Inaugural Symposium on Saturday, April 18th, 2026 in Indianapolis. This one day gathering of Masonic brethren dedicated to engage in the deeper philosophical, ritual, and esoteric dimensions of Freemasonry and its allied traditions.

Outline for the Day:

8:00 AM — Breakfast
8:15 AM — Optional: Guided Meditation

9:00 AM — Worthy Brother Jonah Butler - “Laboring in the Temple: The Middle Pillar of the Masonic Lodge”

In a Lodge of Masons, we are told of the specific Temple geographies of the three Ancient Craft Degrees (EA in Outer Courtyard, FC in Middle Chamber, MM in Sanctum Sanctorum) in which a Lodge of each Degree operates. This presentation seeks to provide a brief symbological overview of these Temple geographies and an argument for how these mental/spiritual venues can inform the particular labor of each Degree, both collectively and individually, and invite each Lodge to consider how this opens up new avenues for a Lodge's operation, ceremony, and education.

10:30 AM — Worshipful Brother Turner England - “The Discipline of Light”

The Discipline of Light explores the metaphor of Light in relation to preparation, gradual advancement, and sanctification before illumination is granted. You are invited to consider what it means to be in darkness before being brought to Light.

12:00 PM — Lunch 

1:00 PM — Worshipful Brother Kevin Fuller -"Astrology and Freemasonry: The Masonic Lodge and the Astrological Chart"

This presentation will highlight some correspondences with the layout of the Masonic Lodge room and Astrological chart reading. It will go over the similarities in orientation, emphasize the likeness in the important stations, and offer a glimpse into the possibility of an Astrological allegory.

2:30 PM — Worthy Brother Nathan Norris - “Rosicrucian Atrium Convocation Ritual”

An Atrium Convocation is a formal contemplative gathering rooted in the Rosicrucian tradition. The space is symbolically oriented toward the East and prepared with traditional ritual elements. The convocation includes ceremonial light, sacred intonation, silent meditation, and a brief philosophical discourse, concluding with a communal affirmation.

4:00 PM — Panel Discussion: Featuring all speakers, with a moderator.
5:00 PM — Social Hour
6:00 PM — Festive Board

Each presentation is followed by a structured 40-minute interval.

Price is $99. CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS

Atlanta's Historic Prince Hall Temple Reopens After $14 Million Renovation

Photo: W.C. Thomas Lodge 112 Facebook Page

by Christopher Hodapp

The Atlanta Prince Hall Masonic Temple, a center of African American Freemasonry and civil rights history, just reopened on February 11th after a whopping $14 million renovation.

The Atlanta temple was built between 1937 and 1941 under the guidance of John Wesley Dobbs, a powerhouse civic leader who was basically the unofficial mayor of Atlanta’s Sweet Auburn neighborhood. Dobbs was elected Grand Master of the MW Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Georgia in 1932, and re-elected annually until his death in 1961. This place wasn't just a lodge hall; it was a buzzing hub for black enterprise and activism.

In its heyday, the building housed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) starting in 1957—their very first headquarters. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had his only known office there, a windowless little spot where he plotted strategy and dreamed big. The National Parks Service has made the Temple part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park, and, using photos of King's office as a guide, will eventually restore the room to appear as it did in the 1960s.

Upstairs, you'd find WERD-AM 860, the nation's first black-owned radio station, where DJs like "Jockey Jack" Gibson spun records and dropped civil rights updates. And there was Madam C.J. Walker's Beauty Shoppe—an enterprise of America's first self-made female millionaire (whose company was based in my own hometown of Indianapolis). During the 1960s, when segregation battles made safe gathering spots scarce, this temple was where black leaders could meet without looking over their shoulders. Legends say King even did radio interviews by dangling a phone out the window to the station below. 

The restored ballroom

But like so many historic gems, the temple fell on hard times as Sweet Auburn faced disinvestment and urban decay. It landed on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's "11 Most Endangered Places" list back in the '90s, and by the 2010s, it needed serious attention. Enter a powerhouse partnership: The Trust for Public Land teamed up with the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Georgia, Invest Atlanta, the National Park Service, and generous donors like the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation and the Georgia Pacific Foundation. Starting in 2022, they poured in the cash—$10 million for the core reno, plus a fresh $1.4 million grant from billionaire philanthropist Robert Smith to jazz it up with immersive exhibits.

A newly renovated social room for the lodges.
Photo: W.C. Thomas Lodge 112 Facebook Page 

The result is a 16,000-square-foot space that's been lovingly restored to blend old-school charm with modern flair. They matched paint colors to vintage photos, reinstalled the iconic WERD sign, replaced its deteriorated green window frames, and restored the neon Prince Hall Masons sign out front to beckon visitors. The Masons get to keep the top floor for their meetings and events. The rest is now primed for public tours, education, and interpretation as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, which it officially joined in 2018. With over a million visitors flocking to the park each year, this addition is set to shine a light on the intertwined stories of Freemasonry, civil rights, and black community resilience.

Photo: W.C. Thomas Lodge 112 Facebook Page 

At the ribbon-cutting, heavy hitters like Prince Hall Grand Master Primus James, Invest Atlanta CEO Dr. Eloisa Klementich. Atlanta historian Reverend Dr. Herman “Skip” Mason, Dr. Kevin James, President of Morris Brown College and Arthur Clement, who is one of PGM John Wesley Dobbs’ grandsons, were there. And Martin Luther King III and Park Superintendent Reggie Chapple both weighed in on why this matters. King III put it best: Preserving places like this helps "institutionalize the dream" of his parents and avoid repeating history's mistakes.

Speaking of history’s mistakes, in a world where historic Masonic buildings all too often get sold off, bulldozed for parking lots, or just ignored to death and left to crumble (I'm looking at you, way too many jurisdictions), it's refreshing to see one get the royal treatment it deserves occasionally.

If you're in Atlanta or planning a Masonic road trip, add this to your list. It's not just a building—it's a testament to how Freemasonry has been a quiet force for progress, especially in communities that needed it most.

Maybe it'll inspire a few more lodges to dust off their own histories before we let them fade away.

(Thanks to Br. Dave Gillarm at the Prince Hall Think Tank podcast for alerting me on this story.)

BREAKING: GL of Arkansas Recognizes Arkansas Prince Hall

by Christopher Hodapp

The Old Fashion Masonic Podcast is reporting on its Facebook page tonight that the Grand Lodge F&AM of Arkansas has just voted in favor of recognizing the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Arkansas. 

The vote was 79% Yay / 21% Nay

As of today, only the Grand Lodges of South Carolina and Mississippi are the last two remaining US jurisdictions that have not achieved some form of Prince Hall recognition. However, the Grand Lodge of Mississippi reportedly has the question on its annual meeting's agenda later this month.

For clarification, the GL of Louisiana has recognized the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Maryland, and the GL of West Virginia has recognized the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Kentucky.

This story will be updated.

Speaking at Greenville Lodge 143 in Ohio on 2/27

by Christopher Hodapp

I'll be speaking at Greenville Lodge 143 in Greenville, Ohio on Friday, February 27th. Dinner begins at 6PM and is $15. 

Greenville is about 35 miles northwest of Dayton on U.S. 36 and just east of the Indiana border.

I'm looking forward to being there!

Oh! The Weather Outside Is Frightful...

by Christopher Hodapp

Apologies for the long delay between posts. Alice and I drove to Tampa, Florida for the world's largest RV Show (don't envy us - it was 21° at night). The trip was cut short as we dragged the Airstream at breakneck speed back to Indianapolis just ahead of the major snowfall. 

After making a stupid mistake at the campsite outside of Chattanooga, I wrenched the hitch jack into a corkscrew, which kept me from uncoupling the truck from the trailer. So, when we arrived home, it was already snowing. We downloaded the thing in record time and I was out installing a new jack at 2AM in the miserable stuff just so I could get it into storage. By Sunday morning, we had about 8 inches of partly cloudy to shovel out.

To make matters worse, our furnace went out while we were gone, and the temps in the house dropped to 48° for two days before a repair guy could get through the snow-packed roads. Good times!

English Freemasons Seek Injunction Against London Police Reporting Rule

by Christopher Hodapp

The United Grand Lodge of England in cooperation with the two primary English female Masonic grand lodges have filed for an injunction against the London Metropolitan Police over its new requirement that the MET's Freemason police officers report their private membership to their superiors.

Since December 11th, the MET have required that London city police officers declare their membership in the Freemasons, claiming that "involvement in these types of organizations could call impartiality into question or give rise to conflict of loyalties."

The only other groups required to declare themselves to the MET's administration are people with criminal convictions, those who have been dismissed from policing, and lawful professions such as private investigation or journalism. Grouping the Masons with criminals and dismissed officers brands members of the fraternity as being somehow nefarious. Yet, after more than 40 years of anti-Masonic paranoia swirling around UK police, there has never been any proof of Masonic police officers acting improperly as a group. 

That England's Freemasons are the second largest charitable group in that country who contribute millions of pounds each year to their communities is immaterial to the MET's leadership. 

From the UGLE First Rising newsletter on Sunday:

The United Grand Lodge of England (“UGLE”), also acting on behalf of The Order of Women Freemasons and the Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons (all of which together represent Freemasonry in England, Wales, The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands), announces that it has commenced proceedings against the Metropolitan Police (the “Met”) seeking an injunction requiring the Met to suspend application of its new policy requiring police officers and staff to disclose whether they are, or have been Freemasons.

The new Met policy was announced on 11 December 2025. On 16 December, UGLE wrote to the Met seeking a judicial review of the decision unless its implementation was suspended immediately to allow a full consultation on the policy. The Met has now agreed to full consultation but is not willing to suspend the policy’s introduction. The injunction therefore seeks suspension of the policy pending the outcome of the judicial review.

UGLE has made clear its opposition to the Met regarding any intended action to introduce a reporting requirement that has the potential to undermine public credibility of male and female Freemasons, or that could impact negatively on its members, or the contribution that they make to society. It believes that mandatory declaration breaches the fundamental rights of the organisations and their members and is also in breach of the Equality Act 2010 and UK GDPR.

Commenting today Adrian Marsh, Grand Secretary of UGLE, said:
“There is a contradiction between the Met acceptance of our request for fuller consultation, which we welcome, but then refusing to suspend the decision pending the outcome of that consultation. To date the consultation process has been wholly inadequate, prejudicial and unjust and this injunction is the first step we must resort to, to protect our members whose integrity is impugned by the Met decision.”

Previous attempts by English police departments in the 1990s and early 2000s to force Masonic officers to disclose their memberships have been struck down in courts as being prejudicial and discriminatory, and the European Court of Human Rights declared such previous laws in both England and Italy to be in violation of rights to free association. Forcing officers to declare their Masonic membership will open the floodgates to criminals claiming Masonic influence in their cases, disgruntled fellow employees passed over for promotions, claims of favoritism and other dodgy behavior. This in spite of the fact that all Masons are sworn to uphold the laws of their own lands and to not countenance unlawful behavior. Declaring their Masonic membership invites anti-Masonic paranoia, revenge and false accusations, placing their jobs at risk. 

Meanwhile, the press accounts of this dispute between the MET and the UGLE have gone out of their way to mention false allegations of purported Masonic involvement in decades-old police corruption investigations in almost every story published in the last few weeks. Note this headline in the Independent today, clearly trying to associate FREEMASONS! with AXE MURDERERS! before the article even begins:

(For a recap of the historical anti-Masonic claims, conspiracies and paranoia regarding English police departments over the decades, see https://freemasonsfordummies.blogspot.com/2025/09/london-police-league-is-hunting-masons.html )

Georgia's Solomon Lodge No. 1 Selling Their Historic Home

Photo: Chris Hodapp

by Christopher Hodapp

It was with great sadness I read this week that the landmark Cotton Exchange in downtown Savannah, Georgia is up for sale. Since 1976, it’s been the historic home of the equally historic Solomon’s Lodge No. 1, the oldest operating lodge in the state of Georgia, founded in 1734. Or as they say in their own history, “the oldest continuously operating English constituted lodge in the Western Hemisphere.” 

Photo: Chris Hodapp

The Old Savannah Cotton Exchange was designed by the Boston architect William Gibbons Preston (1844-1910), and completed in 1886. It’s now on the market for $10 million, and it’s likely to fetch that eye-popping pile of pelf, as it sits on the waterfront in Savannah’s most historic (and tourist-packed) area of an already very historic town.

The Savannah Morning News site had an extensive series of interior photos of the building and lodge room last Sunday, taken by photographer Richard Burkhart. Most residents in the area have never been inside of the old Cotton Exchange, much less a Masonic Lodge, so it’s been drawing a big crowd of curious readers eager to have a peek. Click images below to enlarge.

Photo: ©Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News

Photo: ©Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News

Photo: ©Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News

Photo: ©Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News

Photo: ©Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News

Photo: ©Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News

Photo: ©Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News

Past Master Jeremy Norton is quoted as saying their dwindling membership, combined with several "unfortunate incidents" has made the aging landmark too much of a financial burden for the lodge to handle, a familiar story that plays out with lodges all around the world every day. (I do know that a car crashed into the facade of the building back in 2008.) Listing agent David Mopper says potential buyers have already been lining up, as a potential restaurant, wedding venue, or private club. 

Yes, I realize that a lodge is not its building. Yes, I realize that a lodge can meet in a tent and doesn’t need some lavish old temple whose leaky roof and bad plumbing bleeds the treasury dry. Yes, I very much realize that the upkeep of an aging building - especially one that’s a historic landmark - is more often than not a fatiguing financial burden.

I don’t know the particulars as to why they’re moving, but I'm sure there's a clot of brethren in the lodge and around the state who are extremely unhappy about this development. No matter where Solomon’s Lodge moves, it can never equal what they have in their current location. You can’t buy the kind of heritage they are giving up, at any price.

In 1934, the lodge celebrated its 200th anniversary. To mark that event, Bro. Lafayette McLaws, Past Master of Solomon's Lodge, spoke some incredibly profound words. He said, 

“Age itself does not call for veneration, antiquity alone does not merit adoration, the passage of time is not the test of fame; a million years does not give glory to a worthless cause, nor sanctify an unholy name. It is the use of time, the purpose of the origin, the beauty woven in the design, the service written in the plan that builds monuments and creates hallowed shrines. I revere Solomon's not for its age, but for its progress, for the service that it has rendered mankind, for its uplifting influence in the political upheavals; for two centuries of activity in the interest of free thought, free speech and free conscience; for the continuity of its opposition to mental tyranny; its championship of human liberty. I commemorate the founding of Solomon's Lodge because it gave to the new Colony of Georgia, the institution of Masonry."

There is great wisdom in those nuggets of gold spoken by Bro. McLaws. On the one hand, the importance of Solomon’s Lodge is what it has accomplished since its founding in 1734, and, after all, its current home has only been their meeting place for 50 years. On the other hand, architectural treasures like the Old Cotton Exchange have incredible beauty woven in their design. And, given its prominence in Savannah's historic boardwalk area, it has been a standing billboard for Freemasonry for half a century, a magnificent beacon for all of us that says, “the Masons are here, and we are a vital piece of the fabric that makes our community.” Hundreds - and sometimes, thousands - of people walk past its historic marker and facade every single day.

I don’t know what Solomon's Lodge's plans are, but I pray they find an equally important and visible new location, and that they not settle for an anonymous steel pole barn in a bean field. (I will go out on a limb and speculate that they might move to the Savannah Valley of the Scottish Rite's new center, three miles from downtown, in an office park. Just a guess.) While the Masons of Savannah didn't build this particular edifice themselves, the fraternity gives up our most treasured temples to our collective detriment. Every high-visibility temple that gets sold off means we slip farther and farther off of society's radar screen and disappear from the collective consciousness of the community. And we rob our members of a heritage no lodge can reclaim when it just gives up. 

Our forefathers built or bought these priceless temples with the sweat of their brow, with money most of them desperately needed for themselves, because they believed in shouting about their fraternity to the world outside. (It took Savannah's Masons more than thirty years to complete their first historic Scottish Rite Temple as they raised money and slowly erected it.) They didn't ask us to be greater than they were, or to even build bigger or better than they did. They just asked us to protect what they did for us. 

Scottish Rite Valley of Savannah's new building (Photo: Google)

Inspiration was important to Freemasons up until the late 20th century. What will Masonic architecture of today inspire the next generations to say when you and I are gone? 

"Great parking!"

And are Masons really going to continue to accept mediocrity and bland steel toolshed temples under the lazy excuse that "a lodge is not a building?"

Where be our Dreamers now?