USA at 250

 

By Senior Midnight Freemason Contributor

Gregory J. Knott, 33°

Happy 250th Birthday America! I can recall all of the excitement in 1976 around the 200th birthday of the United States. How has that been 50 years ago already!

Freemasonry is woven into the fabric of the founding of the country. Numerous founding fathers were Freemasons and played pivotal roles into the United States gaining our independence. Instead of rehashing all of those stories, I put together samples of what others are saying as we celebrate 250 years.

Grand Lodge of Ohio

As America marks 250 years of independence, it’s worth noting the presence and impact of Freemasonry during the nation’s founding. Some of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence, led the Continental Army, and drafted the Constitution were Masons. George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Paul Revere are among the most well known, but the list extends broadly across the founding generation. General Rufus Putnam, who was elected Ohio’s first Grand Master, served under General Washington during the Revolutionary War. Freemasonry provided these men with a shared set of values, such as brotherhood, equality, and the pursuit of truth. These ideals not only shaped their conduct in the lodge but their vision for a new nation. Some of the symbols central to our fraternity are still visible in American life today, in places most people encounter without realizing their origin.

Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania

As we celebrate the 250th Anniversary of our country, it is important for us to acknowledge the enduring influence of Freemasonry as one of the primary sources of the foundational concepts in the Declaration of Independence. Lodges should make every effort to be a focal point in their communities for America’s Semiquincentennial in 2026. Special events throughout the year will unite our Pennsylvania brethren with our counterparts across the country as we reaffirm the ideals that built this nation. Let’s lead the way in celebrating our great nation’s founding!

Grand Lodge of Rhode Island

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, the air is filled with reflection. We look back at 1776 not just as a date on a calendar, but as the moment a nation was born with powerful ideals such Liberty and Justice for all.

For RI Freemasons, this milestone carries a personal resonance. History shows us that the Great Architect of the Universe used many "living stones"—many of them Masons—to build the framework of American democracy. George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and John Hancock exemplified the tenets of the Craft and imprinted them in the Declaration of Independence.

Happy Birthday America!

~GJK

Greg Knott is a Senior Contributor to the Midnight Freemasons and has been a Freemason since 2007.

United We Stand

by Senior Midnight Freemason Contributor

WB Gregory J. Knott

September 11, 2001 I was angry, I cried, I was distraught, I was confused and countless other emotions that most Americans felt. It was the worst day in my lifetime of attacks on the American homeland. 

September 12, 2001 I woke up as most American’s did and tried to begin to figure out what happened in New York City, Washington DC and Shanksville, PA. From coast to coast we united as one country, as Americans. We weren’t white, black, hispanic, asian, native american or other ethnicities, we were simply AMERICANS.

People flocked to church to pray for those lost in the attacks, blood drives were going full force, flags were flying from every big and small town, members of both parties in the United States Congress gathered on the capitol steps to sing together. Our first responders were our heroes as they selflessly rushed into the crash sites to help others, and so many of them gave their lives doing so. People flooded recruiting stations to sign up for the military, such as United States Army Sergeant Major Thomas P. Payne, who was recently awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for gallantry in Iraq.

We stood side by side with a determination to pull our country together in a show of unity that I hadn’t seen before in my lifetime or since. United we stood.

19 years later, our country is bitterly divided along ethnic lines, political parties, rural vs urban vs suburban, young vs old, etc. What happened to that feeling of September 12, 2001? Divided we fall.

I won’t get into deep speculation of why we are so divided. My view is 24/7 news channels, social media, the decline of social capital in our communities, and more is just a small part of the problem.

But I belong to an organization that brings men together of every race, of every religion and from every status of life. We meet in a lodge where you can check all of those differences at the door and enter a sanctuary where every person is absolutely equal with one another. A warm handshake (before COVID), a sincere greeting and a deep sense of caring for each other await you. Of course I am speaking of Freemasonry.

Freemasonry absolutely has the framework that can help solve so many of the world's trevails today. You enter a lodge, engage with other brothers, learning from them, helping them, all the while being on the level with them. You leave the lodge a better person and go back into the greater world and apply those principles we talk about and learn about in our degrees. You are instantly part of the solution instead of part of the problem.

So I challenge all of us as Freemasons to use those lessons and put them to work in your community, at home, in your place of worship, on the job and as you use social media. Be the example and others will soon begin to take notice and your positive influence will rub off on them.

Be a light in the darkness. United we stand.

~GJK

WB Gregory J. Knott is a founding member and Senior Contributor of the Midnight Freemasons blog. He is a 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. He’s a member of the Scottish Rite, the York Rite, Eastern Star and is the Charter Secretary of the Illini High Twelve Club No. 768 in Champaign-Urbana. He is also a member of ANSAR Shrine (IL) and the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees. Greg serves on the Board of Directors of The Masonic Society and is a member of the Scottish Rite Research Society and The Philathes Society. He is a charter member of a new Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter U.D. and serves as its Secretary. Greg is very involved in Boy Scouts—an Eagle Scout himself, he is a member of the National Association of Masonic Scouters. You can contact him at gknott63@gmail.com

Genealogy of the United States' Masonic Grand Lodges

Whence came your Grand Lodge?

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Steven L. Harrison, 33°, FMLR

The first time I saw it hanging in the Grand Lodge building in Columbia, Missouri, I thought, "That is the most complex, convoluted, confusing thing I have ever seen."  It was also captivating.  That "thing" is a large map of the United States as it existed in 1939.  In other words, there is no Alaska or Hawaii and, for some reason, it also lops off the bottom part of Texas (given the traffic I've encountered in Houston, I've often thought that might be a good idea).  

The map's title reveals it to be the "Genealogy of Masonic Grand Lodges of the U.S., prepared by George B. Clark, Denver, Colorado, September, 1926, revised September 1939."  The Masonic Service Association published it the same year. 

The individual states are colored either blue or gray, with concentrations of the blue states mostly in the midwest and west coast.  The Great Lakes are an appropriate aqua color.  Michigan's Upper Peninsula is also aqua, giving one the impression it may have been submerged at the time.

There is a large circle inside or (in the case of the smaller New England states) near each state.  In the blue states, the circle is filled with white.  In the gray states, the circle is gray with a red border.  Also inside most states is a series of smaller circles with the same color scheme.  Finally, in a master stroke of chaotic genius, a network of red lines connects the large and small circles.  

It's an exquisite mess.

In simple terms, the map shows the origins of each Grand Lodge along with the individual Lodges that formed it.  Using my own Grand Lodge as an example (it's all about me, of course), here's how it works:

The large circle inside Missouri is inscribed "April 24, 1841," indicating the Grand Lodge's date of origin.*  That circle connects to smaller circles labeled "140," "150" and "153."  Those circles connect to ones in Kansas containing, respectively, "1,"  "2" and "3." In turn, those three Kansas circles connect to to the large one in that state, which says, "March 17, 1856."  

In other words, the Grand Lodge of Missouri chartered Missouri Lodges 140, 150 and 153, all located in Kansas.  Then, when Kansas became a Grand Lodge on  March 17, 1856, those Lodges became, respectively, Kansas Lodges 1, 2 and 3.  For the record, those were Kansas Lodges Smithton 1, Leavenworth 2 and Kansas 3.

This intricate map shows the same information for each Grand Lodge in the continental United States.  You can follow the history of your own Grand Lodge by clicking on the accompanying link.

The Rest of the Story

The map is a patchwork of color: blue states, gray states, red lines and so on.  Some of the smaller circles connect to other circles with black numbers or red numbers or, in some cases, both black and red.  There is no accompanying key to explain the meaning of those and other color variations.  Without such indications I was quite curious to find out what all of the complex coloring meant.

I called MWB Richard Fletcher who, at the time, was Executive Secretary of the Masonic Service Association.  "I have the original map here," he told me, "and there are no colors on it."

Hitting that dead end, I called RWB Ronald Miller, who was the Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Missouri.  "We created that map," he said, "for our Masonic Museum.  The consultant we hired for the project told us colors have more impact, so they were added for that reason.  The colors are random... they have no meaning."

Disappointing, but it just goes to show the old adage is true: "A camel is a horse designed by a committee..." or a consultant trying to justify an outrageous fee.

*The Grand Lodge of Missouri recognizes April 21, 1821 as its official organization date.  Historical documentation indicates the brothers did not assemble until Monday, April 23, 1821, and did not have a quorum until April 24, when the actual business of the meeting and election of Grand Officers took place.

~SLH

Bro. Steve Harrison, 33°, is Past Master of Liberty Lodge #31, Liberty, Missouri. He is the editor of the Missouri Freemason magazine, author of the book Freemasonry Crosses the Mississippi, a Fellow of the Missouri Lodge of Research and also its Worshipful Master. He is a dual member of Kearney Lodge #311, St. Joseph Missouri Valley of the Scottish Rite, Liberty York Rite, Moila Shrine and a member and Past Dean of the DeMolay Legion of Honor. Brother Harrison is a regular contributor to the Midnight Freemasons blog as well as several other Masonic publications. His latest book, Freemasons: Tales From the Craft & Freemasons at Oak Island. Both are available on amazon.com.

Our Nation’s Capital

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

WB Gregory J. Knott

Fellow Midnight Freemason Todd Creason and I recently attended Masonic Week 2015 in Reston, VA.  While there, we took some time to tour our nation’s capital city, seeing many of the Masonic sites, plus many more.  I love visiting Washington DC.   The history, architecture, and sites are something I never get tired of seeing and I have been nearly 30 times.

Last year I became a dual member of Naval Lodge No. 4 in Washington DC.   This lodge is one of the oldest and most historic in the District.   The Brethren there, have welcomed me with open arms and I consider them true friends.

I also enjoy taking pictures and have taken more than 15,000 pictures of the DC area.   I plan to share some of these over the coming year and will be working with Brother Creason on future posts that feature my pictures with his writing to highlight some of the sites I have visited.

I have a Facebook page Freemason Photography that I have started and will be feature pictures of not only DC, but also from across the country.   So to get us started, here is a very small sampling.

The U.S. Capitol Building

House of the Temple – Home of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, SJ

Brother John Paul Jones – father of the US Navy

Spring cherry blossoms on the National Mall 

with the Jefferson Memorial in the background.

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. He’s a member of the Scottish Rite, the York Rite, Eastern Star and is the Charter Secretary of the Illini High Twelve Club No. 768 in Champaign-Urbana. He is also a member of ANSAR Shrine (IL) and the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees. Greg serves on the Board of Directors of The Masonic Society and is a member of the Scottish Rite Research Society and The Philathes Society. Greg is very involved in Boy Scouts—an Eagle Scout himself, he is a member of the National Association of Masonic Scouters.