‘Revisiting Solomon’s House’

    

Title page of one edition of New Atlantis, from 1899, found online here. The original copy in the digital scan comes from the Bodleian Library, which was opened during Bacon’s lifetime on November 8, 1602.

A recap of The ALR’s table lodge last night is forthcoming (actually, I have a lot more catching up to do), but I close out this month with a commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the death of Francis Bacon, which I meant to finish three weeks ago.

On April 9, 1626,* Bacon died at age 65 in London. Rather than recount his supersize life, nor dare approach that Bacon/Shakespeare, Masonic/Rosicrucian thing, as riveting as that reading can be, I took the opportunity lately to revisit his unfinished story New Atlantis in my reading preparatory to a paper I hope to submit for a future Heredom.

It is said he’d been writing it during the early 1620s, but it was printed posthumously, maybe something he wouldn’t have been keen on because of its incompleteness. Weighing in at only forty-one pages, New Atlantis has no climax or conclusion. There is an abrupt ending, but his story may foreshadow the establishment of the Royal Society just a few decades later. Bacon authored this story in English, which can’t be said of all his writings.

Atlantis, unknown to modern man, but in the minds of ancient Greeks, was said to have been located in the Atlantic Ocean, outside the Straits of Gibraltar. Plato was the first, as far as we know, to write of it. The mythical island was exhumed in Western consciousness when Plato’s (and others’) writings fueled the Renaissance. Bacon’s New Atlantis is placed in the Pacific. Mention is made in New Atlantis to “the great Atlantis”—as a reference to America.

etymonline

Click to enlarge.

His story is referred to as a utopian fable and, when assigned in academic reading, very often is paired with Sir Thomas More’s Utopia, published in 1516. That author coined the word “utopia,” borrowing from Greek elements ou (not) and topos (place). Literally, utopia means “nowhere”—a place that does not exist. I think it’s safe to say this story influenced Bacon.

New Atlantis tells of a Spanish ship adrift in the Pacific that finds the island Bensalem, a name also worthy of etymological examination. And I’d love to learn how Bacon decided to make his lost sailors Spanish, given the sea change of 1588 and his assessment of the Catholic Monarchy. Initially, these Spanish seafaring men are warded off by the island natives, but once their Christian faith is confirmed, they are allowed to debark and are permitted food and rest for a time. On land, the Spanish discover these island people know a life only of bounty, safety, and harmony cultivated by both high moral cultural norms and an advanced scientific knowledge.

Brotherly love is the foundation of the society. While the moral code of the people derives from a peculiar “apostolical and miraculous evangelism of St. Bartholomew,” the words of the Old and New Testaments were comprehensible to the “Hebrews, Persians, and Indians” who inhabited the land with the natives.

The island’s history is explained through dialogue, rather than narration. The Spaniards’ principal contact is a “Christian priest” who holds the office of governor of the House of Strangers, the place where these visitors are billeted. He says:

There reigned in this island, about nineteen hundred years ago, a king whose memory of all others we most adore, not superstitiously, but as a divine instrument, though a mortal man: his name was Solomona, and we esteem him as the lawgiver of our nation. This king had a large heart, inscrutable for good, and was wholly bent to make his kingdom and people happy.

Among Solomona’s accomplishments was:

...the erection and institution of an order or society, which we call Solomon’s House, the noblest foundation, as we think, that ever was upon the earth, and the lantern of this kingdom. It is dedicated to the study of the works and creatures of God. Some think it beareth the founder’s name a little corrupted, as if it should be Solomona’s House; but the records write it as it is spoken. So as I take it to be denominates of the king of the Hebrews, which is famous with you, and no stranger to us, for we have some parts of his works which with you are lost; namely, that natural history which he wrote of all plants, “from the cedar of Libanus to the moss that groweth out of the wall,” and of all things that have life and motion. This maketh me think that our king, finding himself to symbolizes in many things with that king of the Hebrews which lived many years before him, honored him with the title of this foundation. And I am the rather induced to be of this opinion, for that I find in ancient records this order or society is sometimes called Solomon’s House, and sometimes the College of the Six Days’ Works; whereby I am satisfied that our excellent king had learned from the Hebrews that God had created the world, and all that therein is, within six days, and therefore he instituting that house for the finding out of the true nature of all things, whereby God might have the more glory in the workmanship of them, and men the more fruits in their use of them, did give it also that second name.

In Bacon’s age, such students of the world were known as natural philosophers. We call them scientists. In this story, they are shown to have mastered the elements, literally curating the land, waters, and air—with all their wildlife, crops, and minerals—to ensure the health and well being of the island’s inhabitants. “We have also a mathematical house, where are represented all instruments, as well of geometry as astronomy, exquisitely made,” the Spanish are told. “These are, my son, the riches of Solomon’s House.”

If you know how Bacon pursued scientific inquiry in his intellectual life, and his thoughts on religion, you can see why he might also use fiction to marry concepts of the spirit with exploration of the material.

The final, albeit not closing, paragraph.

The conversation continues, revealing the splendor of Bensalem, with a frank explanation of how such deep and broad knowledge was accumulated, before the tale trails off to a void. “The rest was not perfected.” is the note to the reader admitting the frustrating cliffhanger of this premature conclusion. Yet it’s a fun read, with a number of references that Freemasons would appreciate, and with themes that would be obvious to certain Rosicrucians. At only a few dozen pages, New Atlantis can be read easily in less than an hour, with ample time for puffing a pipe and sipping some sack.

*They used a different calendar back then, so just play along.

     

‘James Mitchell Varnum at Collegivm Luminosvm’

    

Click to enlarge.

Collegium Luminosum, the research lodge in the Grand Lodge of Rhode Island, has an evening planned for next month when a local historian will discuss the life of a Revolutionary War general and Rhode Island Mason. The graphic above has the particulars.

The historic brother in question, James Mitchell Varnum, was with St. John’s Lodge 1 in Providence, but his military career naturally took him outside the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. He fought here in New York, both at Long Island and White Plains, for example.

The lodge’s speaker on May 22, Mr. Geake, has authored a biography titled A Man of Uncommon Valor: James Mitchell Varnum, the American Revolution, and the Foundation of the New Republic, which will be published shortly.

The formidable James Royal Case, of ALR fame, in his Fifty Early American Military Freemasons, in 1955, writes:

James Mitchell Varnum

The first convocation of Masons in Ohio (of which there is any record) took place at the funeral of this distinguished brother at Marietta in January 1789. Cut off before his fortieth birthday, resident in the Northwest Territory less than a year, his life career had been a short but notable one. In military, Masonic and civic attainments he had, through sheer merit and unsought preferment, gone beyond his aspirations. The mourners in his funeral procession included a visiting delegation of Indian warriors, officers of the garrison at Fort Harmar, colleagues in the civil government, compatriots of the Society of the Cincinnati, and brethren of the Masonic fraternity. Ahead of the coffin marched four masters of ceremony bearing on mourning cushions appropriate emblems of his connection with the military, the judiciary, the Cincinnati, and the Masons. The latter acted as an occasional lodge for this ceremony, but the following year American Union Lodge was reopened at Marietta, marking the introduction of regular Freemasonry into Ohio.

Varnum was born at Dracut, Massachusetts in 1748 and was sent to Harvard to complete his formal schooling. Among those expelled following some disorder among the students, he transferred to Rhode Island College at Warren, of which Brown University is the present day successor. As a member of the first class to graduate, he took as a topic for his commencement oration the thesis that America should not be independent! He taught school for a year or two while he studied law with the attorney general of the state, following which he began his own law practise in East Greenwich. He was extraordinarily alert mentally, possessed great powers of concentration, and was a fluent and copious speaker. The Revolutionary War called him away from his legal pursuits for a while.

Possessed of a powerful physique, athletically inclined, an advocate of physical fitness and drill discipline, he became in 1774 colonel of the “Kentish Guards,” from whose ranks came many officers of the revolutionary army. Nathaniel Greene was an associate of those days. In 1775, Varnum commanded a regiment of state troops and was given command of the 9th regiment of Continentals in 1776. He served at the Siege of Boston and in the Battles of Long Island and White Plains.

Promoted brigadier general in 1777, he was entrusted with command of forts Mercer and Mifflin on the Delaware, defensive works for Philadelphia. Although he was eventually driven out by the British, he was commended by Washington for holding out as long as he did. His brigade was one of those which spent a miserable winter at Valley Forge, where the commander in chief said he was “the light of the camp,” perhaps with a special signification.

The following year found him fighting in his native state at Newport and for a few months in command of the department. However, his health had given way and, unable to endure the rigors of field duty, he resigned his commission. But there was no rest for the weary. He was sent to the Continental Congress in 1780 and served at intervals until 1787. He was appointed Major General of Rhode Island militia, and elected the head of the state Society of the Cincinnati. His law cases were many and notable in the history of the Rhode Island bar.

He became interested in the Ohio Land Company, was one of the original directors, and appointed to the bench as one of three judges for the territorial government to be established. Hoping to regain his health, improve his fortune, and advance in his profession, he went to Marietta on horseback in June 1789, leaving behind him a childless wife who was to survive him by forty-eight years. He began his new duties hopefully and happily enough but within the year he was dead. About all he had found time to get done was a code of laws.

Although his lungs were weakening, his voice was still strong and his mind was keen. His reputation as a public speaker was considerable and must have preceded him, as he was only in Marietta a week before he was chosen by the citizens and the Cincinnati to deliver the principal address at the first Fourth of July exercises ever held in Ohio. At home he had been much in demand as orator at Masonic gatherings, one notable occasion being the observance of St. John the Evangelist Day at Providence in December 1778. Major General John Sullivan was the guest of honor and dozens of military officers were present as visitors. Varnum was a member of old St. John’s Lodge in Providence, which is numbered among those few in America rounding out their second century of existence.

Read more about Varnum here at the website of the Varnum Armory Museum in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. And the Varnum House Museum is here.

     

‘An “unhappy Man” vs. the “pursuit of Happiness”’

    

The Sunday Times

Mr. Cole Tomas Allen of California, an unhappy man, is in custody after a failed attempt on President Donald Trump’s life hours ago at the White House Correspondents’ Association’s annual dinner in Washington, DC.

A good (and familiar) question was posed the other day on Faceypage and, since the semiquincentennial anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is near, I thought I’d expand my limited answer to that query for this edition of The Magpie Mason.

Bro. Thomas of Thornton Lodge 486 in Texas asks:

“Can someone please explain whether or not the 3rd paragraph of the EA Charge is actually a charge or a suggestion?”

Knowing nothing about any ritual(s) promulgated by the Grand Lodge of Texas, I didn’t know what might be communicated in the third paragraph of his lodge’s Entered Apprentice Charge, but the abundant replies to his question clarified that for me. In New York, we actually have two charges from which to choose to instruct the youngest Entered Apprentice. The first charge includes the following (although it’s the fourth graf):

In the State you are to be a quiet and peaceable citizen, true to your government and just to your country. You are not to countenance disloyalty or rebellion, but are patiently to submit to legal authority, and conform with cheerfulness to the government of the country in which you live.

As an aside, I’ll point out how this echoes in our Installation of Officers. In seating the new Worshipful Master, he must agree to fifteen commands, including:

II. You agree to be a peaceful citizen, and cheerfully conform to the laws of the country in which you reside.

III. You promise not to be concerned in plots or conspiracies against the government, but patiently submit to the law and the constituted authorities.

IV. You agree to pay a proper respect to the civil magistrates, to work diligently, live creditably, and act honorably by all men.

None of the above are Masonic secrets. The EA Charge is not protected by oath; the Ancient Charges and Regulations for the lodge’s new Master can be heard by all who witness the ceremony, which often is attended by our families and friends. What wisely was kept confidential were Thomas’ reasons for asking, as he did not reveal personal political opinions or why he might take being a peaceable citizen as merely a suggestion for Masons.

Anyway, here is my long form Magpie answer:

I wouldn’t think any part of a charge would be discretionary, but that [third paragraph] part most definitely is a command that reverberates through history.

The idea enters Masonic ritual via The Rev. James Anderson’s book The Constitutions of the Free-Masons from 1723, the jurisprudence (although it contains other content) of the premier Grand Lodge of England.

The best known, most frequently cited portion of that book is “The Charges of a Free-Mason.” Not only is this section kept current by the United Grand Lodge of England, but also we find this section reproduced in the pages of grand lodges’ law books all over the world. We New Yorkers can read it on page 57 of Masonic Law of New York. Freemasons who don’t know Anderson’s Constitutions should read it because it informs much of what we think, say, and do in our lodges. (This will be covered in what I’ll present to the Observant lodges of Oklahoma when I step to the lectern on St. John’s Day.)

Charge I, “Concerning God and Religion,” is credited by some historians for partly inspiring the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, but Charge II is our topic today, to wit (spelling modernized):

II. Of the Civil Magistrate supreme and subordinate.

 

A Mason is a peaceable Subject to the Civil Powers, wherever he resides or works, and is never to be concerned in Plots and Conspiracies against the Peace and Welfare of the Nation, nor to behave himself undutifully to inferior Magistrates; for as Masonry has been always injured by War, Bloodshed, and Confusion, so ancient Kings and Princes have been much disposed to encourage the Craftsmen, because of their Peaceableness and Loyalty, whereby they practically answered the Cavils of their Adversaries, and promoted the Honor of the Fraternity, whoever flourished in Times of Peace. So that if a Brother should be a Rebel against the State, he is not to be countenanced in his Rebellion, however he may be pitied as an unhappy Man; and, if convicted of no other Crime, though the loyal Brotherhood must and ought to disown his Rebellion, and give no Umbrage or Ground of political Jealousy to the Government for the time being; they cannot expel him from the Lodge, and his Relation to it remains indefeasible.

Click to enlarge.

You see the similarities to the charges shown above. This is whence they came.

Anderson’s book also contains a legendary history of Freemasonry, some of which is factual, some fanciful. Among the reliably accurate notes is mention of English laws dating to the Middle Ages. In England, the various Statutes of Laborers regulated stone masons’ qualifications, remuneration, ability to meet, and other details, but the statute of 1405 specifically compelled such workers to take an annual oath to comply with the law. Anderson writes (spelling modernized):

Now though in the third Year of the said King Henry VI, while an Infant of about four Years old, the Parliament made an Act, that affected only the WORKING Masons, who had, contrary to the Statutes for Laborers, confederated not to work but at their own Price and Wages; and because such Agreements were supposed to be made at the General Lodges, called in the Act: Chapters and Congregations of Masons, it was then thought expedient to level the said Act against the said Congregations: Yet when the said King Henry VI arrived to Man’s Estate, the Masons laid before him and his Lords the above-mentioned Records and Charges, who, tis plain, reviewed them, and solemnly approved of them as good and reasonable to be holden: Nay, the said King and his Lords must have been incorporated with the Free-Masons, before they could make such Review of the Records; and in this Reign, before King Henry’s Troubles, Masons were much encouraged. Nor is there any Instance of executing that Act: in that, or in any other Reign since, and the Masons never neglected their Lodges for it, nor ever thought it worthwhile to employ their NOBLE and EMINENT BRETHREN to have it repealed; because the working Masons, that are free of the Lodge, scorn to be guilty of such Combinations; and the other free Masons have no Concern in Trespasses against the Statutes for Laborers.

Stone masons’ literature of the 1400s, namely the Regius Poem, communicates the same thinking. The marvelous website of the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon still shows the poem and the modern translation from 1923 by Bro. Roderick Baxter of QC2076, including:

In more recent years, Masons’ practice of being peaceable citizens has proven valuable in inoculating the Craft from suspicion. For example, when the Irish Republican Army seized the headquarters of the Grand Lodge of Ireland in Dublin exactly 104 years ago, they relinquished control of the property (after six weeks) because Michael Collins and Arthur Griffiths were satisfied that Irish Freemasonry was apolitical and nonsectarian, despite its fraternal connection to England. More information on that here.

National Archives

What about the Declaration of Independence? The American Revolution placed Freemasons here in rebellion and war against their king. That’s not very peaceful! How did our Masonic ancestors, the famous and the obscure alike, square their commitment to the Craft with their revolution? Benjamin Franklin knew about Anderson. The first Masonic book printed in the New World was Franklin’s reprint of Anderson’s Constitutions in 1734.

Perhaps Anderson’s Charge II sometimes must be a romantic ideal, something aspirational, that has to be suspended when considering “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” for yourself and your posterity. America’s Founders, whether Masons or not, did not see the distant British king as their civil authority. After all, the colonists had no representation in Parliament. There were sympathizers (Bro. Edmund Burke and others), but that’s not the same as electing your own MPs. Meanwhile, the colonists here did elect local representatives and were used to having their say in government.

In addition, we would be wise to consider that Anderson wrote for his time. (He’d be stunned to hear us talking about him 300 years later.) 1723 was early in the Hanoverian era, the dawn of which finally concluded decades of political violence in England. Think about what happened there between 1640 and 1721. Some of the major points:

➢ The Long Parliament

➢  Civil War

➢  Regicide of Charles I

➢  Cromwell

➢  The Restoration

➢  Glorious Revolution

➢  Bill of Rights

➢  The Act of Union

➢  The Hanoverian Succession

➢  Bro. Walpole as Prime Minister

There’s stability by 1723. The Grand Lodge, desiring royal patronage, wants to be known as being supportive of the constitutional monarchy, and so codifies its peaceful intentions, noting their historical basis.

Other replies to Bro. Thomas’ question on Thursday placed the Declaration of Independence at odds with the EA Charge, and even hinted it may be time to knock off this peaceful citizen business. (It appears those remarks have vanished.) But there is a valid historical question: How can Anderson’s “unhappy Man” and Jefferson’s “pursuit of Happiness” be reconciled?

     

‘Ric Berman’s new book’

    

Ric Berman has a new book out. Well, maybe not brand new. The Foundations of Modern Freemasonry, released last week, is a reworking of scholarship he published previously, but it delivers new findings. If you can’t get to Philly today for his appearance at the Masonic Temple, buy this book. From the publicity:

Following the appointment of its first aristocratic Grand Masters in the 1720s and its connections to science and the Enlightenment, “Free and Accepted” Masonry became part of Britain’s national profile and the largest and most influential of its many clubs and societies.

The organization did not evolve naturally from the medieval guilds and religious orders, but was reconfigured radically by a self-appointed inner core of members of London’s most influential lodges. Freemasonry became a vehicle for their philosophical and political views and the “Craft” attracted an aspirational membership across the middling and gentry.

Through an examination of previously unexplored primary documents, The Foundations of Modern Freemasonry contributes to an understanding of English political and social culture and explores how Freemasonry became a mechanism that promoted the interests of the Hanoverian establishment and connected the metropolitan and provincial elites. Ric Berman explores multiple networks centered on the aristocracy, Parliament, the learned and professional societies, and the magistracy, and provides pen portraits of key individuals. This third, extended, edition includes an examination of the origins of Antients Freemasonry and the seminal influence of Laurence Dermott and the London Irish, taking the reader through to 1813, when the Moderns and Antients grand lodges merged to form the United Grand Lodge of England.

The Foundations of Modern Freemasonry has been described as one of the most important books on Freemasonry published in recent times, providing “a precise, social context for the invention of English Freemasonry.” Ric Berman has delivered an essential reference work that throws a new and original light on the formation and development of what would become a national and international phenomenon.

Publisher:‎ The Old Stables Press

Publication date: April 14, 2026

Language:‎ English

Print length: 317 pages

ISBN-10: 1739170857

ISBN-13: 978-1739170851

Ric Berman researches, writes, and speaks on eighteenth and nineteenth-century English, Irish and American Freemasonry. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, he is the author of numerous journal articles and ten books, and has delivered keynote lectures worldwide. Ric holds an MA and Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge and the University of Exeter, respectively, and undertook post-doctoral research at the University of Oxford’s Modern European History Research Centre.

A Freemason for more than forty years and twice Prestonian Lecturer, VW Bro. Ric holds Grand Rank in the United Grand Lodge of England and is a Past Master of three English lodges, including Quatuor Coronati, the premier lodge of Masonic research. He is also an American Freemason, a member and honorary member of lodges in seven states, a Blue Friar, and a Fellow of the Philalethes Society. He was the Texas Lodge of Research’s Anson Jones Lecturer in 2023.

Born in London, Ric lives in rural Oxfordshire.

Get it from your favorite bookseller and be the envy of your research lodge.

     

‘Visiting Vitruvian for St. John’s Day’

    

“Architects should be educated, skillful with the pencil, instructed in geometry, know much history, have followed the philosophers with attention, understand music, have some knowledge of medicine, know the opinions of the jurists, and be acquainted with astronomy and the theory of the heavens.”

— Marcus Vitruvius Pollio

If you will be near Tulsa on St. John Baptist Day, I hope you’ll buy a ticket to the Observant lodge festive board being hosted that evening by Vitruvian 557.

This will be a joint effort by the four Observant lodges, with a fifth in the making, in the Sooner State. An auspicious affair for which the hosts inexplicably have invited me to be keynote speaker.

I will present a brand new discussion—so new, I’m just now writing it (but have been drafting mentally for months)—on how certain eighteenth century Masonic literature informs what we, as Free and Accepted Masons, think, say, and do in lodge.

I have no familiarity with their ritual, aside from seeing the Oklahoma Masonic Indian Degree Team exemplify work years ago, so I hope this subject “works” out.

How can you not love a state that includes
a smoking pipe in its flag design?

Vitruvian 557 meets in Broken Arrow.

I’ll provide ticketing and time & place info when it becomes available.

     

‘Master Mason “Farm Degree” this Fall’

    

Connecticut’s third eldest lodge will be back on the farm later this year for a conferral of the Third Degree.

I know, I know. I’m sorry. We’re two months from the start of summer, but here I am promoting an event slated for the third day of autumn, but I just added it to my calendar and thought maybe you would want to make a note of it also.

From the publicity:

Fidelity St. John’s Farm Degree

Tickets here. Fidelity St. John’s Farm Degree 2026 gathers Masons and guests for a special outdoor degree that reflects our commitments to brotherhood, charity, and truth.

By completing this form, you help us plan a respectful, well‑organized event in keeping with Masonic tradition—ensuring every candidate and visitor is received with care and dignity.

I’ve never attended one of these. I am curious to see how the brethren square the informal setting with the solemnity and consequence of the Sublime Degree. I trust them. (The sun will set just minutes before the start of the second section of the degree.)

     

‘Virginia: Reunion of the Founding Lodges’

    

I’m not sure if this is an annual or more occasional event in Virginia, but next month Fredericksburg Lodge 4 will host the 2026 Reunion of the Founding Lodges.

As you know, the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of the Commonwealth of Virginia began to take shape in May 1777, when a meeting of Masons, dubbed deputies, from the diverse lodges was suggested with the idea of choosing a grand master and organizing a grand lodge for Virginia. On Tuesday the 13th, the group was organized, with deputies from Blandford, Cabin Point Royal Arch, Kilwinning Port Royal Crosse, Norfolk, and Williamsburg lodges meeting at that last lodge’s location.

The Commonwealth of Virginia became independent from British rule on June 29 of the previous year, even preceding the “The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America” that would be promulgated from Philadelphia on the Fourth of July. But the Masonic consideration of this convention of Freemasons was the nature of authority in the Craft. At that moment, these lodges held charters from the grand lodges of England, Ireland, Pennsylvania, Scotland, and one denominated “America,” according to those meeting minutes. (That last one, I believe, refers to North Carolina.)

Our ancestors here simply wanted local authority to make decisions concerning the fraternity “should any abuses creep into the Lodges, or should any body of the Brotherhood be desirous of forming a new Lodge.” Their reasoning on how to create a new grand lodge simply was based on how the grand lodges in England, Ireland, and Scotland had organized themselves through their own respective sovereignties.

This convention adjourned and reconvened June 23, 1777, again at Williamsburg. The deputies agreed to recommend to their lodges and to all other lodges in Virginia that “His Excellency General George Washington as a proper person to fill the office of Grand Master.” This was two and a half years before the brethren at American Union Lodge in New Jersey attempted to make Washington the grand master of the entire country’s Freemasons. Of course, neither initiative came to fruition.

Fast forward to October 13, 1778, and John Blair, Past Master of Williamsburg Lodge, was elected Grand Master. On October 30, he was installed “into the office of Grand Master of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of Virginia.” (Note no “Ancient.”)

But enough history. On May 16, Fredericksburg 4 will host this event. From the publicity:

Reunion of the Founding Lodges

Saturday, May 16

Fredericksburg, Virginia

This special gathering will bring together brethren and guests, including ladies, from across the Commonwealth for an evening of fellowship, history, and shared tradition in the place where our story began. Please share with your lodge and brethren.

Highlights

• Keynote Address by Most Worshipful Jeff Hodges

• Private viewing of the George Washington Masonic Obligation Bible

• Guided tours of Fredericksburg Lodge 4

• Fredericksburg Area Museum America 250 exhibit with curator-led interpretation

• Festive Board with formal toasts and fellowship

Schedule

2 p.m. – Lodge open for tours

4 p.m. – Museum Tour (Group 1)

4:45 p.m. – Museum Tour (Group 2)

6 p.m. – Social Hour

7 p.m. – Dinner

7:45 p.m. – Festive Board

Festive Board tickets are available here.

We look forward to welcoming brethren and guests from the Founding Lodges and across the Commonwealth as we gather in fellowship and continue the traditions entrusted to us.

I’d love to check this out, but I’ll be with The American Lodge of Research that day for our joint meeting with Ulster Lodge 193 in Saugerties.

     

‘Washington inauguration next week’

    

Re-Enactment

of Brother George Washington’s

First Presidential Inauguration

on its 237th Anniversary

Thursday, April 30 at 11:45 a.m.

Federal Hall

26 Wall Street

New York City

This bronze of George Washington was erected in 1882 near where he was sworn in.

New York Freemasonry commemorates the momentous day when Brother George Washington was sworn in as the first President of the United States in 1789, bringing to life the unprecedented federal office of an elected Chief Executive as established by the U.S. Constitution two years earlier.

With his hands upon the altar bible of St. John’s Lodge, brought to City Hall for the inauguration by Bro. Jacob Morton, Master of the Lodge, Bro. Washington was sworn by Bro. Robert R. Livingston, Chancellor of New York and Grand Master of the Grand Lodge. After taking the oath of office, Washington bowed, kissed the holy book, and, initiating a tradition followed by many of his successors into the twenty-first century, appended to that oath a phrase known to all Freemasons: “So help me God.”

The famous Bible. Washington placed his hands on Genesis 49-50.

The Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York recreates this civil ceremony each year. While the first City Hall is long gone, today’s Federal Hall stands on that site, and we invite everyone to experience this historically correct re-enactment of forty-five minutes.

The Grand Lodge of New York sponsors this commemoration through its George Washington Inaugural Reenactment Committee, under the chairmanship of R.W. Teodulo Henriquez, R.W. Martin Kanter, and R.W. J. Scott Nagel.

The Most Worshipful Steven Adam Rubin, Grand Master of Masons in the State of New York, with a retinue of Grand Lodge Officers, will be in attendance. The Color Guard will be provided by the Masonic War Veterans, the Sons of the Revolution of New York, the Veterans Corps of America, and the Knickerbocker Greys.

Masonic Lodges, individual Masons, families, and friends are invited to our hospitality room for refreshments afterward. Please make reservations by writing R.W. Nagel here.

Detail from a Currier & Ives piece.

Read more about that day that changed the world, and that rhetorical flourish added to the oath of office, here.

     

‘Founding of Semiquincentennial Lodge 250’

    

Rhode Island might not come to mind immediately when contemplating the Revolutionary War*, but their Grand Lodge has devised the novel way of celebrating America250 by chartering a “lodge of commemoration” to be at labor for the coming year.

From the publicity:

Semiquincentennial Lodge 250

Reflect on the Past

Celebrate the Present

Hope for the Future

Semiquincentennial Lodge 250 is chartered as a commemorative lodge dedicated to the 250th anniversary of America’s Declaration of Independence.

The tenets of Freemasonry have influenced the principles of freedom, equality, justice, and courage that are the foundation of our nation.

Semiquincentennial Lodge 250 celebrates the universality of Freemasonry and the importance of the tenets of our Craft to people throughout the world. It is a lodge that is open to and welcomes, both literally and figuratively, Freemasons wheresoever dispersed.

Semiquincentennial Lodge 250 will be opened officially with the presentation of the charter at the Grand Lodge Annual Meeting on May 18, 2026. All attending the Annual Meeting will receive a copy of this keepsake document.

Semiquincentennial Lodge 250 will be called to recess, but may be called to labor any time during the year at the will and pleasure of its Worshipful Master. The lodge will be officially closed at the Grand Lodge Annual Meeting in May 2027.

Program for May 2

Open Semi-Public

Occasional Grand Lodge

Rick Baccus

Most Worshipful Grand Master

Invocation

Pledge of Allegiance

Prologue and Guiding Principles

Stephen E. Mitchell

Past Grand Master

Reflect on the Past

Raymond A. Geer

Grand Historian

Celebrate the Present

Timothy L. Culhane

Director of Masonic Education

Hope for the Future

Joshua A. Irizarry, Past Master

St. Johns Lodge 1

Providence

Three Voices, One Spirit

Stephen E. Mitchell

Past Grand Master

Formal Presentation of the Petition

to Establish Semiquincentennial Lodge 250 

Gilbert J. Fontes, Jr.

Deputy Grand Master

Introduction of Grand Lodge Officers

and Guests

Benediction

Close Lodge

Rick Baccus

Most Worshipful Grand Master

Petition for charter

May 2, 2026A.D. | 6026A.L.

To the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations:

Bro. Rick Baccus, M∴ W∴ Grand Master

The undersigned, petitioners, being, Free and Accepted Master Masons, having the prosperity of the Fraternity at heart, and willing to exert their best endeavors to promote and diffuse the genuine principles of Masonry, respectfully represent,

That, to Honor the Contributions of Freemasons to the Prosperity of our State and Nation and for other good reasons, they are desirous of forming a Lodge of Commemoration within this jurisdiction, to be named Semiquincentennial Lodge No. 250, F. & A. M.

Therefore, they pray for letters of dispensation, or a warrant of constitution, to empower them to assemble as a legal Lodge, to discharge the duties of Masonry in a regular and constitutional manner, according to the original forms of the order, and the regulations of the Grand Lodge.

Scheduled Events

May 2 - The Founding of Semiquincentennial Lodge 250

May 18 - Grand Lodge Annual with issuing of Charter of Semiquincentennial Lodge 250

August TBA - Grand Lodge Picnic and Flag Ceremony

September 27 (tentative) - Time Capsule and Liberty Tree Planting

September 30 - Collegium Luminosum: Speaker on Rhode Island Masonic History

November 14 - Revolutionary Table Lodge

* In all fairness, it is said Freemasons from St. John’s Lodge in Providence were key to the destruction of the HMS Gaspee on June 10, 1772, a dangerous act of tax rebellion a year and a half before the Boston Tea Party.

     

‘The Low Vale Degree’

    

Click to enlarge.

I have too many Masonic Saturdays next month, so I’m on the fence—a stretch of Virginia Worm, if you will—about attending this outdoor degree, but it sounds like a terrific night.

Good Samaritan 336 is the lodge right on Lincoln Square in Gettysburg I keep telling you about. In addition to regular doings, the brethren host dinners with period menus, attire, and re-enactors to celebrate their famous town’s heritage. I don’t believe their Low Vale Degree is an annual event, but they have hosted these previously.

Historic Daniel Lady Farm is a local attraction, having served as the headquarters of Confederate Major General Edward “Allegheny” Johnson, who commanded a division that failed to take Culp’s Hill from the U.S. Army. (Read his report here.) Inevitably, it became a hospital for the rebels. They say blood stains are still visible.

Historic Daniel Lady Farm

This weekend, Lady Farm is hosting its Civil War Scout Immersion, two days of workshops on military drill, battle formations, and tactics, culminating in a battle re-enactment.

And the Fellow Craft Degree? If you are not aware, the rituals of Pennsylvania Freemasonry are different from whatever yours may be. They’re not bizarre; you will have no difficulty understanding what unfolds because the ritual elements are consistent, but that Grand Lodge’s work is unique in the country. My research over the years caused me to read that Pennsylvania ritual is akin to one found in northern England, but I have no firsthand experience out there to corroborate. Yet.

Obviously, Apprentices would not be admitted to this Second Degree of Freemasonry.

Historic Daniel Lady Farm

The lodge will be opened and closed with cannon fire. I mean artillery, not Vivat! drinking. The meal will be catered by Blue and Gray Bar & Grill, which is another reason to attend. If you choose not to join the group for dinner, the ticket price will be $30.

This May 30 event does not land on Memorial Day Weekend, if that conflict might deter you. The holiday weekend will be the previous week.