The Masonic Library and Museum of Indiana (MLMI) is an immersive experience to discover the influence
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The Masonic Library and Museum of Indiana (MLMI) is transitioning from a primarily collection-based viewing, to enhancing the visitor experience for those with and without a Masonic background. The concentration of this museum is to improve a visitor's accessibility to the MLMI's collection, and illuminate the Indiana Masonic story, and its influence to the people of Indiana. To make an appointment to visit the Library & Museum, contact Michael Brumback directly at (765)-744-0424.
We have fixed our donation page! At some point, the link stopped working, but now we have not only fixed it, we have made it QR accessible. By scanning this code, or clicking the link below, you can send your 100% tax-deductible donations directly to us. All donations go directly to maintaining the collection of artifacts and books here at the Masonic Library and Museum of Indiana!
Donation link: https://shorturl.at/eCEGS
Our newest volunteer “Jack DeMolay” is so excited to introduce you to our newest exhibit, but he will have to wait until October 13th, on DeMolay Day.
UPDATE: Due to some great researchers discovered that this picture is from the 1930s in the center is Mrs. Jane Elizabeth Boswell Reid – First Grand Master (1913-1933) of The Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons and on the left is Mrs. Lily Seton Challen – Second Grand Master (1934-1967) of The Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons.
Location and date of this photo unknown, though hairstyles lead us to believe it was taken sometime in the late 1920s or early 1930s.
Though there are a variety of irregular mixed-gender and women-only lodges around the globe, this photo is most likely of members of the Order of Women Freemasons or The Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons, both women-only organizations out of the UK.
Three hundred years ago, the first printed book about Freemasonry was published: Rev. James Anderson’s The Constitutions of the Free-Masons, Containing the History, Charges, Regulations, &c. of that most Ancient and Right Worshipful Fraternity. The book’s lengthy title is only a suggestion o...
We would like to honor Past Grand Master Richard “Dick” Hickam, who passed earlier this month.
Dick Hickam was our Senior Past Grand Master and the 50 year Past Grand Master, a title that many never get to see. He served as a past Grand Treasurer and served on the board of the Masonic Home. His lifetime of service will always be appreciated.
Our doors are OPEN!
Announcing new hours on Saturdays! We know it can be hard to come visit us during the work week. Starting tomorrow, 9/23, we will be open from 10am-2pm on Saturdays.
*Please note that weekend hours are seasonal and can be subject to the weather.
If you come visit us, stop and say hi to Joe, our longtime, faithful member and security desk attendant. He’ll help you find us up on the 5th floor!
Members of the Masonic Library & Museum Association (MLMA) gathered to draft new bylaws and elect new officers. Left to right, newly elected Secretary Tyler Venice, VP Dirk Hughes, President Glenn Visscher, and Treasurer Erik Trosdahl.
Ready for DC! Museum VP Mike Brumback is looking forward to meeting brothers at the MLMA conference this weekend. He’s been filling interns in on the history of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial.
We have interns!
The Masonic Library and Museum of Indiana is always proud to partner with Indiana University and the Museum Studies program at their Indianapolis location. These interns will be helping with the beautiful collection we have and making sure things run smoothly. If you stop by, make sure to say hello to Meredith (left) and Danielle (right)!
The July 2023 issue of Indianapolis Monthly Magazine featured a unique artifact from the Masonic Library & Museum of Indiana in Indianapolis: 'Bucky,' our very own fraternal mechanical goat. This local guide magazine features news, entertainment, dining picks and reviews, museums, theater information, lifestyle articles, and more. Nearly every month, their staff seeks out unusual artwork, displays and other odd items, generally from local museums.
Unfortunately, the short blurb about our goat didn't give a whole lot of information, and didn't even mention our Museum as its home. But because I assembled a fair amount of material about our goat, I submitted a longer article that was in the Summer 2023 issue of the Indiana Freemason Magazine.
Freemasonry around the world, featuring Masonic news, history, trivia, and more. By the author of 'Freemasons For Dummies,' Christopher Hodapp.
Amity's 'Acacia' book is a comprehensive listing of Masonic lodges and grand lodges that's custom printed (on demand), specifically for your jurisdiction. It replaces the now defunct Pantagraph List of Lodges - Masonic. (Pantagraph published their annual book for 115 years, but closed in 2021.) If you're a grand lodge's grand secretary, a local lodge secretary, a member of your GL's foreign fraternal relations committee, or just a well-traveled Mason who wants a quick reference book to find a regular lodge meeting wherever you go, this is the guide you can't do without. And because of the way they tailor each copy to your own specific jurisdiction, you won't find yourself trying to visit a lodge that's unrecognized by your grand lodge.
The individual book is $27 (because it's on demand and big) - they usually offer a BIG discount for bulk orders earlier in the spring, but we're past that for 2023 now.
Amity is also a smart phone app that allows you to enter your grand lodge information and instantly find recognized lodges anywhere you travel.
Freemasonry around the world, featuring Masonic news, history, trivia, and more. By the author of 'Freemasons For Dummies,' Christopher Hodapp.
Downtown at the Cathedral awaiting the fireworks show.
Did anybody else around Indiana know this past May was Historic Preservation Month, commemorated by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources? In fact, this year's Preservation Month was specifically focused on Indiana's Fraternal Organizations.
Would have been nice to know about it ahead of time. Would have been nice if the fraternal organizations they cited had been given the chance to coordinate with the DNR – hold tours, give presentations, host talks within some of our still-operating buildings, organize driving tours of the many remaining fraternal buildings located in cities and towns all over the state... you know, that kind of stuff.
Yep, that would have been nice.
https://www.in.gov/dnr/historic-preservation/files/FO-article-for-PatC-2023.pdf
CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS - SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS JULY 1ST
Calvin Prather York Rite is hosting its third Masonic Education Day on Saturday, August 26th.
They have made a 'Call for Presentations' for any Master Mason who would like to submit a paper/presentation to be included in this program.
While they are accepting longer presentations this year, the presentations do not need to be long. A 1–2-page paper and a 5-10 minute presentation are perfectly fine.
One of the goals for this Education Day is to provide an opportunity for more Masons here in Indiana to become involved with Masonic research and the presentation of Masonic education. They especially wish to encourage new authors / presenters. If you've ever thought about writing a short paper and/or making a short presentation, please consider submitting something for this Education Day.
For more information, please visit:
August 26, 2023 Hosted by Prather York Rite and Prather Council Knight Masons, please join us for a morning of Masonic Education that includes over three hours of educational presentations and stimulating conversation on Masonic topics. Call for Papers / Presentations: Timeline: New authors are welc...
Calling all Masonic artists! The Masonic Library & Museum of Pennsylvania is holding an open art competition and Grand Exhibition this year, with the theme "Embodying Masonic Values." The call for entries is now open.
All artwork entries must display a visual interpretation of some aspect of Freemasonry in Pennsylvania, whether it be philosophical, historical, scientific, social, fraternal, charitable, architectural, etc. Selected artwork will be exhibited in the Masonic Temple in Philadelphia.
Any amateur or professional artist or college art student may enter, but all will be judged as equals for competition purposes. Artists must be at least 18 years of age. All submissions must be original; they may have been created within the past two years and may have been previously exhibited. No work previously produced on a commission will be accepted. All submissions must be available for purchase. Details at LINK BELOW
Freemasonry around the world, featuring Masonic news, history, trivia, and more. By the author of 'Freemasons For Dummies,' Christopher Hodapp.
The 2023 California Masonic Symposium on June 28th may perhaps be the most unusual educational program ever put on by a grand lodge: "Brother Harry Houdini – The Master Mystic & the Masonic Ties to Our Craft." Throughout its modern history, there have been active, practicing magicians within the fraternity of Freemasonry. Ye Olde Cup & Ball No. 880 is a recently-chartered "affinity lodge" in Los Angeles for professional and budding magicians. Appropriately, it meets at the famed Magic Castle private club in Hollywood (clubhouse for the very real Academy of Magical Arts). Additionally, the Invisible Lodge is an international, honorary association of magician-Masons (it was founded by Sir Felix Korim, a well known stage Illusionist in 1953). But how are the practices of magic and Masonry related—and what philosophical ideas underpin them both?
The legendary magician, escape artist and master showman, Harry Houdini (1891-1926) was a member of New York's St. Cecile Lodge 568, and one of the main presentations of California's online symposium will be about his incredible life and career. A panel discussion will explore the ties between magic and Masonry: Magic’s relevance to Freemasonry today, the importance of showmanship in our ritual ceremonies, and the very real 'magical' connections between Freemasonry and the ritual.
This year's theme for the California symposium shouldn't be surprising, as the current Grand Master of California, MW Randall Brill, is an accomplished magician, as are all of the other presenters for this program: Maynard Edwards, S. Brent Morris, and Ralph C. Shelton II. (In fact, if you've ever attended a Masonic presentation given by Brent Morris, he will commonly preface his speech by performing a quick magic trick, and his university dissertation for a PhD in mathematics was written about the mathematical probabilities involved in card shuffling.) MORE AT LINK BELOW
Freemasonry around the world, featuring Masonic news, history, trivia, and more. By the author of 'Freemasons For Dummies,' Christopher Hodapp.
Indiana Masons: Join us this Saturday after Founders Day at 3pm for the meeting of the Dwight L. Smith Lodge of Research.
The Dwight L. Smith Lodge of Research U.D. will hold its traditional Founders Day meeting this Saturday, January 14th, 2023, at 3:00 PM, following the Founders Day lunch. As has been our recent custom, the meeting will take place in the 5th floor South Lodge Room at Indiana Freemasons Hall, located at 525 N. Illinois Street (just south of the Scottish Rite Cathedral parking lot).
The 5th floor is shared with the Masonic Library & Museum of Indiana, and it will be open for brethren to visit throughout the day.
Our presenter for the meeting will be Worshipful Brother Tyler Whittaker. Tyler is a Past Master of Fellowship Lodge No. 681 and serves as a Masonic Educator for the Grand Lodge of Indiana.
In his professional life, Tyler is also a stone mason. Tyler's family owns Wearly Monuments in Muncie, Indiana which has been in business since 1899.
Tyler's talk is titled Operative Masonry in a Speculative World: A Primer on Stone Carving. Tyler will discuss both operative and speculative masonry as well as his involvement with the George Washington Masonic Memorial cornerstone re-dedication in February of 2023.
You don't want to miss this talk. It's not often you get to see operative masonry in action in a speculative lodge.
On Thursday, Mike Brumback let it slip that he had the combination to the massive Grand Lodge vault in the basement of Indiana Freemasons Hall. Such a revelation could not go unchallenged, and when he opened it, sure enough, it yielded up treasures.
The room somehow seemed to have escaped any flooding over the years. It's packed with hundreds of printed copies of old annual proceedings, but it looks like the last things put inside were in 2012.
The paw prints of Dwight L. Smith are evident. There's an entire shelf of early 19th century handwritten minute books with notes inside stating they had been microfilmed by the Indiana Historical Society in 1969. At some point on or before the GL's 150th anniversary in 1968-69, Dwight had apparently put out the word that he wanted to collect and protect copies or originals of the oldest physical documents he could find from lodges around the state.
In this photo by Bill Sassman, Mike and I peer into the Grand Lodge December 24, 1837 handwritten minutes. They were written by then-Grand Secretary Abraham Harrison, and probably not been looked since at least the 1960s, and probably before.
GL used to meet twice a year, and this was just 15 years after the City of Indianapolis was created in the wilderness. They used to meet the day before Christmas (I'll bet wives were thrilled over that) and then a second time in May. The minutes noted that the May meeting was to be held on the Thursday before the General Assembly convened (since many of our early members were part of state government).
These minutes also predate the first purpose-built Masonic hall in the city by about 12 years. They were usually meeting in the public room of a local inn and tavern, Blake and Henderson's Washington Hall, which was also the usual meeting spot for Centre Lodge 23. The first Grand Lodge Masonic Hall was finally built and opened in 1850. It would be deliberately built on the corner of Washington and Tennessee (now Capitol Avenue), diagonally from the statehouse.
Indiana's first official Grand Lodge Masonic Hall was finally built in 1850 and opened the next year. It would be deliberately built on the corner of Washington and Tennessee (now Capitol Avenue), diagonally from the statehouse. Before the Masons even moved in, we turned the use of the hall over to the State of Indiana to use by the delegates to the constitutional convention who were writing the new Indiana State Constitution at the beginning of 1851. The statehouse across the street was too small to accommodate both the General Assembly and the convention at the same time.
Calling all Masonic artists! Deadline is this Thursday 8/11!
The Masonic Library and Museum of Pennsylvania is sponsoring the Grand Exhibition Art Competition: Embodying Masonic Values.
According to the Call For Entries posted in May, all artwork entries must display a visual interpretation of some aspect of Freemasonry in Pennsylvania, whether it be philosophical, historical, scientific, social, fraternal, charitable, architectural, etc. Selected artwork will be exhibited in the Masonic Temple in Philadelphia.
This competition is open to any artist over 18 years of age, and membership in the Masonic fraternity is not required. Deadline for submissions is Thursday, August 11, 2022.
https://freemasonsfordummies.blogspot.com/2022/08/only-3-days-left-to-enter-pennsylvanias.html
by Christopher Hodapp Masonic artist Ryan J. Flynn by Christopher Hodapp Calling all Masonic artists! Deadline is this Thursday! The Masonic...
Tune in today at 5:30PM for the Indiana Historical Society’s 'History Happy Hour – Masons in Indiana.'
Join Michael Brumback and Chris Hodapp of the Masonic Library and Museum of Indiana for a discussion on the history of Indiana’s Freemasons and see highlights from the Museum’s collection.
Posted on July 20, 2022July 20, 2022 by Chris HodappIndiana Historical Society’s ‘History Happy Hour’: Freemasons In Indiana July 20th Tune in today for the Indiana Historical Society’s History Happy Hour – Masons in Indiana. Join Michael Brumback and Chris Hodapp of the Masonic Library an...
A lady with the last name of Tobias sent me an email early this morning asking for help identifying what she thought was a Masonic sword that belonged to her grandfather. The engraved name on the sword blade was 'U.S. Grant Tobias.' It was a very typical fraternal group sword from Ward or Ames or Pettibone, or one of the several other companies making these since the 1860s. And they made thousands of them.
While attempting to save her message after reading it on my phone, I accidentally deleted her note and the photos. And I don't mean 'rescue-it-from-your-trash-folder' deleted, but double deleted it even from that folder. I've tried all the restoration tricks I know of, to no avail.
So, if you are Ms. Tobias, the answer is no, the sword in your photos is not Masonic. Unfortunately, I only glanced at the photos for a few seconds before I stupidly deleted them. But I did look at them long enough to identify the symbols.
The scabbard is indeed from the American Legion veterans association. But the sword itself has the very Masonic-looking square and compass with an upraised arm holding a hammer in the center that denotes the Junior Order of United American Mechanics on its counter-guard. It's easy to get it confused with the Masonic symbol, but the two groups are not related.
It's odd that the JrO. U.A.M. sword would have an American Legion scabbard - perhaps he belonged to the two groups simultaneously. Or he may have lost or damaged the proper one for the JrO. U.A.M. and just substituted the American Legion scabbard so it would be protected.
Both organizations are still in operation today.
http://freemasonsfordummies.blogspot.com/2022/05/fraternal-swords-arent-always-masonic.html
by Christopher Hodapp A lady with the last name of Tobias sent me an email early this morning asking for help identifying what she thought w...
(Apologies to all - the faulty hyperlinks in the story have been fixed now.)
Back in August 2021, Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana announced the opening of the new Center for Fraternal Collections & Research (CFCR), headed up by Dr. Heather Calloway. This Wednesday, April 20th is at Indiana University and the Center is attempting to raise $5,000 with a crowdfunding campaign to help establish an endowment.
The mission of the CFCR is to collect, preserve, and protect objects and ephemera of fraternal and religious groups for study and research in a permanent and accessible collection. During the "Golden Age of Fraternalism" from the end of the American Civil War until the Great Depression, over a thousand fraternal, ritual-based or "secret societies" formed in the U.S. For too long, American fraternalism wasn't considered to be important enough for respectable historians to investigate. Yet the fraternal movement with its so-called "secret societies" was critical to the building and strengthening of American communities, and every bit as important as churches, political clubs and parties, social activist groups, and other local institutions.
Current generations have little or no understanding of the very existence and importance of these organizations, and too many of their publications, artwork, artifacts and jewelry disappear into the garbage or get melted down for their precious metals. The CFCR is now a welcome and secure repository for the quickly vanishing ephemera of American fraternal history.
http://freemasonsfordummies.blogspot.com/2022/04/crowdfunding-campaign-for-indiana.html
by Christopher Hodapp Back in August 2021, Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana announced the opening of the new Center for Fraternal ...
If you are joining us today for the Dwight L. Smith Lodge of Research tour of Indiana Freemasons Hall in Indianapolis, we are beginning at 9AM. Enter on the south side of the building at the door with the blue awning. If either door is locked, call Chris at 317-443-9354 and we'll let you in.
Issue 56 of the Journal of The Masonic Society is about to start hitting subscriber mailboxes. Our Editor Michael Poll, Art Director John Bridegroom, and the whole team continue to do amazing work highlighting Masonic education and research.
The cover features a stunning view of the ceiling in the main lodge room of the United Grand Lodge of England on Great Queen Street, London.
Here is the line-up of the papers in this issue:
• Gratitude in Masonic Life by C.R. Dunning, Jr.
• Nine: Masonic Fan Fiction by M. Christopher Lee
• Masonic Education in the Time of Pandemic: The Rubicon Masonic Society’s Experience by Dan Kemble
• The Feast of the Paschal Lamb: A Memorial Service by Michael Moran, FMS and Samuel Kyburz
• Memorials of Tom Jackson and Ralph McNeal
• Highlights of this year's Masonic Week
While I'm on the subject, my belated public congratulations to WB Oscar Alleyne who was elected in February at Masonic Week 2022 as the new President of the Masonic Society.
http://freemasonsfordummies.blogspot.com/2022/03/news-of-masonic-society-tms-journal.html
by Christopher Hodapp Issue 56 of the Journal of The Masonic Society is about to start hitting subscriber mailboxes. Our Editor Michael Pol...
Masons in Canada have hit upon a new wrinkle in historical markers. The Grand Lodge of British Columbia & Yukon is in the midst of celebrating its 150th anniversary. But instead of creating historic information plaques with tons of small, hard to read type, their new commemorative markers include a scannable QR code that links to a website with more information than could ever possibly fit on the marker itself.
The first of a projected 45 markers to be installed was at Prince David Masonic Hall in Maple Ridge, British Columbia. It was dedicated on Saturday by the grand officers of the Grand Lodge of British Columbia & Yukon... (MORE)
http://freemasonsfordummies.blogspot.com/2022/03/grand-lodge-of-british-columbia-yukon.html
by Christopher Hodapp In the 1960s and 70s, our Grand Lodge in Indiana installed about thirty aluminum historical markers at various importa...
"Discover the Secrets of the Temple”: Indiana Freemasons Hall Tour - Saturday, April 9th 9:00 AM
Join the Dwight L. Smith Lodge of Research on Saturday, April 9th for a basement-to-rooftop guided tour of Indiana Freemasons Hall. The Indianapolis Masonic Temple - also known as Indiana Freemasons Hall - has been the headquarters of the Grand Lodge F&AM of Indiana since opening its doors over a century ago.
If you've been to Founders Day, Annual Communications, or another event at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, you might not have noticed the enormous windowless limestone Temple across the street. But even if you've been inside for a lodge meeting or visited the Masonic Library & Museum on the fifth floor, you've only seen a tiny part of this remarkable historic landmark.
When it opened in 1908, the Indianapolis Temple was declared "the finest of its kind in the Entire World" and "built to last a thousand years." Now we will take you behind the curtains and locked doors and down the back staircases to discover the Temple's many hidden features and surprises.
After the tour we will have a historical presentation about the original Freemasons Halls in Indianapolis and their importance to the community and the state of Indiana.
Tour will begin at 9:00AM
Indianapolis Masonic Temple
525 N. Meridian Street
Indianapolis, IN
Following the tour we will meet for lunch at El Toro Mexican Restaurant (formerly Acapulco Joe's) located two blocks south of the temple.
PLEASE NOTE: There are areas of the building such as the basement and the rooftop that are not handicap-friendly. Access to these areas may be severely limited or restricted altogether. Some areas are also in varying stages of renovation or disrepair. Be sure to wear clothes you won't mind getting dirty, along with comfortable shoes.
This tour is open to all - Masons, their families, and friends.
So please join us!
https://mailchi.mp/6a877b3bb8ff/dwight-l-smith-lodge-of-research-upcoming-meeting-5700029
Join the Dwight L. Smith Lodge of Research on Saturday, April 9th for a basement-to-rooftop guided tour of Indiana Freemasons Hall. The Indianapolis Masonic Temple - also known as Indiana Freemasons Hall - has been the headquarters of the Grand Lodge F&AM of Indiana since opening its doors over a ...
Mark Tabbert’s new book, 'A Deserving Brother,' is without question the most extensive, detailed and truthful accounting of George Washington and his Freemasonry as he lived it. As an historical research tool it is invaluable, and will unquestionably be the most important reference work on George Washington and the fraternity available for decades to come.
Full review at the link below:
http://freemasonsfordummies.blogspot.com/2022/02/book-review-deserving-brother-george.html
by Christopher Hodapp When the George Washington National Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia was first proposed in 1910, it was desig...
The Grand College of Rites of the United States of America is a regular Masonic body that is dedicated to preserving the history and rituals of defunct and inactive Masonic orders. Formally organized in 1932, the Grand College of Rites publishes an annual volume known as Collectanea which contains reprinted rituals of various officially extinct organizations deposited within its archives.
The book that came this week is actually something quite special, and not the usual sort of obscure esoteric rituals the College has traditionally published in the past. During the Golden Age of Fraternalism, quite literally hundreds of fraternal groups proliferated. Most tried to be solemn in nature, with degrees to impart wise and serious truths. But others were created as unofficial 'side degrees' to provide an entertaining night for members, or as one pamphlet put it, "a comic ceremony designed to cure the blues and fill the treasury."
"Burlesque Degrees" is being provided as a Bonus Book to all 2020 and 2021 dues-paying members as a way of saying thank you for their continuing support of the mission of the College throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The fraternal groups included in this collection are truly obscure and deliberately comic: The Haymakers, the Munchers of Hard Tack, the Sublime Order of Arabian Knights, Uncle Sam's Eagles, the Up-To-Date Order of Goosie Girls, the Grand and Noble Order of Button Busters, and more.
Any Master Mason holding membership and in good standing in a regular symbolic lodge recognized by a majority of grand lodges of Freemasonry in the United States may petition for membership as a Fellow in the Grand College of Rites.
http://freemasonsfordummies.blogspot.com/2022/02/grand-college-of-rites-offers-bonus.html
by Christopher Hodapp The Grand College of Rites of the United States of America is a regular Masonic body that is dedicated to preserving ...
The newly revived Masonic Book Club has just announced the pre-publication ordering window for their second volume: a new edition of Samuel Pritchard's 1730 ritual exposure, 'Masonry Dissect'd.' The pre-publication order window will be open until February 28, 2022.
The 'old' Masonic Book Club first published this book in 1977 with wonderful commentary by Masonic scholar Harry Carr, Past Master and Secretary of Quatuor Coronati Research Lodge No. 2076 in London. This 144-page reprint of that 1977 edition features Carr’s classic commentary, revised and updated by Ill. Arturo de Hoyos, 33°, G.C., and S. Brent Morris, 33°, G.C. The special MBC pre-publication price is $30. Regular retail price will be $40.
Pritchard's book included the first known publication of the details of the Master Mason degree, which had only been incorporated into the premiere Grand Lodge of England's ritual in 1726, just nine years after the 1717 formation of their grand lodge.
http://freemasonsfordummies.blogspot.com/2022/01/pre-order-from-masonic-book-club-samuel.html
by Christopher Hodapp The newly revived Masonic Book Club has just announced the pre-publication ordering window for their second volume: a...
The Masonic Library & Museum of Indiana will be open today from 7:00AM until 4:00PM in conjunction with the Grand Lodge of Indiana Founders Day festivities. We are located on the 5th floor of Indiana Freemasons Hall at 525 N. Illinois Street in Indianapolis.
The Dwight L. Smith Lodge of Research U.D. will hold its traditional Founders Day meeting this Saturday, January 15th, 2022, at 3:00 PM, following the Founders Day breakout sessions and afternoon committee meetings. As has been our recent custom, the meeting will take place in the 5th floor South Lodge Room at Indiana Freemasons Hall, located at 525 N. Illinois Street (just south of the Scottish Rite Cathedral parking lot). This will be our first in-person meeting since the Covid pandemic restrictions were put in place in 2020.
The 5th floor is shared with the Masonic Library & Museum of Indiana, and it will be open for brethren to visit throughout the day.
We will have two presentations during the meeting. Junior Warden James A. Buckhorn will present 'Grip Not, Want Not: An Examination of the True Secrets of Masonry’. And Senior Warden, WB David Hosler will present, ‘Saving Fraternal History.’ Also in the schedule is a discussion of future potential field trips for our members to Masonic sites in the state.
In accordance with our by-laws, the top officers of the Dwight L. Smith Lodge of Research are not elected each year, they are appointed and serve at the will and pleasure of the Grand Master. The appointed officers for the year 2021-22 are:
Barry White, P.M. - Worshipful Master
David Hosler, P.M. - Senior Warden
James A. Buckhorn - Junior Warden
Christopher Hodapp, P.M. - Secretary
Because we are not a traditional lodge that confers degrees, we are not required to have a complete compliment of officers. Nor are we required to formally open and close the lodge in form. All Indiana Masons and brethren from jurisdictions in amity with the Grand Lodge of Indiana may attend our meetings and become members.
Finally, I’d like the opportunity to thank all of our members for their support during two of the most unusual years in recent history, and especially thank Past Grand Master Kenneth Roy, Jr. for naming me as Master for 2019-21. Grand Master Martin has appointed me as the lodge Secretary for this year, so please bear with me as I take that position from the able hands of WB John Bridegroom, who has served us well for many years. Dues notices for 2022 will be mailed out as soon as I finalize some administrative details with the Grand Lodge office.
We hope to see you on Founders Day!
Fraternally,
Christopher L. Hodapp, PM, Secretary
Dwight L. Smith Lodge of Research U.D.
525 North Illinois Street (Located On The 5th Floor Of Indiana Freemasons’ Hall
Indianapolis, IN
46204
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Keynote presentation from January 2020 by Christopher L. Hodapp for the Dwight L. Smith Lodge of Research about the MSA's military service centers in Evansville and Indianapolis during World War II.
The Masonic Library and Museum of Indiana, Inc. (MLMI) is the official preservation and research institution for the Grand Lodge Free & Accepted Masons of Indiana. Located on the 5th floor of the Indianapolis Masonic Temple, we are presently transitioning from a primarily collection-based viewing for our own members into enhancing the visitor experience for those with and without a Masonic background. Our ultimate mission is to illuminate the wider story of Freemasonry, with a special concentration on its profound, historic influence for the people and communities of the state of Indiana. To make an appointment to visit the Library & Museum, contact Director Michael Brumback directly at (765)-744-0424, or Associate Director Christopher Hodapp at 317-443-9354.
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