The Curiosity of Freemasonry

 By Midnight Freemason Contributor

WB Gregory J. Knott

This past month, the University of Illinois Library has featured a display on the 300th anniversary of the founding of the organized Freemasonry. Six cases of memorabilia, artifacts and books tell the story of the founding of the fraternity, what Freemasonry is, some of its well-known members, and information about the numerous appendant bodies.

I have the real privilege of working at the University of Illinois Library and I help put this exhibit together along with my colleague, UI faculty member Cherie’ Weible. Hundreds of people walk by these displays every day. My office isn’t far from the exhibit and I have observed first hand just how many people have stopped and looked at the items in the cases. People are genuinely curious about our fraternity.

Have you thought about working with your local library or historical society to do an exhibit on Freemasonry? All of our lodges contain a treasure trove of records and artifacts and these are an important part of the local history of a community.

These are great educational opportunities to let the public know your lodge is still there and thriving.

Need some help coming up ideas? I share these links with some great ideas on how to put an exciting exhibit together:

Creating a History Day Exhibit

10 Museum Design Tips

Museum Exhibit Design Tips

~GJK

WB Gregory J. Knott is the Past Master of St. Joseph Lodge No. 970 in St. Joseph (IL) and a plural member of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL) and Naval Lodge No. 4 in Washington, DC.