In this article, we present ten tried-and-tested effective fundraising ideas specifically tailored for Masonic lodges to help raise more money.

From Freemasons to Odd Fellows, fraternal orders fill a basic societal need—one that San Franciscans still search for today.

The Grand Lodge of Scotland, 96 George Street, Edinburgh, Scotland. The Grand Lodge of Antient, Free and Accepted Masons of Scotland was founded in 1736 – although only a third of all lodges were represented at the foundation meeting of the Grand Lodge. Grand Hall looking east. The present Freemasons' Hall was built during 1911 - 1912. It replaced an earlier building that had been on the site since 1858. The previous building was designed by the famous Scottish architect, David Bryce.

by Midnight Freemasons Contributor Gregory J. Knott This is the fourth installment of Gregory Knott's Freedom Trail Series Doric Hall We continue our journey on the Freedom Trail by finishing our visit to the Boston Masonic Building.  Previously we visited the first 3 floors and now we continue upward. Tuscan Hall resides on the 4th floor.  This is a smaller lodge room with a green décor and a magnificent sunburst over the Masters Chair.  The York Rite Bodies and Harvard and MIT Lodges all have offices on this floor. Ionic Hall looking East The 5th floor contains to lodge rooms, Doric and Ionic as well as a new amazing Chamber of Reflection.  The Doric Lodge room is themed in light blue and is the smaller of the two lodge rooms on this floor.  I especially enjoyed this room for its intimate size yet elegant furnishings. Chamber of Reflection The Chamber of Reflection was an original design into the building but was recently renovated in 2008.  This room was oval in shape with an amazing domed ceiling that contained paintings on it depicting Time, Death, War and Peace.  The Anteroom is located near Doric Hall and the Chamber of Reflection and is intended as a space for brethren to relax.  It contains a large fireplace and a handsome grandfather clock.  Past Grand Masters of Massachusetts Ionic Hall is everything you would expect in a magnificent Grand Lodge building.   It has a high ceiling with light embedded within the complex grid system.  Portraits of the most recent Past Grand Masters adorn the walls between columns that support the room and add a sense of majesty to its visitors.  The East is no less impressive with a large overpowering Masters chair that sets the tone for the seriousness of Massachusetts Masonry.  The 6th floor contains the Armory of Boston Commandery No. 2 and the office of the Superintendent of the building.  I did not tour this floor.   Gothic Hall stage Floor 7 is home to Gothic Hall which is used primarily by the Valley of Boston Scottish Rite.  This hall is equally impressive with an amazing ceiling accented by a unique gold leaf border.  Gothic Hall contains a large stage that is used to put on the degrees of the Scottish Rite. This concludes our tour of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts.  This building is well worth the time to visit.  Other areas in the building include a library, dining area and some good displays on the first floor talking about the history of Freemasonry in Massachusetts.   You'll find a few more pictures below.  I have assembled a complete photo collection at https://plus.google.com/photos/100541014602276671939/albums/5799257703435063153 Our next stop on the Freedom Trail will be the Granary Burying Ground.  The Ante Room Gothic Hall WB Gregory J. Knott is the Past Master of St. Joseph Lodge No. 970 in St. Joseph (IL) and a plural member of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), and Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL). He's a member of both the Scottish Rite, and the York Rite, and is the Charter Secretary of the Illini High Twelve Club in Champaign-Urbana. He's also a member of the Ansar Shrine (IL). Greg is very involved in Boy Scouts--an Eagle Scout himself, he serves the Grand Lodge of Illinois A. F. & A. M. as their representative to the National Association of Masonic Scouters.

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by Midnight Freemasons Contributor W. B. Gregory Knott The third installment of Gregory Knott's Freedom Trail series. Editor's note: Greg Knott wrote this roughly ten years ago, as it was first published on 11/21/12.  In searching for articles to place on the blog for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, given all that has transpired in our nation over the past ten years, I thought it might be appropriate to repost it, and ask you to contemplate the masonic values within it.    Written by George Washington in 1789, this was the first official Presidential Proclamation made in the United States.  Shortly after the Thanksgiving Proclamation was written, it was lost for 130 years.  It was probably misplaced when the US Capitol moved from New York to Washington, D.C.  It now resides in the Library of Congress.  And it reads: Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to “recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:” Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us. And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best. Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789. WB Gregory J. Knott is the Past Master of St. Joseph Lodge No. 970 in St. Joseph (IL) and a plural member of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), and Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL). He's a member of both the Scottish Rite, and the York Rite, and is the Charter Secretary of the Illini High Twelve Club in Champaign-Urbana. He's also a member of the Ansar Shrine (IL). Greg is very involved in Boy Scouts--an Eagle Scout himself, he serves the Grand Lodge of Illinois A. F. & A. M. as their representative to the National Association of Masonic Scouters.

Shasta State Historic Park, California. The Hall of Western Star - one of the oldest masonic lodges in California. December 9, 2007. Photo #48 of 96.

One of the oldest Masonic grand lodges in the world, it's full of fantastical, elaborately themed rooms.

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Built in 1914 for $1.18 million in today's dollars, the Parnassus Masonic Temple was one of the fanciest lodges on the West Coast.

Classic and latest Masonic books are reviewed, with articles on Freemasonry authors, Knights Templar, Freemasons history research sourcebook and Grand Lodges directory

Are Freemasons tax exempt? Even though many consider Freemasonry a "religious" organization; it's not thus; Freemasons & Masonic Lodges are not tax exempt.

In colonial Saint-Domingue (modern-day Haiti)—where Freemasonry arrived with French merchants and soldiers—it became one of the few European institutions that admitted black members. Elsewhere in the Americas, racism kept blacks from joining lodges or embarking on the series of initiations, or "degrees," around which Masonic rites revolve. But in Saint-Domingue, Masonic ideas held great interest for the colony’s freedmen of color—the forerunners of Haiti’s political elite. Leah Gordon's photographs explore Haiti’s Masonic tradition.

The black and white checkered floor has existed in temples since the times of ancient Egypt. More than simply decorative, the mosaic pavement bears a profound esoteric meaning. Today it is one of Freemasonry’s most recognizable symbols and is the ritualistic floor of all Masonic lodges. The pavement is the area on which initiations occur…

The Lesser Lights - What are the lesser lights and where are they placed on our Lodges . . . An article of masonic interest published in the December2020 Issue of The Square Magazine now available online for all Freemasons around the globe . . . #freemasons #freemasonry #masonic #masonicknowledge #masoniclife #theSquareMagazine . .

The judges presiding over the trial of the Pope's former butler heard today that his apartment contained piles of documents and newspaper cuttings about Masonic lodges, the occult and previous scandals involving the Church and state in Italy.

Freemasonry is a fraternal organization that has a long and fascinating history in England. Its origins can be traced back to the 17th century, when groups of men who shared an interest in the building trades began to form lodges for the purpose of socializing and networking. Over time, these lodges evolved into organizations that emphasized moral and philosophical teachings, as well as charitable work.Today, there are thousands of Masonic lodges across England, and membership in the organizatio

Ovid 25 Lodge - Was famous Russian poet Alexander Pushkin a Freemason? And if so was he a member of the lodge for which all the lodges in Russia were destroyed? . . . An article of masonic interest published in the July 2020 Issue of The Square Magazine now available online for all Freemasons around the globe . . . #freemasons #freemasonry #masonic #masonicknowledge #masoniclife #theSquareMagazine . .