‘Did you know about Kentucky Long Rifle Lodge?’

    

You might not believe it, but the storied Kentucky rifle figures not only tangentially in Masonic history, but also directly. But first, the current events: William O. Ware Lodge of Research in Kentucky is conducting a raffle of such a firearm. From the publicity:

Raffle Tickets Cost Only $50 Each

No limit on quantity of purchases

This year’s annual raffle item is a Kentucky Long Rifle. The stock of this .45 caliber rifle is an attractive hard maple with curly grain that extends to muzzle with brass cap and fitted four-inch heavy brass butt plate. A hickory ramrod mount through two beaded pipes and matching thimble. Bore is bright and shiny. Triggers and locks operable.

The raffle drawing will be held November 6 at 7:30 p.m. at Walt’s Hitching Post, 3300 Madison Pike in Ft. Wright during the William O. Ware Annual Festive Board.

One hundred percent of all proceeds support Masonic research at the William O. Ware Lodge of Research. Please note, purchasing a raffle ticket does not include a ticket to the Festive Board. Separate invitations will be sent for this event later in the year.

William O. Ware’s Kentucky Charitable Gaming License No. EXE0002699.

The Masonic Society hosted its 2017 conference in Lexington, where a similar raffle was conducted. I didn’t buy a ticket, not imaging how I possibly could get the beast home, but there were two winners. Two, because Tom Jackson forgot to bring his raffle tickets to the dinner and consequently a second ticket had to be drawn. I can’t remember who won. (Hell, I’m just realizing now that I never wrote about that conference here on The Magpie Mason! How did I neglect that? I swear I have the attention span of a puppy.)

Anyway, in a look at American history, we see Kentucky rifles were credited with major military victories. First, troops under the command of future Tennessee Grand Master Andrew Jackson were armed with these when they defeated the British at New Orleans in 1814. That battle was relived in song whence comes the rifle’s nickname. Excerpted:

But Jackson, he was wide awake,

And was not scared of trifles;

For well he knew what aim we take

With our Kentucky rifles;

He led us down to Cypress swamp,

The ground was low and mucky;

There stood John Bull in pomp,

And here was old Kentucky.

Then, the same model rifle was instrumental in winning independence for Texas where Freemasons were key in the fight against Mexico.

Later in U.S. history, during the First World War, Kentucky Grand Master J.N. Saunders granted dispensation to Kentucky Rifle Lodge, the second of that Grand Lodge’s army lodges. He opened this lodge September 25, 1917 and installed its officers at Camp Stanley. If I understand correctly, this lodge was at labor only for that year.

So buy a raffle ticket! Just don’t ask me how you’ll get that bazooka home.

     

‘Masonic sights at the NRA museum’

     

So I took Saturday off from Masonic Week to catch up with an old friend who relocated to Virginia recently, and we headed to the headquarters of the National Rifle Association in Fairfax to visit its National Firearms Museum.

I don’t think it unreasonable at all that I expected to find at least one firearm inside that was decorated with fine engraving of Masonic symbols, not because of a Masonic fanaticism, but just from a knowledge of historic firearms and of how Masons exhibit pride in their membership by adorning important personal possessions with obvious clues of their Masonic lives.

I figured I would have found something like these Colts, but decorated with plumbs, squares, levels, etc.

But I failed to find any such gun. There may be one or more exhibited, but I missed them. We spent nearly three hours(!) inside—that’s pretty much what it takes to make a careful review of the thousand or more items on display—but after an hour or so, the eye grows weary. I shot 128 photos before I realized it’s too hard to capture everything. My advice is to visit this amazing resource and see for yourselves. Bring walking shoes and energy bars. On display are everything from a medieval hand cannon (I always thought that was merely a figure of speech) to the Gatling gun used so memorably in The Outlaw Josey Wales.

Anyway, I did find a few other items of Masonic interest.

Gen. Winfield S. Hancock’s Masonic Robey M1850 S&FO Sword (ca. 1863) – “Hancock the Superb” commanded the Federal troops on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, and he ran for president as a Democrat in 1880. He was a brother at labor in Charity Lodge 190 in Pennsylvania.

I didn’t know Hancock was a Freemason, and I wasn’t especially drawn to this sword because it was displayed at ankle-level and the presence of Masonic symbols is anything but obvious. But I was on the lookout for Masonic symbols in this museum and, with some bodily contortion, I espied a small Square and Compasses (and maybe more) on the guard of the weapon. I’m sorry. I don’t know if you’ll see it here. Photography of this item was difficult, but it is there.

This powder horn was nice to see. Masonic folk art, made by soldiers, sailors, pioneers, artisans, and guys just sitting at home, can take any form, but carvings of animal bone are very common.

This leather pouch didn’t exactly jump out at me, but I was near enough to spot the Square and Compasses the way the initiated eye inevitably discerns such things amid busy scenery. This was a prop in the film The Alamo from 1960, and was worn by Richard Widmark in his portrayal of Bro. Jim Bowie.

There are museums, and there are museums, and this one is in the latter category for its incredibly vast inventory on display. Firearms from throughout the centuries and from all over the world (God, some French gunsmiths of the 1800s were insane!) are showcased as matter of factly as any items chronicling human achievement. It’s impossible to list a top ten of the most impressive, but the pistols fashioned in the form of the M1911 that were homemade by Viet Cong machinists simply demonstrate how intractably determined they were to fight. Those weapons certainly were primitive, but I’m sure they worked.