Ireland's Grand Lodge Building

In Ireland, the Grand Lodge building stands on the property where Richard Parsons, 1st Earl of Rosse, Ireland's first Grand Master, once lived.

Wrong Place At The Wrong Time

John R. Thomas (1846-1914), Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Illinois (1885), moved to Oklahoma to practice law after serving 10 years in congress. In a classic case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, on January 20, 1914, MWB Thomas elected to meet with a client in the warden's office of the Oklahoma state prison in McAlester to discuss a case. At the same moment, three convicts who had obtained a gun made an escape attempt, but first headed for the warden's office to confront a parole officer. Brother Thomas was the first to die in the botched plot that ultimately saw the three convicts, the deputy warden and two other prison officials killed.

The First Shall Be Last...

Anson Jones (1798-1858), Holland Lodge 36, Houston (UD) was both the first Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Texas (1838) and the Last President of the Republic of Texas (1844-1846).

Arnold Palmer - Tennis Star?

In 1974, Arnold Palmer, professional golfer, Loyalhanna Lodge 275 of Labrobe, Pennsylvania, made a Cadillac commercial featuring his skills as, what else - a tennis player. Brother Palmer's tennis game, the commercial and 1974 Cadillac sales all proved to be lackluster. In future endorsements when it has come to sports, Brother Palmer has limited his activities to something he's pretty good at... golf.

White Christmas

Working late one night in 1940, poolside at the Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix, Irving Berlin, Munn Lodge 190, New York City, told his secretary, "I just wrote the best song I've ever written — heck, I just wrote the best song anybody's ever written!"  Brother Berlin was right on the mark.  He had just finished composing "White Christmas."  Having sold 50 million copies - and counting - it is the best selling single of all time.

Guthrie Scottish Rite Building

The iconic Guthrie Scottish Rite Building sits on grounds once designated for the Oklahoma State Capitol building.

Is Prince Hall On The $2 Bill?

There is a popular urban legend that a depiction of Brother Prince Hall appears on the back of the two dollar bill.  The back of the bill shows an etching drawn from John Trumbull's painting, “Declaration of Independence."  In the etching, a dark-complected figure sits in the middle of the front row of seated delegates at the Second Continental Congress and some believe this must be Prince Hall.  However, for all his accomplishments, Brother Prince Hall, as a historical fact, was not present at that meeting.  It turns out the dark complection of the man in question is a product of the etching.  Further examination of the painting from which the etching has its origin shows the person sitting in that position to be Robert Morris.

First African American Senator

Hiram Rhodes Revels was the first African American to serve in the US Senate and, for that matter, in congress.  A Prince Hall Freemason, he served as Grand Chaplain of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Ohio.  He was elected to the Senate from Mississippi to fill the unexpired term of Albert G. Brown, who withdrew from the office when Mississippi joined the Confederacy.  Brother Rhodes served a little over a year and went on to become President of what is today Alcorn State University.

Wanted: One Grand Master... No Experience Necessary

Gustavus V, King of Sweden, Nordiska Forsta Lodge, became Grand Master of Sweden on March 22, 1880 - at the age of 20!

An Ironic Tragedy

Brother Webster Wagner, Hamilton Lodge 79, New York, was the inventor of railroad sleeping cars.  He founded the Wagner Palace-car Company, which supplied sleeping and parlor cars to all lines of the Vanderbilt system in the eastern US.  Also a member of the New York state legislature, he continued to serve as his company's president until January 13, 1882, when, in an ironic tragedy, he was killed in a railroad disaster while sleeping in one of the cars he had invented.

Brother George Pullman of Renovation Lodge 97 in Albion, NY, perfected, but did not invent the railroad sleeping car, as some believe.  Brother Pullman began working on his famous coaches in 1859, a year after Brother Wagner's cars first went into service.

California's Five Day Governor

Brother Milton Latham, Washington Lodge 20 of Sacramento, had the shortest term of any California Governor, serving only five days!

Having taken the oath of office on January 9, 1860, he resigned when the California Legislature selected him as California's US Senator to replace David Colbreth Broderick, who was killed in a duel. John G. Downey, Los Angeles Lodge 42, succeeded Brother Latham as Governor. Brother Downey, of course, has the distincion of being California's shortest serving Lt. Governor, an office which he held for the same five days.

Charles Lindbergh's Surprising Time Magazine Cover

Charles Lindbergh, Keystone Lodge 243, St. Louis, once appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, not for any of his accomplishments in aviation, but for his role in inventing what was called an artificial heart!

Tom Mix

Tom Mix, early cowboy movie superstar, was raised a Master Mason at Utopia Lodge 537 of Los Angeles on February 21, 1925. He was so excited about becoming a Freemason that, in a day prior to life endowments, he immediately paid the dues for his first ten years of membership.

The Socialist Entrepreneur

King C. Gillette (1855-1932), Columbian Lodge, Boston, was the inventor of the iconic razor bearing his name.  Founder of the Gillette corporation, he built one of the great companies of the 20th century and is considered a pioneer titan of industry in the American capitalistic system.  In spite of that, Brother Gillette was a committed Socialist!

Ironically, Gillette founded his company for the sole purpose of financing the promotion of a new Socialist system.

Dan Brown On Freemasonry

“In a world where men do battle over whose definition of God is most accurate, I cannot adequately express the deep respect and admiration I feel toward [the Freemasons], an organization in which men of differing faiths are able to ‘break bread together’ in a bond of brotherhood, friendship, and camaraderie." ~Dan Brown, author The Lost Symbol

Diogenes the Mason

In 1874, archaeologists discovered a room in Pompeii preserved from 79 A.D. in the ash of Mt. Vesuvius.  Inside was a trestle-board, showing a large square above a skull and a plumb line.  In the same room were an urn representing a pot of manna, a setting maul, trowel, spade, a small staff and a chest representing the Ark of the Covenant.   Over the door of the house was an inscription, “Diogenes the Mason.”

Submitted by Otha Wingo, Harold O. Grauel Lodge #672, Missouri

Dirty Dancing, 1830s Style

The Presbyterian Church in 1831, sanctioned Nathaniel Beverley Tucker (1784-1851), second Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Missouri, for "Unchristian Conduct." Certain parties, it seems, claimed he "partook of the amusement of dancing" on three occasions.  There is no record of any action taken against him, but shortly thereafter MWB Tucker became an Episcopalian!

A Very Masonic Name

In 1953, the Grand Chaplain of the Grand Lodge of Texas was a Brother named Hiram Abiff Boaz.

Pearl Harbor Valor

Among the many stories of valor at Pearl Harbor, 70 years ago today, was the heroism of Brother Jesse D. Jewell.  Brother Jewell, St. Paul's Lodge 14, Newport, RI, was a physician stationed aboard the USS California.  Severely burned about the face and arms, he stayed at his post and administered medical care to the wounded men on his ship.  Credited with saving many lives on that day, he was cited for his courage, determination and devotion and awarded the coveted Navy Cross.

Winston Churchill's Birth

An urban legend has floated around the Internet for years claiming Brother Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room at a dance.  It isn't true, but  hearing the circumstances of his birth, one can see how the rumor got started.  Churchill's mother, Jennie, was attending a dance at Blenheim Palace when she went into labor.  She was removed to a "singularly bleak-looking bedroom" which was temporarily being used to store coats (hence, folklore seems to have translated "cloakroom," into "ladies' room").  There, 24 hours after the dance had ended, Winston was born.

Clifton Truman Daniel

Clifton Truman Daniel is Director of Public Relations at Truman College in Chicago, former newspaper reporter, editor, author, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Harry S. Truman Library in Independence, MO, and the eldest grandson of Harry S. Truman.  This past Saturday in Joliet, IL, he followed in the footsteps of his famous grandfather and became a Master Mason, with the Grand Lodges of Illinois and Missouri conducting the impressive ceremony.

The Senior Junior Senator

Brother Ernest F. "Fritz" Hollings served over 38 years in the US Senate representing the State of South Carolina until his retirement in 2005. During that tenure, he served as the state's junior senator alongside Brother Strom Thurmond.  The pair are the longest serving team of senators ever and Brother Thurmond's longevity gave Brother Hollings the somewhat dubious distinction of being the legislative body's most senior junior senator.