‘William Morgan at The ALR this month’

   

The ALR

The American Lodge of Research will meet again on the twenty-seventh of the month—that’s a Tuesday—at Masonic Hall. Seven o’clock in the Colonial Room on ten.

From the Worshipful Master:

At our June meeting, the Lodge will receive a paper and presentation from one of our Active Members, R.W. Bro. Ron Murad. The topic of his paper is “The Truth—Maybe—of the Morgan Affair: Its Impact on Anti-Masonry.”

The painting that graces the cover of this meeting notice is Skaneateles Lake by the artist Mike Kraus. While Skaneateles Lake is only somewhat geographically close to the town of Batavia, New York, it is more emblematic of what that part of New York must have looked like around the time of Morgan’s disappearance. Morgan’s departure from the town of Batavia, whether voluntary or coerced, has been a subject of intense research by Masons and non-Masons alike since the time the event took place in 1826.

The fallout was swift and impactful to Masonry, with his disappearance and the minimal punishment for his accused kidnappers giving rise to public outrage, protests, the closure of many Masonic lodges, and the rise of a national Anti-Masonic Party.

On a trip to Buffalo, New York about ten years ago, I had the opportunity to stop by the memorial to William Morgan at the Batavia Cemetery. It is an imposing column with a depiction of Morgan on top. I am looking forward to Bro. Murad’s presentation and the new light it will shine on this time in Masonic history.

Bro. Ron is becoming a fixture at The ALR.

Our other attraction that evening will be elections and installation of officers for the ensuing year. W. Bro. Conor will be exiting the East after two years of restoring order from chaos, to say the least. We have been lucky to have him at the helm. The task still outstanding is our book of transactions, and that’s my fault. Still working on it. The goal was to distribute copies at this June 27 meeting, and I apologize for taking so long. Look for a summertime mailing.

Unless something goes awry on the twenty-seventh, I will find myself in the West by the time we close. Hope to see you there.