Masonic and Odd Fellows Folk Art at Cincinnati's Taft Museum

by Christopher Hodapp

From now until May 11th, 2025, downtown Cincinnati's Taft Museum of Art is displaying an exhibit of fraternal folk art featuring some 80 pieces from the Freemasons and the Odd Fellows.

From the museum's website description:

Mystery & Benevolence: Masonic and Odd Fellows Folk Art

Through compelling and cryptic works of art, Mystery & Benevolence brings to light the histories, symbolism, and beliefs of the Freemasons and the Independent Order of the Odd Fellows (IOOF)—two fraternal organizations with deep roots in American history.

 

For decades, members across the country have come together to socialize, help others, and improve themselves and their communities. The exhibition features more than eighty works of art, including items once owned by the Daughters of Rebekah—the first lodge to include women—and the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows, founded as the African American counterpart to the IOOF. Sculptures, textiles, regalia, prints, and works of decorative art explore the main principles of the organizations: fellowship, charity, labor, passage, and wisdom. Elaborately stitched costumes, gilded regalia and jewelry, and richly embellished ceremonial objects provide a glimpse into the enigmatic world of these secret societies.

 

Mystery and Benevolence is organized by the American Folk Art Museum, New York, NY, from the Kendra and Allan Daniel Collection and toured by International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC.

The Taft Museum is open Wednesdays through Mondays from 10AM to 5PM. Admission is free for Taft members, guests of members with guest pass, military, and youth (17 and under); $15 for adults; $12 for seniors. Includes admission to special exhibitions and the museum’s collection galleries. Sundays and Mondays are free of charge.

The Taft Museum of Art is located at 316 Pike Street, at the east end of Fourth Street, across from historic Lytle Park in downtown Cincinnati.

Smoky Mountains Masonic Marker Near Maggie Valley Vandalized

by Christopher Hodapp

The Great Smoky Mountains Masonic Marker at Black Camp Gap in North Carolina was recently vandalized, according to an article on the WLOS-TV13 website. 

The Marker, located along the Blue Ridge Parkway, is a stone monument that was constructed in the 1930s by area Freemasons, and it contains stones from all 50 states, many of which are inscribed with their origins. 

Attendees at the annual Great Smoky Mountains York Rite Festival held in Maggie Valley each July make a pilgrimage to the Marker. It was dedicated July 11, 1938 and contains a time capsule. 

The Marker sits at the top of a hill and can be reached via a series of stone steps that are engraved with the names of various lodges and grand lodges that contributed to its construction. Photos in the article show damage was done to those stairway stones, along with several more on the Marker itself:

Blue Ridge Parkway representatives say it appears that someone took a hammer and chipped the steps away at the Masonic marker near Maggie Valley, all the way up to the main marker. "It appears to be some fairly recent vandalism," said Blue Ridge Parkway spokesperson Leesa Brandon.

Brandon says that only last week did they hear of the damage at the Masonic marker off of the Heintooga Road section of the Parkway.

"Unfortunately, instances of graffiti and vandalism on the Parkway are all too common," said Brandon. "But we're sorry obviously to see this particular instance at this historic marker that's been here since the late 1930s."

The monument includes rocks from most states — from places such as Plymouth Rock and the Alamo. Some of the stones have even come from the Rock of Gibraltar and Antarctica.

"A biker told me about it," said Mark Balree, who is visiting from Wilmington. "I'm going to go see it."

He finds the monument intriguing and is saddened to hear of the vandalism.

"Our law enforcement rangers have been on site and have collected some of the information," said Brandon. But, with no surveillance cameras on site, the investigation will be difficult.

"It's very hard to know or say exactly what happened without any witnesses," she said.

Brandon said this marker has a significant meaning to the Freemasons. "We've started some discussions with some of the local caretakers of that site about next steps," she said. The repairs, however, will be more difficult than replacing graffitied or stolen overlook signs.

"This is not going to be that kind of repair," Brandon said. "It will require a lot of special care and attention."

Future security measures are up for discussion, such as a security camera and more patrols.

"I think all of those conversations are on the table," she said.

The Blue Ridge Parkway says anyone with information should contact authorities at 1-800-727-5928.

 

The Marker was the brainchild of T. Troy Wyche in the early 1930s. A stone bearing his name was damaged, as was a triangular stone commemorating its dedication in 1938. It was created to demonstrate the cooperation among Masons all over the world.

The National Park Service explanation of the Marker

(Photo: Chris Hodapp)

According to the National Parks Service sign, the Marker is made up of 687 stones that came from the various states and 41 other nations, from every continent, including Antarctica. They include stones from Plymouth Rock, the Rock of Gibraltar, the Alamo, and the White House.

Over the years, a metal fence was installed around the Marker in an attempt to prevent just this sort of vandalism, and a wooden shelter was built over it to guard against damage from the natural elements.

Freemason and Odd Fellows Exhibit at Historic Arkansas Museum in Little Rock

by Christopher Hodapp

A new exhibition on Freemasonry and the Odd Fellows opened this evening at the Historic Arkansas Museum in Little Rock: "Mystery and Benevolence: Masonic and Odd Fellows Folk Art from the Kendra and Allan Daniel Gift to the American Folk Art Museum."

The exhibit is on loan from the American Folk Art Museum in New York.

From the exhibit's description:

Mystical, evocative, and sometimes simply strange, the art of fraternal practice is rich in symbols that are oddly familiar yet strikingly uncommon. Through arcane and alluring artifacts, Mystery and Benevolence brings to light the histories of the Freemasons and the Independent Order of the Odd Fellows, two fraternal secret societies with deep roots in American history. The over eighty carvings, textiles, sculptures, and adornments that constitute this exhibition were used from the late eighteenth through mid-twentieth centuries, and retain their clandestine allure to this day.

The Historic Arkansas Museum is located at 1100 North Street, Little Rock, Arkansas. Hours are Tuesday – Saturday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM; Sunday 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM. For admission and more information, visit their website at www.arkansasheritage.com