Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library

05/28/2026

The museum will be open this Saturday, May 30, from 9AM-4PM. Come see our exhibitions and visit our Library & Archives!

This program is offered in partnership with Freedom's Way National Heritage Area during the Hidden Treasures Festival of Nature, Culture & History.

Visit our website to see what's on view at the museum and discover more Hidden Treasures: https://bit.ly/4nM5EFm

05/21/2026

Monday, May 25, is Memorial Day, a holiday to remember American soldiers who have died in the line of duty. The first national observance of this holiday in 1868 was promoted by the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), a fraternal organization formed by Union solders after the Civil War.

This crazy quilt was made in 1890 by members of the Massachusetts Women's Relief Corps, an auxiliary of the GAR. It was presented to their President Mary Eliza Knowles (1846-1926). Each of its 64 blocks bears the number of the Women's Relief Corps' chapter in Massachusetts and, in some cases, the chapter's name and location.

Although most of the blocks were made of dress scraps decorated with painted or embroidered flowers and designs, one maker included a symbol that was especially meaningful to their organization—the United States flag.

Read more about the Grand Army of the Republic on our blog: https://bit.ly/494J5pt. Please note that the museum will be closed on Friday May 22 and Monday May 25 in observance of the holiday.

05/17/2026

05/17/2026

TODAY, we wrap up the Revolutionary Run! The Agenda:
5pm - The Party Kicks Off!
Live Music, Food, Fun & Drinks

6pm - Rev-Run Team Meet & Greet w/Live Music

6:30pm - The LIVE Pre-Show:
The Bud & Yvonne Show is going live from Bellefonte Cafe. Hear pre-show interviews with VIP Guests, and watch your hosts, Bud Skinner and Yvonne Fields, as they cover all the pre-show fun live!

The Pre-Show will stream from Bud's page. You can view it by clicking here: https://www.facebook.com/bud.skinner.9

7pm- It's GO TIME! Revolutionary Run Radio Delerious 108.1 will Host the Rev-Run Wrap Up Round Table, going live on this Facebook Channel - Revolutionary Run with your hosts Carl "Lloyd - The Voice" Pace & Jamie "Captain Harry" Fields!

This is going to be something you are not going to want to miss!

There is still limited space to join us in person! Make your reservation now at www.TheBellefonteCafe.com

05/16/2026

Take a look at the rhythmic beauty of this mural section from the parlor of the Silas Burbank House in Mt. Vernon, ME.

Painted in 1830 by Jonathan D. Poor—nephew of the legendary Rufus Porter—the work features airy, arching branches that feel more decorative than botanical. Poor created the vibrant green foliage with a sponge. 🌲🧽

While the murals were removed from the home in 1985, this specific section was restored by C.C. Adams and is now preserved at the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library (Van Gorden-Williams Library & Archives). The remaining mural sections were donated to the Rufus Porter Museum of Art and Ingenuity.

05/14/2026

This Sunday May 17th, the Revolutionary Run team will gather for a wrap-up party! If you are in the Delaware area, there will be a meet and greet with Patrick and the team at the Bellefonte Cafe at 6:00 PM.

At 7:00 PM, they will go live on the Revolutionary Run page (Revolutionary Run) for a Q&A and another chance to support the museum's future. See you there!

05/12/2026

“He was a fan!” today’s guest says about Paul Revere’s relationship to Freemasonry. Hilary Anderson Stelling is the Director of Collections and Exhibitions at the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum and Library in Lexington, MA. We discuss Freemasonry in...

05/08/2026

Revolutionary Radio, Delirious 108.1 presents the exclusive “Rev-Run Wrap-Up Party!” Live from Bellefonte Café!

The Pre-Party kicks off at 5 pm with Live Music from John & June Gallagher. Delicious food and drinks are available through the café.
At 6 pm, we will have a Meet & Greet with the members of the Revolutionary Run Team while you enjoy your dinner, drinks, and live music.

The Rev-Run Wrap-Up Round Table kicks off at 7 pm when we will go LIVE from the Bellefonte Café with the hosts of Delirious Radio 108.1, Carl “Lloyd” Pace, The Voice of the Revolutionary Run, & Co-host and Rev Run Team Captain, Jamie “Harry” Fields!
The round table will pull back the curtain and take a look behind the scenes of the Revolutionary Run, with the team members sharing their personal stories of success and struggles along the 333 Mile Journey.

Be live at Bellefonte Café on Sunday, May 17th, 2026, where you can ask your questions live to the Rev-Run Team and be part of the Revolutionary Run in celebrating 333 Miles from Wilmington, DE to Lexington, MA, honoring the 50th anniversary of the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum and Library as well as the 250th anniversary of this great nation.

Live at the Bellefonte Cafe and streaming on Revolutionary Radio, Delirious 108.1 on Revolutionary Run at 7 pm Sunday, May 17th, 2026.

Be part of the celebration! Reservations are recommended and can be made online at www.TheBellefonteCafe.com

We look forward to seeing you there!

05/07/2026

This 1796 certificate proclaimed “To all Brethren through the world” that Samuel Derby had received the Master Mason degree at Essex Lodge in Salem, Massachusetts.

This certificate’s design reflected Essex Lodge’s many seafaring members’ interest in the world; the four allegorical figures at the bottom are common eighteenth-century Western art representations of the continents of Africa, America, Asia, and Europe.

But what makes this certificate particularly interesting is not so much the front of the certificate, but, instead, a note on the back, which provides a glimpse into a journey that this certificate made as it traveled around the world with Derby.

Learn more about this traveling certificate at https://bit.ly/4esxqnV.