Arrests in Pennsylvania and West Virginia In Separate Anti-Masonic, Anti-Semitic Attacks

Photo: WGAL-TV8

by Christopher Hodapp

A pair of disturbing cases involving threats against Freemasons have surfaced in Pennsylvania and West Virginia — both within the space of just a few days of each other.

In Pennsylvania, police say 37-year-old Joshua Albert Reisinger (photo) of Mountville carried out a bizarre weeks-long campaign against two Masonic halls involving dead animals, cryptic messages and other objects left outside the buildings. Reisinger has now also been charged in connection with antisemitic signs and an apparent threat against a congregant at a Lancaster-area synagogue.

According to Steelton Borough Police, officers began investigating a series of incidents at Paxton Lodge No. 16 (PHA) in Steelton between August 15 and September 20. Someone repeatedly left bizarre objects at or near the lodge that included balloons, spray-painted shoes, a doll bust, playing cards, feathers, candles, hair, written messages and riddles — along with the carcasses of a cat, crow, squirrel and raccoon. Several messages contained language that lodge members regarded as vague or implied threats, and police said the repeated incidents, particularly around scheduled lodge activities, caused increasing concern for members' safety. 

According to their Facebook page, Paxton Lodge is the oldest Prince Hall subordinate Lodge in the state outside of Philadelphia.

Then police learned that Millersville Masonic Lodge No. 476, roughly 40 miles away, had been experiencing remarkably similar incidents. That lodge reportedly had been vandalized repeatedly during August, and Millersville police had already identified Reisinger as a suspect in that investigation. After representatives of the two lodges compared photographs and information, investigators connected the cases.

Reisinger was taken into custody following a traffic stop in Steelton and initially faced charges including terroristic threats, harassment, loitering and prowling at night, disorderly conduct, criminal trespass and scattering rubbish. 

But his story didn't end with the Masonic lodges.

Lancaster Township Police subsequently charged Reisinger with ethnic intimidation, terroristic threats, harassment and disorderly conduct after incidents at Degel Israel Congregation, an Orthodox Jewish synagogue and school in Lancaster Township. Police allege that on September 19 and 20 Reisinger placed derogatory and antisemitic signs on the synagogue property, including one displaying a Nazi SS symbol. According to investigators, when a congregant began removing one of the signs, he spotted Reisinger sitting in a vehicle across the street. Reisinger allegedly formed his hand into the shape of a pistol, pointed it at the congregant and mimed shooting him. The congregant obtained the vehicle's registration number, helping police identify the suspect.

Reisinger's targets of both Masonic lodges and a Jewish synagogue seem to fall in line with the increase in both anti-semitic and anti-Masonic conspiracism being spread throughout social media. 

Reisinger was arrested again on October 2. A district judge set bail at $100,000, which police said he was unable to post, and he was ordered held in the Lancaster County Prison pending a preliminary hearing.

Meanwhile, several hundred miles southwest in Buckhannon, West Virginia, another 37-year-old man was arrested following an explicitly anti-Masonic threat posted on Facebook. The Upshur County Sheriff's Office charged Justin Sayre (photo below) with threats of terrorist acts and making threats of a crime of violence after investigators say he participated in an online discussion concerning Flock automated license-plate-reader cameras.

Justin Sayre

According to the sheriff's report quoted by WDTV, Sayre called for the cameras to be destroyed and described local police officers as terrorists and "mules for the free masons up there at lodge 7," adding that "they need taken out too." "Lodge 7" appears to be a reference to Franklin Lodge No. 7 in Buckhannon, one of West Virginia's oldest Masonic lodges. Franklin Lodge has been part of the Buckhannon community since the nineteenth century and was among the original lodges involved in organizing the Grand Lodge of West Virginia after the Civil War.

Investigators said Sayre's Facebook account contained extensive anti-law-enforcement rhetoric and that the combination of those posts with the direct threat caused public alarm. He was being held in the Tygart Valley Regional Jail on $35,000 cash-only bond following his arrest.

These two cases do not appear to be connected. But for Masonic organizations, the timing is difficult to ignore. Whether these latest incidents ultimately prove to have been driven by anti-Masonic conspiracy theories, personal grievances, generalized extremism or something else will be for investigators and courts to determine. But they join a steadily growing collection of incidents in which Masonic buildings and Freemasons have become targets for people who regard the fraternity not as an innocuous civic organization, but as some sinister enemy that must be confronted.

And that is no longer something lodge officers can simply laugh off.

Fall 2026 Pennsylvania Academy of Masonic Knowledge October 24th

by Christopher Hodapp

The Fall 2026 Symposium of the Pennsylvania Academy of Masonic Knowledge will be held next Saturday, Oct. 24th, in the Freemasons Cultural Center at the Masonic Village at Elizabethtown.

My friend and Brother Roger S. VanGorden, Past Grand Master of Indiana, will present  “Masonic Renaissance: Kinda Like the Borgias.” Roger is currently the Active member for Indiana of the Scottish Rite Supreme Council NMJ, and the President of the Masonic Renewal Committee of the Conference of Grand Masters. If you've never heard Roger speak before, you're in for a thought-provoking, inspiring treat.

(I can honestly say that, Masonically, Roger made me what I am today. So blame him.)

Stephen Doan, Past Grand Master of California, will present “That House Not Made with Hands.” Stephen is an attorney and an  international authority on Masonic jurisprudence. Back in 1975, at the age of 24, he was elected as one of California's youngest Worshipful Masters. His influence and leadership helped remake the Grand Lodge of California into a thriving, professionally-run organization that stands as an example for the rest of the Masonic world.

Registration will open at 8:30 a.m., with the program beginning at 9 a.m. A lunch (for a requested contribution of $20) will be served at noon, and the program will be completed by 2 p.m. All Masons (including Entered Apprentices and Fellow Crafts), their significant others and their guests are welcome to attend. Dress is business formal (jacket and tie for men, dress or business suit for ladies).

Pre-register at PaMasonicAcademy.org. If you pre-register and subsequently determine that you will be unable to attend, please have the Masonic courtesy to cancel your reservation by emailing amksecretary@pagrandlodge.org.

Can't be there in person? A live stream of the symposium will be available on the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania YouTube channel.

MSA Issues Disaster Relief Appeal for Florida

by Christopher Hodapp

In the wake of Hurricane Isaias last week, the Masonic Service Association of North America has just issued an official disaster relief appeal on behalf of the Grand Lodge F&AM of Florida:

Florida Hurricane Isaias

Disaster Relief Appeal

As of October 13, Hurricane Isaias caused extensive destruction as it moved northward through Florida. Approximately 5,000 Masons have been affected with many experiencing significant quality-of-life disruptions and personal property damage. Five Districts encompassing 39 Lodges were directly impacted, and nine Lodges sustained damage ranging from roof compromise to downed trees and related structural issues. As of today, power remains out for approximately 30,000 customers in the affected areas. Distribution points have been established in several locations, and the American Red Cross and FEMA are present at the sites with the most severe damage.

As Brothers of the Craft, let us remember that adversity only strengthens our international bonds. Let us also use this moment to reflect on the fragility of life and the importance of being prepared, not just physically, but also in terms of the support systems we offer to one another.

MW Grand Master Haskell R. Vest, JR. Grand Lodge of Florida, F. & A.M. has requested the MSANA issue a Disaster relief Appeal. The MSANA Board of Commissioner has endorsed this Request.

If you choose to give to this appeal, please forward any donations you feel appropriate to help our devastated Brothers and their families in this stricken grand jurisdiction to MSANA.

Please make checks payable to MSA Disaster Relief Appeal and mail to:
Masonic Service Association
813 1st Avenue SE, Suite 357
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402

ONLINE DONATIONS : https://msana.com/current-appeals/
When remitting by check, please clearly mark that you designate the funds for the Florida Hurricane Isaias Relief Appeal.

Sincerely and fraternally,

Mark A. Tabbert, PM, 33°
Administrator
Masonic Service Association of North America

The Masonic Service Association is usually the best and most effective way to provide financial assistance to Masons in disaster-stricken areas.

If you are new to the fraternity or have never heard of the MSANA, it is a legitimate 501(c)(3) charitable organization. That is important to remember, especially if you, your company, or foundation are making a large donation and are in need of a tax deduction in return. The charitable arm of the Masonic Service Association was specifically established for the purpose of raising tax deductible donations, and to effectively distribute and account for the funds provided to Masons who receive assistance. Your entire donation will be sent to the affected jurisdiction. MSA deducts nothing for administrative expenses or expenses of any kind. Meaning if you donate $100.00, all $100.00 gets to the specific grand lodge issuing the appeal.

MSANA appeals are always done at the specific request of an affected Masonic jurisdiction when a catastrophe strikes. When donating through an MSA appeal you can be sure the money is officially going directly to the jurisdiction that requested it, which may not always be the case with a GoFundMe appeal or similar services. GoFundMe donations are not by law tax deductible because the IRS has no way of knowing how the money was raised, how it was spent, what may have been promised or given in return, and no way of peering into the accounting of whomever set it up. The IRS has very strict rules about tax deductible charities, and GoFundMe-type services don't even attempt to comply. And even if a legitimate lodge or grand lodge sets up such an appeal through GoFundMe, they can't issue a legit 501(c)(3) deduction to the donors unless they have their own charitable foundation or corporation that already does comply with the IRS.

The following message was posted on October 10th by Haskell R, Vest, Jr, Grand Master of Florida:

Message from Most Worshipful Haskell R. Vest, Jr.
Grand Master
Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Florida

Dear Brethren, Ladies, Families, and Friends of the Craft:

As Hurricane Isaias has struck our beloved Florida Panhandle—making landfall near Destin and bringing high winds, storm surge, flooding, widespread power outages, and loss—we are reminded that even the strongest foundations can be tested by the forces of nature.

In this time of trial, I call upon every Brother, every family, and every Lodge in our Jurisdiction to practice the cardinal virtues of patience and compassion. Recovery will take time. Power may be slow to return in some areas, debris must be cleared, homes and property assessed, and hearts healed. Let us meet these challenges with the steady patience of Master Masons who understand that the work of rebuilding is done step by step, with care and purpose.

At the same time, let compassion guide our actions. Reach out to Brothers and their families who have been affected. Offer a hand of relief—whether through practical help, a listening ear, prayer, or coordinated assistance through your Lodge or the Masonic Outreach Program. Our principles of Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth were never meant only for the Lodge room; they shine brightest when extended to those in need.

Remember our foundation stones: God, Family, and Fraternity. With God as our guide, family as our anchor, and the bonds of Fraternity as our strength, we will weather this storm together. My thoughts and prayers are especially with our Brothers in the Panhandle and all who have suffered loss or hardship.

Please check on one another. Stay safe. Follow official guidance. And know that the Grand Lodge of Florida stands ready to support our Craft and our communities in the days and weeks ahead.

May the Great Architect of the Universe watch over you, comfort the afflicted, and grant us all the patience and compassion needed to restore what has been tested.


Fraternally and with deepest concern,
Most Worshipful Haskell R. Vest, Jr.
Grand Master
“GOD, Family, Fraternity” “Masonry’s Foundation Stones”

Maryland Masons Buy Back Their Historic Baltimore Temple After 30 Years! Really!

by Christopher Hodapp

According to a report Tuesday by Melody Simmons in the Baltimore Business Journal, the Grand Lodge of Maryland has just re-purchased its former downtown Baltimore headquarters, the spectacular 19th-century Masonic Temple at 225 North Charles Street, nearly 30 years after selling the building and moving out to the suburbs in Cockeysville.

As Robert Hayes said in the classic comedy, Airplane!, "It hit me like a thunderbolt! I asked the guy next to me to pinch me to see if I was dreaming!"

Maryland’s Freemasons have actually bought their old place back! 

And that’s a damned remarkable development in an era when American Freemasonry seems to be shedding its historic buildings quicker than my wife's brother could dodge a dinner check. 

Known for the last two decades as The Grand, the historic Victorian landmark has operated as an upscale wedding, banquet, conference and special events venue. But the property was recently placed into receivership following several changes in ownership and ongoing financial difficulties. 

Construction began on the Baltimore Masonic Temple in 1866, and the building was completed in 1869. Designed originally by architect Edmund G. Lind, it became one of the grandest Masonic headquarters in America. Inside are extraordinary ceremonial and banquet rooms, with elaborate plasterwork, marble columns, stained glass, vaulted ceilings and decorative finishes reflecting the architectural tastes of the Victorian era. Rooms included Corinthian Hall, Oriental Hall, Marble Hall and Edinburgh Hall. 

The building survived devastating fires in 1890 and 1908, with the Brethren rebuilding and improving it both times. The major reconstruction completed in 1909 gave the Temple much of the magnificent appearance it retains today.

For well over a century, it was the center of Maryland Freemasonry, hosting lodge meetings, grand lodge communications, banquets, ceremonies and countless other gatherings. During World War II, it even served as a Masonic Service Center for members of the military, providing overnight accommodations for thousands of servicemen passing through Baltimore.

But by the 1990s, like so many other American grand lodges, Maryland decided that a sprawling suburban headquarters would better serve its members than an aging and increasingly expensive downtown landmark. The fraternity moved to Cockeysville in 1994, and the new headquarters complex was completed in 1996. The old Baltimore Temple was sold in 1998 for a sickening $500,000.

At one point, the building was actually threatened with demolition to make way for a parking garage. Fortunately, preservation-minded developers rescued it, and an extensive rehabilitation transformed the old Temple into the Tremont Grand, which opened in 2005. It eventually became known simply as The Grand. In subsequent years, its spectacular interiors even appeared in film and television productions, including House of Cards and Veep. 

According to the Business Journal, the Grand Lodge has paid $2.5 million for the property, or five times what they sold it for in 1998. That hasn't been officially verified in the press. But that price reflects inflation, along with major renovations and updates done to the venue by previous owners. By that yardstick, they got a steal.

Hodapp Climbs on Soapbox

Regular readers of this blog know that I’ve been beating this particular drum for years. Our buildings are not just pieces of costly real estate. All across America, Freemasons have been selling off some of the most architecturally significant fraternal buildings ever constructed. Some have found second lives as theaters, hotels, restaurants, apartments and event centers. Others have been stripped of their historic interiors, left to deteriorate, or simply demolished.

In too many cases, the fraternity has become so concerned with the cost of maintaining these great buildings that we have forgotten what they represent.

Our grandfathers and great-grandfathers didn’t build these temples merely to provide pretty rooms in which to hold stated meetings twice a month. They built them as lasting monuments to the importance of Freemasonry in their communities. They wanted their cities to know that Freemasonry was a permanent, respected, contributing part of civic life. And they frequently built them in the very hearts of their cities, where the public could see them every single day.

Of course, it’s easy for me to sit here and wax poetic about marble staircases, stained glass windows and soaring ceilings when somebody else has to pay the heating bills. I understand the enormous financial burden these buildings can represent, especially to a fraternity whose membership has declined dramatically from its mid-20th-century peak in 1958. 

But I have long believed that abandoning our historic temples is often a short-term solution with very long-term consequences. Once we sell them, I can now say we ALMOST NEVER get them back. Maryland has just demonstrated that almost is the important word in that sentence.

Here in Indianapolis, we face many of the same challenges with our own magnificent 1909 Indianapolis Masonic Temple. It’s an enormous, architecturally significant building with beautiful lodge rooms, banquet and ballroom facilities, an 980-seat auditorium and a remarkable history of service to both Freemasonry and the public. Like so many of these great temples, its future depends upon finding ways to make it relevant, useful and financially sustainable in the 21st century.

I’ve long argued that the solution to preserving our Masonic landmarks isn’t simply to lock the doors, reduce the thermostat and hope the maintenance bills go away. We need to find imaginative new uses for these buildings, professionally manage them, welcome the public inside, create partnerships with our communities, and remember that our historic temples can be some of Freemasonry’s greatest tools for education, outreach and public awareness today, in the here and now. They cannot just be relics from the distant past. And a building that sits empty six days a week isn’t fulfilling its potential, no matter how magnificent the lodge room may be.

Maryland’s decision to buy back its historic Baltimore headquarters and continue its use as a public events facility suggests an encouraging approach. My understanding is that several lodges have already expressed interest in returning to their original downtown home there once the lodge rooms are ready for their meetings again.The building can generate income, serve the wider community, and still retain an active Masonic presence. 

Naturally, the success of such an arrangement will depend upon the economics, the management, and the willingness of the fraternity to think beyond the traditional use of a Masonic building. But the fact that the Brethren of Maryland have taken this step at all is worth celebrating. And maybe, emulating.

Meanwhile, the Grand Lodge is going to keep its current headquarters in their admittedly magnificent modern facility in Cockeysville. When it was built in the 1990s, they spared little expense on that building and used their old downtown building's decor as inspiration for the new auditorium. It contains some of the most beautiful plaster and painting treatments I've seen in modern construction anywhere, so annual meetings will likely remain a fixture there. (Photos below)

So congratulations to the Grand Lodge of Maryland. I hope this turns out to be an enormous success, and that other Masonic jurisdictions around the country pay attention. After all, we spend an awful lot of time in our ritual talking about the importance of building. It’s great to see Brethren reclaiming a great one for a change.

Detroit Temple Centennial Gala This Saturday 10/17

by Christopher Hodapp

Tickets are still available for Saturday night's Centennial Gala of the Detroit Masonic Temple. But act fast!

100 years ago, the Masons of Detroit dreamed very big indeed, and constructed what remains today as the largest Masonic Temple building in the world, with over a thousand rooms inside. That it has remained in the hands of the fraternity in the 21st century is itself nothing short of miraculous. 

Come celebrate this milestone this Saturday, October 17th. Tickets are $100 and include dinner, drinks, dancing, a premium bar, and valet parking. To order, use the QR code in the flyers below. Or CLICK HERE.

https://www.themasonic.com/gala/

Happy Fraternal Day! (Wait. Wut?)

by Christopher Hodapp

Your mail wasn't delivered today because it is Columbus Day, the federal holiday commemorating Christopher Columbus arriving in the Americas in 1492. 

In 1892, America's only Hoosier President, Benjamin Harrison, encouraged nationwide celebrations of the 400th anniversary of Columbus's voyage. But it wasn't until 1934 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt began issuing annual proclamations recognizing Columbus Day. Congress got around to establishing it as a federal holiday in 1968, and it was finally signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. It was eventually moved to the second Monday to in October in order to standardize three-day weekends for major national holidays.

In recent years, the second Monday in October has also become widely observed as Indigenous Peoples' Day, honoring the history, cultures, and contributions of America's original inhabitants. But if you happen to live in the state of Alabama, you've got a THIRD reason to celebrate today.

It's also Fraternal Day!

No, I haven't made that up. Alabama is apparently one of the few places left in America where somebody in the state legislature still remembers that fraternal organizations even exist. In fact, the state's official 2026 holiday calendar lists the second Monday in October as "Columbus Day & Fraternal Day & American Indian Heritage Day." Three holidays for the price of one. 

That there is a rare example of some pretty efficient government thinking.

Fraternal Day isn't some recent invention dreamed up by a bored Shriner looking for another excuse to wear a fez in public and drag his little car out of the garage for the inevitable parade. Alabama established Fraternal Day way back on August 28, 1915, originally designating the second Thursday in October to recognize the contributions of fraternal organizations. It actually predated the establishment of Columbus Day as a federal holiday. 

Think about that for a moment. In 1915, the Golden Age of Fraternalism was in full swing and America was absolutely swimming in fraternal organizations. Freemasons, Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, Elks, Moose, Eagles, Woodmen of the World, and almost a thousand other groups with their own elaborate rituals, mysterious passwords, impressive hats, and enough jeweled collars, swords, and embroidered aprons to keep the nation's regalia manufacturers in business for generations. 

Fraternal groups were so numerous and widespread that a National Fraternal Congress of America was established at Chicago in 1913 as an umbrella organization to protect the interests of fraternalism and act as lobbyists in Washington DC. It's still around today.

And they weren't just social clubs. These organizations provided charitable assistance, life insurance, burial benefits, care for widows and orphans, hospitals, retirement homes, and a sense of community and belonging long before government programs took on many of those responsibilities. 

And Alabama's legislators thought all of that was important enough to deserve a holiday.

There was even an effort in 1915 to establish a National Fraternal Day. Texas Senator Morris Sheppard introduced legislation proposing October 27th as a federal holiday. Unfortunately, that idea went nowhere. Apparently, Congress decided the American people already had enough holidays involving picnics, ceremonial speeches, parades, drill teams, and men wearing funny headgear. 

Think of it: had Sheppard's fellow Texan Lyndon Johnson ever gone beyond just his Entered Apprentice degree in Johnson City Lodge No. 561 in 1937, he might have pushed for a national Fraternal Day holiday after becoming president.

We can but dream.

That's a damned shame, because Americans could stand to remember (or discover) just how important fraternal groups have been to the development of this country. Maybe we could push our legislators to resurrect the idea nationally, or state by state. After all, it costs nothing.

Of course, Fraternal Day doesn't mean Alabama's Masons get an extra day off from work. State offices are closed, but since it shares its date with Columbus Day, nobody gets to stack the holidays and take Tuesday off as well.

Still, it's a charming little historical survivor from an era when fraternalism was woven deeply into American civic life, and the contributions of our lodges and other organizations were considered worthy of statewide recognition.

Since it is also Columbus Day, there's a fraternal connection to that holiday, too. When Father Michael J. McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1882, he deliberately named the new Catholic fraternal organization after Christopher Columbus. At a time when anti-Catholic prejudice was widespread in America, Columbus was celebrated as a national hero, and McGivney wanted to remind his fellow Americans that Catholics had played an important role in the nation's history and could be just as patriotic as anybody else. The Knights went on to become one of America's largest and most influential fraternal organizations, and were instrumental in promoting Columbus Day as a national observance. So there's something rather fitting about Columbus Day and Fraternal Day sharing the same calendar square in Alabama. Somewhere, Father McGivney must be smiling at that little coincidence (even if he would have been a bit unnerved by the presence of us Freemasons for the occasion).

So, to all our Brethren in Alabama, Happy Fraternal Day! Wear your square and compasses proudly. Call an old Brother you haven't seen in a while. Visit a lodge. Do something charitable for somebody who needs a hand. Maybe even invite a prospective member to dinner. And if you happen to find yourself in a restaurant tonight, raise a glass to the Masons, Knights, Prophets, Odd Fellows, Woodmen, Foresters, Red Men, Hibernians, Pythians, Eagles, Elks, Owls, Mooses, Macabees, Cincinnatis, Hoo-Hoos, and all the other fraternal organizations that have helped build American communities over the last three centuries.

Just don't expect the waiter to know what the hell you're celebrating. (Practice your elevator speech - now's your chance to explain it to him.)

Happy Fraternal Day, Brethren!