Trigger

Some think it's an urban legend, but it isn't.  Roy Rogers, famed TV and movie cowboy, and a member of Hollywood Lodge 355, really did have his beloved palomino horse Trigger stuffed (actually stretched over a plaster cast) and mounted when Trigger died in 1965. Brother Rogers also commissioned a 24-foot statue of Trigger to sit outside his museum.  The mold for that statue also served as the mold for "Bucky the Bronco," which sits outside the Denver Bronco's football stadium. In 2009, the "stuffed" Trigger sold for $266,000 to television channel RFD-TV, which plans to start a Western museum in Omaha.  Roy's famous dog Bullet was also stuffed and will stand there alongside Trigger.  When the Roy Rogers museum in Branson closed in 2010, developers bought the statue outside for display at the new Apple Valley Village, near Roger's home.

A Leaky Milk Wagon

Edward N. Hines, a member of Ashlar Lodge 91 in Detroit, was an innovator in the early development of highways.   In 1909, he designed and built the first mile of paved road in the world, a stretch of Woodward Avenue between Six and Seven Mile roads in Detroit.  In 1893 he published the first road tourbook and even in the infancy of their development started a movement for highway beautification.  In 1911, a leaky milk wagon he was following led him to develop one of the greatest highway safety features of all.  The wagon was leaking a trail of white milk near the center of the road when Brother Hines got the idea for a white line to separate lanes, a standard feature on every highway in the world today.

Feared Lost

In September, 2001, St. John's Lodge 1 in New York loaned the precious Washington inaugural Bible to the Fraunces Tavern Museum for display.  Located just a few blocks from the World Trade Center, the attacks of September 11 blanketed the area with dust, debris and rubble.  Authorities cordoned off the area and the Brothers feared the priceless relic may have been damaged or lost.  Two days later, Brother Tom Savini, Director of the Livingston Masonic Library, obtained a special escort to the Fraunces Tavern Museum, where he found the Washington Bible intact and unharmed.

The Iconic Bucking Horse

Lester C. Hunt, a member of Wyoming Lodge 2 in Lander, served as Governor and a US Senator from his state.  He may be best remembered, however, for something he did as Wyoming's Secretary of State.  Serving in that position in 1936, he designed Wyoming's iconic "bucking horse" license plate, commissioning famed western landscape artist Allen T. True of Authors Lodge 3456 in London to complete the final artwork.  Every quarter for the remainder of his life, Brother Hunt received a royalty of $3.50 from the state for the use of his design.  Instead of cashing the checks, he endorsed them over to the state treasury.

The Rest Is History

St. John's Lodge #1 in New York has the honor of having the Bible upon which George Washington took his presidential oath of office.  It wasn't planned that way but when Brother Washington was preparing to take the oath, someone noticed there was no Bible to be found.  Aids went in search of one and seeing St. John's Lodge (at the time Lodge #2) across the street they knew it would have a Bible.  They rushed in, borrowed it and, as they say, the rest is history.

Try, Try Again

Sir Thomas J. Lipton, a member of Lodge Scotia 178 in Glasgow Scotland, was known worldwide as the founder of Lipton Tea. The company bearing his name even today remains a global business titan.  Lesser known is the fact that Brother Lipton was also the most persistent participant in the America's Cup yachting series history.  He invested millions of dollars building five yachts, all named "Shamrock."  In spite of his sizable investment and perseverance, he lost every race.

The George Washington Of Italy

Often called "The George Washington of Italy," Giuseppe Garibaldi fought for the independence of no less than three countries: Italy, Uruguay and Brazil.  Somehow in the midst of all this, he found time to be Grand Commander of the Supreme Council, 33° AASR, in Italy as well as Grand Master of Italy.  In the US, he was affiliated with Tompkins Lodge 471 in Stapleton, NY.

The Nuclear Trigger

After World War II, the United States began an atomic weapons testing program at Eniwetok Atoll in the South Pacific. Major General John E. Hull (a member of Oxford Lodge 67 in Ohio) commanded the operation.  On the morning of April 14, 1948 Brother Hull figuratively became the first person to pull the trigger on a nuclear device during peacetime when the US detonated the first atomic bomb there.

The Grand Honors

Baron Johann de Kalb (most likely a member of Army Lodge 29 of Pennsylvania) lost his life rallying his American troops during the Revolutionary War Battle of Camden.  The opposing commander, Lord Charles Cornwallis personally tended to his mortally wounded Brother, who had been shot 11 times.  Then, when Brother de Kalb died, Brother Cornwallis performed the grand honors of Masonry at his funeral.

Dedicated Preservationist

Thomas Armstrong, Jr., Lodge unknown, was a banker, attorney and president of the Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society.  He was so dedicated to the preservation of historical sites that, in 1924, he purchased the Pueblo Grande Ancient Ruins and donated the grounds to the city of Phoenix.

The Financial Genius Who Died Penniless

Haym Salomon, a member of King Solomon Lodge 12 in Pennsylvania, was an American Revolutionary hero.  Captured and sentenced to death, he escaped to become a broker who practically single-handedly obtained the funds for the US to fight the revolution.  He also gave financial assistance to several influential leaders including Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and Edmund Randolph.  He was regarded as a financial genius for his role but, amazingly, he died penniless.

Brotherly Love Recommended

Boston's Old North Church, always associated with Brother Paul Revere's famous ride, was also the venue for the first known "Masonic sermon."  On December 27, 1749, Brother Charles Brockwell delivered the message, "Brotherly Love Recommended" at the venerable site.

Hate Stamps

Following the Nazi occupation in 1941, Serbia issued a series of anti-Masonic, anti-Jewish stamps to promote the Grand Anti-Masonic Exhibition, which opened in Belgrade October 22, 1941.  Each of the four stamps depicts a victorious Serbia defeating plots for world domination.

The Texas State Flag

Brothers Lorenzo DeZavala (Independence Lodge 3) and David G. Burnet (Holland Lodge 1) designed early versions of what is now the Texas state flag.  In 1839, Texas Republic President Mirabeau B. Lamar (Harmony Lodge 6 of Galveston) commissioned Brother Charles B. Stewart (Montgomery Lodge 25) to design the state flag that flies over Texas today.

The First Tyler In Kansas

The first Tyler at a Masonic Lodge meeting in Kansas was a Native American woman. Lydia Walker (Her tribal name was Mendias) served at the station outside while the Freemasons, including her husband Matthew serving as Senior Deacon, met inside. Her house at 350 Troupe in Kansas City, Kansas, served as the Lodge for that first meeting as well as the first meeting place of the Eastern Star in the state.  Ms. Walker eventually became the first Grand Matron of the Kansas Eastern Star.

Light Horse Harry

Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee, a member of Hiram Lodge 59 in Virginia, earned his nickname for his skill as a calvary captain during the revolutionary war.  Having served as Virginia's Governor 1792-95, he gave the famous eulogy of Brother George Washington calling him, "First in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen."  Brother Lee was also the father of another famous soldier, Civil War General Robert E. Lee.

Grand Master In Two Hemispheres

Dr. Carlos Rodriguez Jimenez served as the Grand Master of two countries.  He was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Venezuela in 1947, and then served as Japan's first Grand Master beginning in 1957.

A Man Of Incredible Talent

Charles H. Allen, William North Lodge of Lowell, Massachusetts, became the first governor of Puerto Rico after the US freed it from Spanish rule.  A man of incredible talent, he was an accomplished artist, musician and cabinet-maker.  Also an avid gardener, his home, "The Terraces," boasted showcase gardens featuring fountains, a pergola, and a gazebo now located at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Center for Lowell History. Twenty-seven of his landscape and marine paintings are now in Lowell's Whistler House Museum of Art.  As Governor of Puerto Rico, he eliminated the island's debt that had accrued over 400 years of despotic Spanish rule and incredibly left it with over a million dollars in its treasury.

Outstanding Sportsman

John W. Galbreath, University Lodge 631 of Columbus, Ohio, made a fortune in commercial property development.  His business successes, however, were only a means that allowed him to pursue his real passion: sports.  He owned both the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team and Darby Dan racing stables.  As an owner he won three World Series (1960, 1971, 1979) and two Kentucky Derbys (1963, 1967).  Named Outstanding Breeder in 1974, He is one of only four owners to win both the Kentucky Derby and Epson Derby. Oddly, or perhaps as a premonition, this world-class derby winner was born in Derby, Ohio.

Allies And Enemies

Emilio Aguinaldo, Philippine patriot and general, led the only forces ever to fight as both allies and enemies of the United States.  He supported the US in the Spanish-American war, but became suspicious of the US after the war and led his forces in rebellion against US dominance.  Defeated in that effort he eventually became a staunch supporter of the US.  Initiated Jan. 1, 1895 in Pilar Lodge under the Grand Orient of Spain, where he eventually became Master, Brother Aguinaldo retired after the uprising and organized Magdalo Lodge, which met at his residence.  Upon his death in 1964, he had been a Freemason for over 69 years.

Missouri State Flag

Allen L. Oliver, a member of St. Marks Lodge 93, Cape Girardeau, served as Master of the Missouri Lodge of Research in 1955.  He was also President General of the Sons of American Revolution 1946-47 and received the Boy Scouts' prestigious Silver Beaver in 1935. His mother, Marie, designed the Missouri State flag.