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?

UGLE and Female Masons Take Legal Action Against London Police

by Christopher Hodapp

The United Grand Lodge of England, Order of Women Freemasons, and Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons have collectively decided to launch legal action against the Metropolitan Police to address what they consider to be an unlawful, discriminatory, and unfair move in requiring all officers to declare their private Masonic membership, whether past or present. (These developments were reported HERE and HERE last week.) They have just filed a request for judicial review in the High Court.

The following statement from UGLE, OWF & HFAF has been shared with the media and was circulated very early this morning (Eastern Time). They have also issued a companion video explaining their objections (click above for YouTube):

FREEMASONS LAUNCH LEGAL ACTION 

AGAINST METROPOLITAN POLICE

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 sent a letter before claim in respect of judicial review proceedings against the Metropolitan Police (the “Met”) in response to the Met’s announcement on 11 December 2025 that it has added Freemasonry to its list of declarable associations.

The result of the Met’s new decision is that police officers and police staff who are, or have been, Freemasons will be compelled to inform the Met of their membership and that this will now be a mandatory declaration in its vetting procedures.

While acknowledging recent concerns over police vetting procedures, UGLE considers this decision to be unlawful, unfair and discriminatory against Freemasons, and considers the consultation process which has been followed by the Met to be wholly inadequate, prejudicial and unjust.

UGLE has made clear its concerns 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.

Accordingly, UGLE has written to the Met setting out its intention to seek a judicial review of the decision unless its implementation is suspended immediately.

Commenting on behalf of the United Grand Lodge of England, the Order of Women Freemasons and the Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons, Adrian Marsh, Grand Secretary of UGLE, said:

“Freemasonry has the highest moral and ethical standards – standards that have been a cornerstone of its identity since the earliest days of organised Freemasonry over 300 years ago. Our members embody our core values of integrity, friendship, respect and service – and this can be seen across London, the rest of the country, through tireless work within our communities to help those in need. Within individual Lodges, we enjoy the timeless traditions that make our organisation unique around the globe.

The decision by the Metropolitan Police casts an aura of mistrust over the entire Freemason community. Given the obvious, detrimental impact on our members, United Grand Lodge of England, Order of Women Freemasons and Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons consider that we now have no choice but to take legal action to challenge this unlawful decision.

We do not take this decision lightly but feel that we are left with no other options, in order to defend the rights of those in our membership, both male and female, present and past, that serve the people of London loyally in any capacity under the banner of the Metropolitan Police.”

Openness of UGLE and Freemasonry

United Grand Lodge of England, Order of Women Freemasons and Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons are aware of misconceptions regarding Freemasonry stretching back over a number of decades. In response to this, over the last 30 years, UGLE has carried out significant work to address these misconceptions, bringing public perceptions up to date through increased openness and disclosure about its values and its work in society and for charity.

The success of this work has been borne out by its increased popularity in recent years, especially in attracting younger members, and the number of visitors we have each day to our building in Covent Garden.

The consultation process followed by the Met

Since the consultation was published on the Met website on 29 September 2025 under the title, “Consultation on Freemasonry becoming a declarable association”, UGLE has sought to communicate its position to the Met during two in-person meetings with Commander Simon Messinger and in correspondence with the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Mark Rowley. UGLE considers the level of engagement from the Met and the limited justification it has put forward for the decision to be wholly inadequate.

UGLE has made it clear throughout that it has been willing to engage with the consultation, but it was never given the information to enable it to do so meaningfully and fairly.

UGLE is, therefore, extremely disappointed that the Met has reached this decision without a fair consultation process, or any direct engagement with it, or proper notice, on the reasons for this decision. The Met’s failure properly to consult and to publish this new requirement with immediate effect is particularly troubling in circumstances where the Met had agreed to consult fully prior to making any decision and when such a decision affects the regard in which Freemasons are held. It is likewise highly unusual that the Met would not consider any alternative solutions in the knowledge that expensive legal action must follow.

Public statements from the Met since 11 December 2025

In its statement released on 11 December 2025, the Met referred to the reporting requirement being introduced for “hierarchical organisations that require members to support and protect each other” and so being added to the Met’s declarable associations policy. In that statement, the Met also stated that it had discussed the change in policy with UGLE.

UGLE considers these statements to be misleading:

•  On the Met statement that Freemasons are, “required to support and protect each other” the Met has omitted the true nature of this obligation which is importantly qualified in Freemasonry, where it is primarily a moral one, and the level of support is expected to be within one's ability and without detriment to one's own family or one's duty to the law of the land. Without this explanation, the phrase used by the Met is misleading and capable of misinterpretation. Furthermore, it disregards similar commitments made in most religions, albeit without the same additional aspect of respecting the law of the land.
• On the Met statement that “Senior officers have discussed the results of the staff consultation and our decision with the United Grand Lodge of England, which is the headquarters of Freemasonry in England and Wales, as well as the Police Federation and other representative bodies”, the Met implies that effective consultation has taken place. This is not the case.

Regarding the stated evidence base for the decision:

• The Met has provided inconsistent and insufficient data - the Met says a survey sent to all c.40.000 Metropolitan Police officers and staff, but completed by less than 5% of them, is enough to justify this move. Meanwhile, the Met subsequently claimed in a radio interview on LBC with Sir Mark Rowley that two-thirds of members supported the change. This statement was not included in the Met statement of 11 December 2025.
• The Met says that internal intelligence has made this move necessary; however, this intelligence is not public and should be to enable proper public scrutiny.
• The Met says that female police officers and staff have welcomed this announcement - although there is no evidence to support this statement and no explanation being provided for the reasoning behind the decision to the thousands of female Freemasons across the country.

UGLE also believes that the use of the description, “hierarchical associations” by the Met is intended to imply a broad constituency of potentially declarable associations, while the real focus of the new policy is on Freemasons alone, and that the description used is, therefore, disingenuous.

Further, the Met states that it is addressing longstanding concerns over secrecy of any members’ organisation. However, Freemasonry is not a secret organisation, being similar to many organisations where membership is private and regulated under the GDPR legislation. Indeed, unlike most other private organizations, UGLE publishes a list of its c.4,000 most senior members, which is available for purchase from the Shop at Freemasons’ Hall, which is open to the general public daily.

Action to be taken by UGLE

In the light of the legal position, the failure of the Met consultation process, and in order to prevent damage to members, UGLE (also acting on behalf of The Order of Women Freemasons and the Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons) intends to seek a judicial review of the decision in the High Court and has sent a “letter before claim” to the Met outlining the action it intends to take.

Statement from the Metropolitan Police Federation

UGLE notes the statement made by the Metropolitan Police Federation (“MPF”) on 11 December 2025 that, “forcing police officers to declare their membership in the Freemasons could violate their human rights and is an “unnecessary and wrong” policy. The MPF also questioned the timing and enforceability of the new policy, highlighting that the issue had been debated over decades.

UGLE also notes that the intention to introduce any reporting requirement in the past had always been ruled unlawful.

Fire Destroys Greenville, Maine Masonic Temple

by Christopher Hodapp

A fire destroyed the historic Masonic Temple in Greenville, Maine on Monday. According to news accounts, firefighters were called to the scene at 149 Pritham Avenue in Greenville at 1:00AM Monday morning after the fire was raging.

Arson or other foul play is not suspected at this time. Investigators early Tuesday say the fire originated in the basement kitchen, but the damage is so severe, the precise cause of the blaze may never be determined.

The once beautiful Greenville Temple was built in 1929, financed by local merchant Arthur Crafts. It has been the home of Columbia-Doric Lodge 149 and was considered one of the town's major landmarks. There's no word yet as to where the lodge may be meeting temporarily until decisions can be made as to its future location.

According to multiple reports, fire crews from four nearby towns attempted to battle the blaze, but freezing temperatures froze up trucks and other equipment. Crews attempting to battle the blaze inside were forced out as large pieces of slate caved in the burning roof.

The interior has been gutted, but the brick exterior walls are still standing. A report from WABI-TV 5 says the building hasn't yet been declared a complete loss, but inspectors will have to determine the structural integrity of what's left outside before a decision to rebuild can even be considered.

I haven't been able to find any decent images of the lodge's interior, nor have I found their social media or web pages. If anyone can provide those, I'll be happy to update this post.

UK's Female Masons Denounce New Police Masonic Declaration Rule

by Christopher Hodapp

England's two female grand lodges ( the Order of Women Freemasons and the Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons ) have released their own response to the London Metropolitan Police's new requirement forcing their officers to declare their Masonic membership - past or present. Internal polling of officers has been greatly exaggerated and they are particularly calling B.S. over the MET's allegation that female police officers "are massively relieved at this decision because they feel they are disadvantaged by, sadly, a boy’s club.”

Their statement was forwarded this morning by the UGLE on their behalf:

Yesterday (Friday 12 December), we were made aware of comments made by Sir Mark Rowley, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, on LBC Radio. The interview can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/live/DiUDn7klubc?si=U8FkSp8YY2tQTRyW&t=1659

The following statement has been distributed to the media:

The United Grand Lodge of England, the Order of Women Freemasons and the Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons note the comments made by the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police on Friday’s edition of Nick Ferrari’s LBC radio show. We feel compelled to respond to, and correct, several inaccurate and misleading representations of both the recent consultation held within the Metropolitan Police and Freemasonry in general.

In the interview, the Commissioner claimed that “two thirds of our officers think it ought to be declarable.” This contradicts the Met’s own statement, which claimed that “2,000 colleagues completed the survey.” Considering that the Metropolitan Police’s website states that there are 46,000 Met Police officers and staff, this statement is evidently false. It also highlights that the survey being used as the basis of the policy change was only completed by under 5% of officers and staff.

The Commissioner goes on to say: “We’ve looked at the intelligence picture today, and a combination of factors I’m satisfied that this is absolutely necessary.” At no point has this evidence been shared with us, to allow us to address concerns and if necessary, take action. We call on the Commissioner’s Office to release this intelligence as soon as practical, to enable us and the public to evaluate its credibility as a reason for this policy to be enacted.

Towards the end of the interview, the Commissioner states: “There are many, many women officers in the organisation particularly, who are massively relieved at this decision because they feel they are disadvantaged by, sadly, a boy’s club.” As proud female Freemasons, we in the Order of Women Freemasons and the Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons take particular offense to this misleading and inaccurate statement. Women have been Freemasons now for over a century, longer than they have had the right to vote. We are proud of our history and heritage, and inaccurate representations such as this are disappointing.

As per our statement released on Thursday 11th December 2025, we continue to discuss our next steps on this matter and will be making a further announcement on our intentions in due course.

According to an earlier statement, the UGLE and the female grand lodges are considering taking legal action against the MET over the new policy. Ginning up institutional distrust about Freemasonry has become a self-fulfilling prophecy in English society and in the police department, in particular, all amplified by a slathering press. 

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. None. Zero. Nada. Zip. Rumors, claims, conspiracy theories, pissy-bitch fables from disgruntled officers, all make sensational headlines—and there have been plenty of those printed by news organizations eager to sell more papers and achieve more upvote clicks. But there's never been any proof, and it's not been for lack of looking by countless special commissions and investigative teams.

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