In Forbestown: A Rare Masonic Artifact

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In the small California town of Forbestown (our Butte County Brethren!), located in the mountains of northern gold country, a local museum holds within its collection a silver embroidered Masonic collar, adorned with a square and compass symbol within a winged egg. But this is no ordinary Masonic artifact: It is a ceremonial garment from the Rite of Memphis – a Masonic body rarely encountered throughout the history of California Masonry.

The collar, which is believed to have been created in the 1860s, was donated to the Forbestown Historical Museum by the Persons family. It belonged to Horace T. Persons, who was born in New York in 1828. During the Civil War, Persons left Forbestown to serve as a surgeon in the Union Army, where he was held for a time as a prisoner of war. He later returned to the tiny mountain town, where he died in 1870.

Persons was a member of Forbestown Lodge No. 50 and a Knight Templar; in 1867, he also became a member of the Rite of Memphis, which was attempting to establish a presence in California. Incidentally, California’s second grand master, Benjamin Hyam, was a member of a related rite, the Rite of Memphis Misraim, and served as an officer within its ruling body after returning to Washington, D.C. The regalia in this exhibit was generically labeled as “Masonic” until it was recently identified as belonging to the Rite of Memphis. It is significant not only because the Rite of Memphis is rarely heard of in California, but also because it serves as an example of the proliferation of many Masonic high degree rites, which sometimes competed for popularity.

Want to know more?

http://www.memphis-misraim.us/

http://grandcollegeofrites.org/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rite_of_Memphis-Misraim

All freemason.org articles may be repurposed by any Masonic publication with credit to the Grand Lodge of California.

A Tribute To Prince Hall In Honor of Black History Month

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Roughly about 240 years ago, in 1775, Prince Hall Free Masonry among Black men began during the War of Independence, when Prince Hall and fourteen other free black men were initiated into Lodge # 441, Irish Constitution, attached to the 38th Regiment of Foot, British Army Garrisoned at Castle Williams (now Fort Independence) Boston Harbor on March 6, 1775. The Master of the Lodge was Sergeant John Batt. Along with Prince Hall, the other newly made masons were Cyrus Johnson, Bueston Slinger, Prince Rees, John Canton, Peter Freeman, Benjamin Tiler, Duff Ruform, Thomas Santerson, Prince Rayden, Cato Spain, Boston Smith, Peter Best, Forten Howard and Richard Titley.

When the British Army left Boston, this Lodge, # 441, granted Prince Hall and his brethren authority to meet as a lodge, to go in procession on Saints John Day, and as a Lodge to bury their dead; but they could not confer degrees nor perform any other Masonic "work". For nine years these brethren, together with others who had received their degrees elsewhere, assembled and enjoyed their limited privileges as Masons. Finally in March 2, 1784, Prince Hall petitioned the Grand Lodge of England, through a Worshipful Master of a subordinate Lodge in London (William Moody of Brotherly Love Lodge # 55) for a warrant or charter.

The warrant was granted on September 29, 1784 under the name of African Lodge, # 459 on the register of the Grand Lodge of England by authority of then Grand Master, the Duke of Cumberland, delivered in Boston on April 29, 1787 by Captain James Scott, brother-in-law of John Hancock and Master of the Neptune. Prince Hall was the first Master of the lodge which was organized one week later, May 6, 1787.

The warrant to African Lodge # 459 of Boston is the most significant and highly prized document known to the Prince Hall Masonic Fraternity. Through it, Masonic legitimacy among free black men is traced, and on it more than any other factor, rests their case. That charter, which is authenticated and in safekeeping, is believed to be the only original charter issued from the Grand Lodge of England still in the possession of any Lodge in the United States. African Lodge allowed itself to slip into arrears in the late 1790's and was stricken from the rolls after the Union of 1813 although it had attempted correspondence in 1802 and 1806. In 1827, after further unreplied communication, it declared its independence and began to call itself African Grand Lodge # 1.

It is interesting to note that when the Massachusetts lodges which were acting as a Provincial Grand Lodge also declared themselves an independent Grand Lodge, and even when the present Grand Lodge of Massachusetts was formed by the amalgamation of the two separate lodges, African Lodge was not invited to take part, even though it held a warrant every bit as valid as the others.

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/freemasonry/comments/45b93r/a_tribute_to_prince_hall_in_honor_of_black/

 

Black Freemasonry: From Prince Hall to the Giants of Jazz

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New book on Prince Hall Freemasonry.  Looks really well laid out and represents an important contribution to Freemasonry in America.  From time to time I will present interesting reads to our local Masonic brotherhood in order to further our understanding of Freemasonry, its history and implications on culture. United we stand.

“Our human compassion binds us the one to the other—not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learned how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future.”
— Bro. Nelson Mandela, Raised June 28, 1990, M.W. Prince Hall Grand Lodge North Carolina.

Black Freemasonry: From Prince Hall to the Giants of Jazz
By Cécile Révauger, Pages : 320, ISBN-13 : 9781620554876, Release Date : January 02, 2016

Révauger traces the history of black Freemasonry from the late 1700s through the 1960s. Black lodges were instrumental in helping American blacks transcend the horrors of slavery and prejudice, achieve higher social status, and create their own spiritually-based social structure, which in some cities arose prior to the establishment of black churches.  The history of black Freemasonry from Boston and Philadelphia in the late 1700s through the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement:

  • Examines the letters of Prince Hall, legendary founder of the first black lodge
  • Reveals how many of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century were also Masons, including Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Nat King Cole
  • Explores the origins of the Civil Rights Movement within black Freemasonry and the roles played by Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois

When the first Masonic lodges opened in Paris in the early 18th century their membership included traders, merchants, musketeers, clergymen, and women--both white and black. This was not the case in the United States where black Freemasons were not eligible for membership in existing lodges. For this reason the first official charter for an exclusively black lodge--the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts--was granted by the Grand Lodge of England rather than any American chapter.

Through privileged access to archives kept by Grand Lodges, Masonic libraries, and museums in both the United States and Europe, respected Freemasonry historian Cécile Révauger traces the history of black Freemasonry from Boston and Philadelphia in the late 1700s through the Abolition Movement and the Civil War to the genesis of the Civil Rights Movement in the early 1900s up through the 1960s. She opens with a look at Prince Hall, legendary founder and the chosen namesake when black American lodges changed from “African Lodges” to “Prince Hall Lodges” in the early 1800s. She reveals how the Masonic principles of mutual aid and charity were more heavily emphasized in the black lodges and especially during the reconstruction period following the Civil War. She explores the origins of the Civil Rights Movement within black Freemasonry and the roles played by Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois, founder of the NAACP, among others.

Looking at the deep connections between jazz and Freemasonry, the author reveals how many of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century were also Masons, including Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole, Eubie Blake, Cab Calloway, and Paul Robeson. Unveiling the deeply social role at the heart of black Freemasonry, Révauger shows how the black lodges were instrumental in helping American blacks transcend the horrors of slavery and prejudice, achieve higher social status, and create their own solid spiritually based social structure, which in some cities arose prior to the establishment of black churches.

New Lodge Website Introduced Last Night! Stated Meeting/Dinner

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Brethren!

Its here, the new Chico-Leland Stanford Lodge No. 111 website.  This has been something long in the works and finally ready for your viewing and reviewing.  The website was debuted last night at dinner before the stated meeting by our website developer, Thomas Thackery of Go Gossamer Web Design of Chico.

Thomas went through all the pages and explained what he was tasked to do and what is coming as we finish up the product.  We will also be hooking up the website and its calendar to the new phone app from Grand Lodge so look for that integration by February.  

One item of interest to members is the ability to pay annual dues online!  This will be hooked up for use by the end of January.

We are making steady progress. Spread the word!


Happy New Year 2016!

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Dear Brothers and Families of Chico-Leland Stanford Lodge No. 111, Happy New Year to you all. We hope you find engaging work, family connectedness and inner development in the coming year.

As members, think back to the time when you first began your Masonic journey, and remember those who helped you along your way, you will see the importance of having YOU back as a participating party of Chico-Leland Stanford Lodge No. 111. If it has been a while since you last visited, we challenge you to come out and be a part once again for our once a month dinners and stated meetings. In addition, the dedication of those who participate and offer their helping hand to the newly obligated brethren, our hat is off to you, in gratitude, for your participation and support. For those who have been away for a while, come out and share your experiences, so we might all grow and mature together.