Masonic Trivia

  1. “3 TIMES 3” – In ancient times the Entered Apprentice Degree was alone prevalent amongst the generality of our Lodges; for no Brothers could be passed and raised except in the Grand Lodge, and few availed themselves of the privilege. Hence they had only one sign, one token, and one word, and these three constituted the honors. But the members of the Grand Lodge had three signs, three tokens, and three words, and therefore, three times three were appropriately termed the Grand Honors.” – from the September 1974 Bulletin of the Masonic Relief Association of the U.S. and Canada
  2. A Master Mason was raised in the Senate Chamber.
  3. As commanding General at the fall of Savannah, Brother John W. Geary placed federal troops around Solomon’s Lodge #1 to save it from looting and damage.
  4. As Master of his Lodge, President George Washington leveled the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol.
  5. At one time, Golden Lodge #5, Stanstead, Canada occupied a lodge room which straddled the US and Canada border. There were entrances on both sides of the border.
  6. Ben Franklin published the first Masonic book in America in 1734, a reprint of Anderson’s ‘Book of Constitutions’.
  7. Brother “Buzz” Aldrin, a member of Clear Lake Lodge #1417 in Texas, when he stepped onto the surface of the moon, carried a special deputation from his Grand Master to claim the moon as being in the territorial jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Texas. And so it is.
  8. Brother and General Thomas H. Benton, Grand Master in Iowa, 1860-1862, posted federal troops around Brother Albert Pike’s Masonic Library at Little Rock, Arkansas to protect its valuable contents when that city was invaded during the Civil War.
  9. By Ancient custom, the King was always covered while his subjects were never covered in his presence. The American custom of the Master of the Lodge wearing a hat as a symbol of his authority is apparently a result of that ancient custom.
  10. Charles Stratton, a.k.a. Tom Thumb, was 24 inches high and weighed 16 pounds when raised in 1862.
  11. Frederick A Bartholdi, a freemason, designed the statue of Liberty in NY Harbor. Grand Lodge of NY laid the corner stone on Aug 5, 1885.
  12. Hiram Abiff Boaz, born Dec. 18 1866 in Murray, KY. Received his degrees in 1922 before an usually large crowd and served as Grand Chaplin (TX) in 1953.
  13. In 1839 the Mormons left Missouri and settled in the area of Nauvoo, IL. On October 15, 1841, the IL Grand Master issued a dispensation to form a lodge at Nauvoo. On March 15, 1842, Joseph Smith received his first degree and the others shortly after. Certain irregularities were reported – in five months the lodge initiated 256 candidates and 243 were raised. After investigation, the grand master revoked the dispensation, but the lodge continued to work. On April 5, 1844, the Mormon masons dedicated a Masonic Temple. IL Masons got in trouble for taking part in the ceremony. Opposition to the group and internal dissension led to the assassination of Joseph Smith and the removal of the Mormons from IL.
  14. In 1860 in Limerick, Ireland, there was found in a small chapel a stone dated 1517 with the following inscription: “I will serve to live with love & care, upon the level, by the square.”
  15. In 1892 the world’s tallest building was the Masonic Temple at Randolph and State Streets in Chicago.
  16. In 1920, Gate City Lodge #522 in Kansas City MO met every day of the week except Sunday to confer a record 1,107 degrees, averaging 21 degrees a week.
  17. In 1952, eighty-nine percent of the U.S. Supreme Court Justices were Freemasons.
  18. In 1987, President Ronald Reagan (not a Mason) was awarded honorary membership in the Scottish Rite Bodies and in the Shrine… Masonic Jurisprudence did not and does not condone these actions! Only Master Masons may hold membership in any Appendant body.
  19. In Hammer v State, 173 Indiana, 199 (1909), the Supreme Court ruled that it was a criminal offense to wear the emblem of any society or organization of which one is not a member. The court based its decision on the fact that the membership in such societies is the result of fitness and selection and that the wearing of such emblems by non-members is a deceit and false pretense.
  20. In Robinson v Yates City Lodge, 86 Illinois, 598 (1877) a court ruled that an expelled Mason was not entitled to the return of his degree fees. The court held that the plaintiff voluntarily paid the fees and the expulsion under the provisions of the rules of the organization does not constituted the rescission of a contract under which the fees were paid.
  21. Lyndon Johnson took the first degree of October 30, 1937 but never progressed any further.
  22. Music written by Brother John Stafford Smith (1750-1836) of Inverness Lodge #4 in London was, at one time, used by an Irish Masonic Orphans’ Home as their song. Later it became a popular drinking song for many years known as To Anacreon in Heaven. Then, some years later, the music was adopted by Francis Scott Key to which he wrote the words to our National Anthem, The Star Spangled Banner.
  23. 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.
  24. President Ford was a Mason. He received his Your Rite Degrees IN the Oval Office.
  25. Sam Rayburn, Speaker of the House took his first degree on August 7, 1922. He died in 1961 without receiving the second.
  26. The Baltimore Convention in 1840 moved all Lodge business from the first to the third degree. Most all Lodge business elsewhere throughout the world is conducted in the first degree.
  27. The Commissioner of Patents In 1872 ruled that the Masonic Square and Compasses emblem could not be used in any trademark or trade name for commercial purposes.
  28. The examination of a candidate for proficiency in the previous degree was first introduced in 1850 in Louisiana.
  29. The first registered livestock brand in Montana was the Square and Compasses dating back to before May 25, 1872 when brands were first registered. It is still in use today.
  30. The letters of the English word GOD are the first three letters of Hebrew words for beauty, strength and wisdom. G in Gomez, O in Oz, D in Dabar.
  31. The Masonic (Square and Compasses) ring is not an official item of Masonic Jewelry. General consensus seems to be that if the wearer wishes to advise others that he is a Master Mason, then he should wear the ring with the Compasses points toward the fingertips. If the ring is worn to remind the wearer that he is a Master Mason, then he should wear it with the compasses points toward the wrist.
  32. The Obligation and the Oath: The obligation is a promise made by the candidate to the members of his Lodge and to the Fraternity. The oath is the “So help me God!” that follows the obligation.
  33. The Republic of Texas had four Presidents: David G. Burnett, 1836; Sam Houston, 1836-1838; Mirabeau B. Lamar, 1838-1841; Sam Houston, 1841-1844; Anson Jones, 1844-1846. All were Freemasons.
  34. 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.
  35. The U.S. was void of national Masonic leadership during the Civil War Era.
  36. To show no favor toward any religion, George Washington took his oath of office on a Bible borrowed from a nearby Masonic Lodge.
  37. Washington Chapter #3 of Portsmouth, NH announced its meetings via the town crier, who received from 6 to 25 cents for his work.
  38. When Brothers Richard E. Byrd and Bernt Balchen first flew over the North and South Poles, they dropped a Masonic flag on each Pole. Then, in the 1933-35 expedition, Brother Balchen tossed his Shrine Fez on the North Pole.
  39. In July 1863, Confederate raiders rode into Versailles, IN capturing the local militia and stealing the county treasury. The next day, General John Morgan (CSA), learned that his men had also made off with the jewels of the local lodge. There were returned the following day. Morgan was from Daviess Lodge #22, Lexington, KY.
  40. Wheelock Commandery No. 5 in Texas had all 55 of its members killed serving in the Confederate Army. The Commandery ceased to exist.
  41. Missouri’s first Confederate Capitol was the Masonic Building in Neosho, MO. From here the legislature passed the Act of Secession.
  42. Dr. Edward Jenner, in 1789 discovered the vaccination process against smallpox. At the time, he was the Worshipful Master of the Faith and Friendship Lodge #270 in Berkeley, England.