Local Masons celebrate 300-year
anniversary of the worldwide organization
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[June 27, 2017]
LINCOLN
- On Saturday afternoon, the local Mason Lodge opened the
doors to their meeting hall, commonly called the Masonic Temple on
North Kickapoo Street in Lincoln. The occasion was for an open house
celebrating 300 years of the Free Mason organization.
Guests were treated to refreshments, personal guided tours of the
building, and an opportunity to talk with lodge members about the
Masonic organization and the group’s community service projects.
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Gary Reichart
and Worshipful Master Glen Bonaparte
Guests were greeted in the fellowship hall of the Temple by lodge
members including Worshipful Master Glenn Bonaparte, and lodge
members Gary Reichart and Steve Aughenbaugh.
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Reichart and
Steve Aughenbaugh
Reichart and Aughenbaugh were happy to show Lincoln Daily News
around the building and speak about the organization.
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Starting in the relaxation room, which is at the
front entry of the building, Reichart noted the memorials and
tributes to various local members including several well-known
community leaders such as Darrell Klink, who was a local attorney
and a 30-year member of Masonic Lodge 210 in Lincoln.
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Reichart also talked about the size of the organization. In
Illinois, there are approximately 500 to 600 lodges with about
60,000 members. He also explained that this is a worldwide
organization, and the local lodge has a book that lists each Masonic
Lodge in the world. He went on to explain that any member of any of
the other lodges is welcome to attend a local meeting. However, no
one just walks in and sits down. In order to attend the meeting, the
membership must be verified. The large volume is used as part of the
verification.
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A notable portrait hanging on the wall in this front room was that
of Robert E. McAllister. Reichart noted that McAllister had been
honored with the “Thirty-third Degree” in the Ansar Shrine. It was
explained that the thirty-third degree is the highest achievement
within the Ansar Shrine. He also said that the designation is not
one that a person can set their sights on achieving. He said one
does not earn the degree; it is a gift from the organization, based
on worthiness.
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Reichart and Aughenbaugh went on to talk about the ladder from Mason
to Shriner. Reichart said that he really couldn’t even name all the
branches and offshoots of the Masons, but there are many. Inside the
Mason organization, a member may achieve a “Third-degree Mason,”
which is the highest degree within the foundation organization. Then
moving into other groups degrees can be advanced until one reaches
the 32nd degree in the Scottish Rite and may join the Shriners.
Again, those who receive the 33rd degree do not seek it out; the
organization gives it to the recipient.
Over the years, mystery and intrigue have surrounded the Masonic
organization. In particular, television and movies have painted the
organization as quite secretive, and one with a hand in some of the
most important aspects of our modern society. Reichart and
Aughenbaugh agree that there is some over exaggeration in those
stories, and Reichart said there is nothing all that secret about
the organization. He noted that anyone could join, with one
exception. Atheists may not join the Masons. Reichart went on to say
that anyone joining must believe in a supreme being. Aughenbaugh
added to that, saying that meant any supreme being, including those
such as Buddha, emphasizing that the organization is not a
substitute religion or a group that acknowledges only one
denomination.
Reichart commented, “We do watch stuff like that. About half of it
is true, some we just kinda laugh at.”
Aughenbaugh would go on to say that the Masons are a fraternity. He
noted he had been a member of the Masons since his early 20’s. In
college, he belonged to a fraternity, and now, he belongs to another
fraternity. Aughenbaugh also noted that he became involved with the
Masons because his father was a Mason and brought him into the
group.
Reichart was asked about the support the Masons offer to local
organizations and charitable events. He said the group does support
as many local organization’s and events as possible, including
making donations to Relay for Life, support for the Lincoln Junior
High School Band and other school projects, the summer reading
program at the Lincoln Public Library, and Boy Scouts.
The Masons also put on a free workshop program for teachers at local
schools. “We try to teach the teachers to see or find kids who are
involved with drugs and alcohol and bullying. It is a three-day
program that we provide to the schools at no charge. We also do the
Illinois Chip Program that includes making a little video and
fingerprinting (of children) and giving it back to the parents.”
Reichart also noted that the Masons play a role in getting children
and families to the Shriner’s Hospital. He said that the process to
assist a family with medical care through the Shriners starts with
contacting the local Masons. The hospital, although often referred
to in the singular, is actually a network of hospitals that includes
twenty locations throughout the United States.
The Masons is a men’s club, currently with a membership of 125. When
one joins the Masons, they have the option to maintain the local
membership regardless of where life may take them. Reichart noted
that anyone who wants to move a membership from Lincoln to another
location may do so, but many choose to maintain the local
affiliation. He also said that being a local member did not preclude
a Mason for attending and participating in other lodges.
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The only barrier is that one may not vote on business matters in
a lodge where he does not hold a membership. He also may not hold one of the top
five offices, but he can hold lesser positions within the organization.
Aughenbaugh also noted that the Masons allow for dual memberships, so a person
can maintain membership where he first joined, and add a membership if he
relocates.
There is no women’s counterpart organization, though Reichart
said there are ladies events on occasion such as teas. The Masons do however
have several other counterpart groups that meet within the Masonic Temple. The
Rainbow group for girls ages seven to 14, there is the York Rite, the Lincoln
Chapter, the Constantine Commandery, which is the Knights Templar group, and the
Order of the White Shrine.
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Moving out of the relaxation room, Reichart led the tour on to the large meeting
hall and explained that the placement of all the furniture within the room is
significant to the organization. He explained that this larger room is used for
more formal meetings and larger attendance. Regular meetings of the membership
are held in a smaller room in another part of the building.
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Moving on to that smaller meeting hall, Reichart pointed out a
handcrafted altar that he said was made by one of the local members.
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Reichart mentioned the Masonic Emblem. The emblem consists of a
carpenter’s square and compass with the letter “G” in the center. He
said that a lot of people assume or believe that the G stands for
God, but it does not. The G stands for Geometry. Going back to the
roots of the organization, the name of the organization was a
literal description of an organization founded by bricklayers or
masons. He said the geometry came from the usage of geometry in the
formatting of bricks by the brick masons all the way back in ancient
of times when the brick masons were building ancient buildings, such
as castles.
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Additional local history that was shared during the tour included
the date when the Masons were organized in Lincoln, which was
October of 1856 for this specific group, just three years after the
city of Lincoln was founded. The current lodge was also the result
of the merging of two different lodges in the community, and the
dates of when those groups were formed wasn’t available, so it would
be safe to say the Masons arrived in the area at the same time, if
not before the city was founded. The Temple where the lodge members
meet was built by this group, from their own blueprint in 1963. The
large square-footage building was recently estimated for insurance
purposes to be worth more than $1.8 million.
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The Masons also take great care to acknowledge past leaders, and
throughout the building there are pictures of members who have
achieved certain levels and there is a wall of past Worshipful
Masters.
The Masons hold local fundraisers to help support their community
service projects. Fundraisers have included events such as sandwich
sales at the Lincoln IGA, and coming later this summer, a breakfast
fundraiser will be held during the weekend of the Lincoln Balloon
Festival.
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In the banquet hall, cake and punch were being served, and several
local members were enjoying spending time with guests and thanking
them for joining in their celebration.
[Nila Smith] |