Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania Publishes History The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, as one appropriate means of celebrating the 200th anniversary of its independence from the Grand Lodge of England, will publish a two-volume , comprehensive history written by historian Wayne A. Huss, Ph.D . The first volume of the history, titled The Master Builders: A History of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania, is now available through the Library and Museum at the Masonic Temple in Philadelphia (See coupon below). The second volume is scheduled for completion in the fall of 1987. A third volume consisting of portraits and biographies of Grand Masters is expected to be published in 1988. Dr. Huss graduated from Ursinus College in 1971 and earned a Master's degree at Villanova University in 1973. He attended the University of Virginia before enrolling at Temple University in 1978 where he studied Early American, French, English and intellectual history. He was awarded a Ph .D. in january of 1985 . The title of his doctoral dissertation was, Pennsylvania Freemasonry: An Intellectual and Social Analysis, I 72 71826. It proved to be a complimentary view of the fraternity, proving that Pennsylvania Freemasonry accepted as members men from all occupations, all social classes, and at most levels of
Wayne A. Huss, Pb.D .
wealth. Freemasonry truly advocated brotherhood, equality, religious toleration and civic responsibility. The fraternity adhered to a scientific, rational view of the wo rld and its ethics were composed of the middle-class virtues of sobriety, thrift and industry. Volume I of The Master Builders presents a comprehensive narrative w hich p laces the development of the Masonic fraternity within the context of the broader society. It is an approach that had not been followed in
earlier works dealing with Pennsylvania Freemasonry. The fact that Dr. Huss is not a member of the fraternity lends a great deal of credibility and objectivity to his study. The Master Builders is filled with numerous interesting insights and contains many heretofore unknown details pertaining to the fraternity's past. The narrative is augmented by many illustrative charts , tables , graphs and photographs. Sources of information for the history include more than 55-hundred pages of closely-printed Grand Lodge minutes and dozens of non-Masonic works. By tediously combing through well-preserved manuscript records, Dr. Huss has been able to compile comprehensive membership statistics, including occupation backgrounds, on over 90,000 individuals. Volume I deals with the period from the origin of the Grand Lodge to the dedication, in 1873, of the Masonic Temple on Broad Street in Philadelphia. Voume II w ill cover the period from 1874 to 1986. Volume I will be on sale in the Library and Museum of the Masonic Temple in Philadelphia beginning on Friday , September 26, the day of the 200th anniversary celebration. The coupon that accompanies this article can be used to o rder the History by mail.
AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE RIGHT WORSHIPFUL GRAND LODGE OF FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONS OF PENNSYLVANIA
VOLUME XXXIII
AUGUST
•
1986
NUMBER 3
l Pennsylvania Celebrates Masonic Bicentennial
T
wo hundred years ago, on September 26, 1786, 13 individual lodges met in Philadelphia to, according to the minutes of that meeting, '' ... establish themselves as a Grand Lodge independent of Great Britain or any other Authority. " The previous day , at the September Quarterly Communication of the Grand Lodge on September 2 5, 1786, the questio n of Masonic independence had been resolved. A motion to sever ties w ith the Grand
Lodge of England ' ' ... except those of Brotherly Love and Affectio n , which they will always be happy to cultivate and preserve with all Lodges throughout the Globe" was unanimously adopted. The minutes of the meeting close with the statement: "This Lodge, acting by Virtue of a Warrant from the Grand Lodge of England, was closed forever. ' ' No Grand Lodge operated in Pennsylvania for a period of less
than 24 hours, until the Grand Convention of the 13 lodges on the 26th when it was resolved, again unanimously, " .. . that the Lodges under the Jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania , lately held under the authority of the Grand Lodge of England, w ill, and now do form themselves into a Grand Lodge, to be called the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania , and Masonic Jurisdiction thereunto belonging . .. ' ' continued to page 3.
·-----------------------------------------------------..,-------------------------------The Master Builders:
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A History of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania
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Mail to: The Library & Museum The Masonic Temple One North Broad Street Philadelphia, PA 19107-2598
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October 18 - Rededication Day at Masonic Homes Plans for Rededication Day at the Masonic Homes at Elizabethtown on Saturday, October 18 are now complete and thousands of Pennsylvania Masons , their families and friends, are prepared to witness a special rededication ceremony in the morning and a five-unit parade in the afternoon in addition to all the fun, free food, color and pageantry anyone could hope to experience on a beautiful autumn day. The day will begin at 10:00 a.m. when the more than 4,000 persons who have already signed up to attend are expected to arrive at the Masonic Ho mes . Room is available for thou-
sands mo re- and the coupon that accompanies this article on page 6 c;an be used to register your place if you have not yet done so . Also included in this issue on pages 8 and 9 is a map of the Masonic Homes that gives complete details about every aspect of the day's activity including parking, transportation about the grounds, food and beverages, guests' crafts, Homes ' produce , the staging area and route of the parade , and the staging for the rededication ceremony that will also be the site of various en tertainments throughout the afterno on .
Before the day ends at about 4:00 p .m., those attending w ill have viewed a special ceremony at 11 :00 a.m. in which the officers of the Grand Lodge will rededicate Grand Lodge Hall in marking the completion of a renovation program begun in 1979 and the 75th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone of the first major building constructed on the grounds of the Masonic Homes- and a 1:30 p .m. parade in which as many as 1,500 Masons, most of them members of colorful shrine units from various parts of the state, will participate. continued to page 6.