The Magpie Mason

The Magpie Mason is an obscure journalist in the Craft who writes, with occasional flashes of superficial cleverness, about Freemasonry’s current events and history; literature and art; philosophy and pipe smoking. He is a Past Master of both The American Lodge of Research in New York City and of New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education 1786; and also is at labor in Virginia’s Civil War Lodge of Research 1865. He is a past president of the lamented Masonic Society as well.

Wednesday, November 26, 2025

‘The Revolution was televised’

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     The Petition by John Ward Dunsmore, oil on canvas, 1926. On exhibit in Washington’s Headquarters Museum in Morristown. If you sneeze, y...
Sunday, November 23, 2025

‘Breakfast with the research lodge’

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     Uniform typical of Capt. John Ross’ company, Third New Jersey Regiment, commanded by Col. Elias Dayton. The next meeting of New Jersey ...
Saturday, November 22, 2025

‘Visiting Quinta Essentia 500—and The Owl Shop’

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     ‘Brethren, be clothed.’ Before the meeting last Saturday of Quinta Essentia Lodge 500 recedes into foggy forgetfulness, let me share a...

‘Recap of the researchers conference’

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     I’m still catching up on What I Did on My Summer Vacation blogging and, since it’s been two months already, let me report on William O....
Friday, November 14, 2025

‘As necessities might require and ability permits’

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     Masonic Book Club Q. Have you any key to those secrets? A: Yes. Q. Where do you keep it? A. In a bone box that neither opens nor shuts ...
Wednesday, November 12, 2025

‘U.K. grand lodges in the news this week’

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     Cheers to the media relations teams at both the grand lodges of England and Scotland, and to The Times , for their respective collabora...
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Sunday, November 9, 2025

‘Civil War Lodge’s plans’

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     Civil War Lodge of Research 1865 has its designs upon the trestleboard for next month and the ensuing year. Matthew Szramoski First, th...
Thursday, November 6, 2025

‘New leadership in New Jersey’

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     Gill Raoul Calderon Grand Master Omar Morris and Junior Grand Warden Glenn Visscher. Congratulations are in order upon the huge news pu...
Wednesday, November 5, 2025

‘Time to join/renew to receive AQC 138’

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     It is time to renew with (or join) QCCC for 2026. Quatuor Coronati Correspondence Circle is the corporate side of  Quatuor Coronati Lod...

‘2026 Prestonian Lecture’

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     Magpie file photo Other big news from earlier this year, during my dereliction from blogging: the announcement of next year’s Prestonia...
Sunday, November 2, 2025

‘Freemason helps thwart knife attack’

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     The Telegraph Andrew Johnson One of the two London North Eastern Railway employees credited with helping stop the knife attacks aboard ...
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‘The Revolution WILL be televised’

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     Documentarian Ken Burns will have his latest, The American Revolution , debuted on PBS in two weeks. It’s a long shot, but I am hoping ...
Saturday, November 1, 2025

‘Webinar on New York genealogical research’

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     Sorry for the short notice but, if you can be available Thursday afternoon, I think you’ll find this webinar on research techniques pro...

‘Good Samaritan’s Thanksgiving’

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     Good Samaritan Lodge 336 in Gettysburg will host another of its famous Civil War Dinners in three weeks. If it wasn’t hundreds of mile...
Thursday, October 30, 2025

‘Grand Masters fete Lafayette at The ALR’

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     Almost everybody in attendance last night at The American Lodge of Research. Research lodges typically don’t get a lot of glitz (it’s s...
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