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President William McKinley

Blake Bowden

Administrator
Staff Member
mck.png

When asked how he came to be a Mason, President McKinley explained: "After the battle of Opequam, I went with the surgeon of our Ohio regiment to the field where there were about 5,000 Confederate prisoners under guard. Almost as soon as we passed the guard, I noticed the doctor shook hands with a number of Confederate prisoners. 

He also took from his pocket a roll of bills and distributed all he had among them. Boy-like, I looked on in wonderment; I didn't know what it all meant. On the way back to camp I asked him: 'Did you know these men or ever see them before?' 'No,' replied the doctor, 'I never saw them before.' 'But,' I persisted, 'You gave them a lot of money, all you had about you. Do you ever expect to get it back?' 'Well,' said the doctor, 'if they are able to pay me back, they will. But it makes no difference to me; they are brother Masons in trouble and I am only doing my duty.' "I said to myself, 'If that is Masonry, I will take some of it myself.' "



MASONIC RECORD
Initiated: May 1, 1865, Hiram Lodge No. 21, Winchester, Virginia. Brother McKinley Affiliated with Canton Lodge No. 60, Canton, Ohio on August 21, 1867; and Demitted from same to become a Charter Member of Eagle Lodge No. 431, also in Canton.

Following Brother McKinley's death on September 14, 1901, the name was changed to William McKinley Lodge effective October 24, 1901.
 

marty15chris

Premium Member
I recently have read "A house undivided" by brother Allen E Roberts which is full of stories like that above from the civil war. Very inspirational!


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