300th Birthday of Masonry

We have an important date approaching us all. I have been talking about this date and project at my home Lodge for more than a year, and feel that to get any traction on the idea, it is necessary to put this proposal to all of you.

We have a birthday coming up. In 2017 we will have our 300[SUP]th[/SUP] birthday. Why isn’t anyone putting together some sort of state/national wide celebration?

At the very least we should be asking brethren to donate their brainpower to devise a monument or landmark of some sort celebrating this tricentennial.

Perhaps there is a brother ‘somewhere’ in the state of Texas that owns some land that we could source for the project? Perhaps there is a brother than owns a quarry which we could source for stone? Perhaps there are brethren who revel in the exo/esoteric nature of Masonry and would be excited to build in some sort of codified message to the monument?

I have a lot of thoughts on this and other projects, but wanted to check the climate to be sure this type of thing is even of interest.

Thanks.

I've been talking it up for years. 2017. Three centuries of GL Masonry. How cool it would be to be in the east for that year.

As the first meeting was in a tavern it might be a good year to grow out of the restriction on having an ale in the building. US Masons may have been very active in the passage of Prohibition but it didn't work and was repealed long ago. We've returned to the world wide standard of business meetings in the first degree so why not the world wide standard of wet festive board after the meeting or degree?

Unfortunately I do have an answer to offer on that. The US diverged from the world wide standard to switch to business meetings in the third degree during the 1840s and returned to the world wide standard in the 2000s and 2010s 160-170 years later. Prohibition was in the 1920s. If returning to the world wide standard takes 160-170 years in the US we would do it about 2080s-2090s.

On the one hand if I wanted a drink near a meeting I'd attend a lot more Shrine functions. On the other hand why has the US separated craft lodges for the solemn parts and the Shrine for the levity where the rest of the world craft lodges have solemnity during their meetings and levity during their festive boards?

I am planning on attending the anniversary in London myself.

tmcguire said:

Perhaps there is a brother ‘somewhere’ in the state of Texas that owns some land that we could source for the project? Thanks.

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I would be proud to put something like that on my property, but for the fact that I live so far off the beaten path that nobody would be able to find the place.

dfreybur said:

We've returned to the world wide standard of business meetings in the first degree so why not the world wide standard of wet festive board after the meeting or degree?

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Both of those issues still vary by state. MANY states still conduct all business in the third degree, and there are states that allow alcohol as long as it's not in the lodge room. We have a downstairs room in which we have after-lodge libations, and the Grand Master has joined us in a beverage.

Regarding the original post, personally I am planning to try to be in London for the tricententenary.

roy.vance said:

I would be proud to put something like that on my property, but for the fact that I live so far off the beaten path that nobody would be able to find the place.

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I think 'off the beaten path' is a good location. Thinking long term and future city planning and new road development...it's hard to say how long your property will be isolated. Having some sort of a 'everlasting' monument to masonry to commemorate this anniversary would be fantastic. Think Georgia guide stones. Think Kensington stone, some sort of marker. I wasn't around for the 200th and I won't be around for the 400th. This is a chance for our generation of Masonry to leave a mark.

I know we have the technology, the knowledge, and the strength. The modern masons apathy and complacency will compel him to let this opportunity pass.

Will someone please put together a kick starter campaign to make this happen?


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