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Golden Glades Lodge No.334 F&AM
Masonic Trivia - Continued - Page 2
Excerpts from "The Truth is Stranger than Fiction,"
By Bro.Alphonse Cerza, Masonic Service Association, 1934.
Chicago, IL has three American Legion Posts whose memberships are entirely Masonic.
All four Presidents of the Republic of Texas, David Burnett, Sam Houston, Mirabeau Lamar, and Anson Jones, were masons.
Between 1737 and 1779 two sailing ships of interest operated off the U.S. eastern seaboard, Freemason and Master Mason. The Freemason caught fire and sank in Marblehead Harbor, Mass in 1779.
On November 10, 1928, the Grand Lodge of California held a special communication at Culver City, to lay the corner stone of the Masonic temple. The Lodge room was so crowded that the Grand Lodge officers were unable to enter. They retired to the Ladies' powder room to open the Grand Lodge for the ceremony.
In 1801, Czar Alexander I of Russia banned the craft. In 1803 he rescinded the order and became a Freemason. But in 1822 he again ordered Freemasonry banned in Russia.
In May, 1843, a group of representatives from fourteen Grand Lodges met in Baltimore, MD, with the view of adopting uniform ritual.The meeting. was presided over by John Dove of VA; Charles W. Moore of Mass prepared the proposed ritual. The convention's work was not generally accepted.
In 1799, Barton Lodge in Upper Canada accepted "good merchantable wheat" in payment of Lodge dues.
Lodge St. George in Bermuda has rented an old state house since 1816 from the Governor for the sum of "one peppercorn per year."
Abraham Jones served as Grand Master of Kentucky 1933-34 and Grand Master of Illinois, 1840-41.
Dr. Carlos Rodriguez-Jimenez was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Venezuela in 1947. In 1957 he became the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Japan.
In 1892, the tallest building in the world was the Masonic Temple at Randolph and State Streets, Chicago, IL
Brother William Brockmeier (1866-1947) of St. Louis conducted 5586 Masonic funeral services.
Thomas Jacob Shryock served as Grand Master of Maryland for 32 years. He died after being elected to serve his 33rd.
The largest Master's chair is in Ophir Lodge #33 Murphys, CA. It is 15 feet long and can seat the Master, living Past Masters, and visiting dignitaries.
On June 7, 1921, Mystic Lodge #21 of Red Bank, NJ conferred half of the MM degree on brother Lyman C. Van when the power went out. He didn't receive the rest of the degree for several weeks, making him for a time, a "two and half degree" mason.
When the great Obelisk of Alexandria (Cleopatra's Needle) was moved to New York in 1880, there were discovered certain emblems on the original foundation and pedestal. One is clearly a square, causing some to conclude that Masonry existed in ancient Egypt. This issue is still open to debate.
The two structures in the U.S that have elevators which move sideways, in addition to up and down are the Arch in St. Louis and the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria.
The Grand Master of Mass. commanded rebels at Bunker Hill while the Grand Master of England commanded English forces. The G.M of Mass was killed.
On August 23, 1879, Lodge #239 of France held a meeting in a balloon flying over Paris, at which time a brother was initiated.
On his famous solo flight across the Atlantic, Charles Lindbergh wore a square and compasses on his jacket as a good luck piece. He was a Mason.
Richard E. Byrd and his pilot Bernt Balchen, both brothers, dropped Masonic flags over the north and south poles. Brother Balchen also tossed his shrine fez on the South Pole.
Gordon Cooper, in his Mercury capsule, carried a Masonic coin and a blue Masonic flag on his 22 orbit flight, which he later presented to his mother Lodge.
Montana's first livestock brand was a square and compasses and is still in use. It was registered by Poindexter Orr of Beaverhead County, MT in 1872.
Andrew McNair, a Philadelphia Mason, rang the Liberty bell in Independence Hall of July 8, 1776 to call the people together to hearing the reading of the Declaration of Independence. The bell developed a crack when it was rung for the death of Chief Justice Marshall, Past Grand Master of Virginia.
Grand Masters generally have the power to make "masons at sight," which means the Master can do away with the formalities such as filing of petitions, waiting periods, etc. Some famous Masons who were made include: William H. Taft, General George Marshall, and General Douglas MacArthur.
Excerpts taken mostly from "The Truth is Stranger than Fiction,"
by Brother Alphonse Cerza, Masonic Service Association, 1934.
Next Pages by title - (Click with the Mouse to see the pages)
1 -Meet our Worshipful Master 1A- Meet our Senior Warden
1B - Meet our Junior Warden 2-About our Fraternity
3-Tresstleboard 4-On the Level - Newsletter
5-Masonic Trivia (3 pages) 6-Places to visit.
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