Washington Masonic Library & Museum

10/21/2026

Masonic Library & Museum Conference in New York

Last weekend our curator attended the annual Masonic Library & Museum Association (MLMA) meeting, hosted this year by the The Chancellor Robert R Livingston Masonic Library in New York City. It was a wonderful few days of fellowship and sightseeing with other Masonic curators, librarians, and enthusiasts. New York's Masonic Library has a wealth of treasures including a letter and lock of hair from George Washington, President Theodore Roosevelt's gavel, and a trowel used by Benjamin Franklin. Next time you're in New York, be sure to check them out!

We're very pleased to share that the Washington Masonic Library & Museum will be hosting the annual conference next October! This will be the first time in over a decade that the MLMA has convened anywhere on the West Coast. If you have ideas on tours and presentation topics that showcase how Washington Masonry intersects with the history of the Tacoma region, please let us know.

The mission of the Masonic Library & Museum Association is, "to assist and support, through education, facilitation of communication, coordination of effort, and other means, those individuals charged with the collection, management, and preservation of Masonic heritage." It's open to organizations as well as anyone interested in this cause. New members are most welcome! To learn more, check out their website at https://www.masoniclibraries.com/

10/20/2026

Check out this recent Tacoma Historical Society post on the Tacoma Masonic Temple!

99 years ago today in Tacoma, a building which is still a landmark celebrated its opening! This photograph of the new Masonic Temple, 47 Saint Helens Avenue was taken in November of 1927. The Temple Theatre (then called the Heilig Theater), built within the Masonic Temple, celebrated its grand opening on October 18, 1927.

The theater was leased by Calvin Heilig and was decorated in an Egyptian motif. Loges were installed on the lower floor. The Masonic Temple itself would be dedicated on December 1, 1927, six weeks after the theater's grand opening. The $550,000 building rose ten stories from the Broadway level. It was 124 x 170 feet in size and built of steel and concrete. The facade consisted of stone finish with brick trimmings. Sixteen Masonic bodies would utilize the structure as a meeting space.

Photograph courtesy Tacoma Public Library

10/15/2026

Top Hats worn by 20 Past Grand Masters

This week's cataloguing project was a fun one! These top hats have been worn by nineteen Past Grand Masters between 1941 and 1967. One of the top hats is collapsible, making them both fit snuggly in this brown carrying case. A note found inside the case indicated that they had also been worn more recently by MW Donald Munks (2015-2016) during a Grand Masters portrait photo shoot held down at the Library & Museum, making him the 20th Grand Master to have worn these hats.

Nineteen of the Past Grand Masters' names are printed in gold lettering on the outside of the case. A little research into recently scanned photographs found a welcome surprise--a photograph of the first Grand Master listed on the outside of the carrying case, John A. Emigh (1941-1942) --wearing what appears to be one of the top hats! This is just the latest example of the connections we are able to make during our concentrated inventory efforts, and the wonderful stories we are able to share as a result!

10/07/2026

University of Washington Men's Dorm (1908)

While inventorying a box of photographs recently, we came across this gem. A photograph of the University of Washington Men's Dorm, which was taken on April 6, 1908 (according to a note on the back). On the surface, this photo is not inherently Masonic, but the fact that three future Grand Masters of the Grand Lodge of Washington are pictured makes it fit within our collecting scope!

Sometime previously, someone wrote names and arrows onto the photograph pointing them out: "Bates" stands for William C. Bates, who served as Grand Master (1930-1931). "Askren" stands for for Thomas M. Askren (1931-1932), and "Perry," stands for Stewart E. Perry (1947-1948).

09/30/2026

Masonic Protective Association Fob, c. 1895-1922

This was a fun research project recently! A fob issued by the Masonic Protective Association, founded in Worchester, Massachusetts in 1895. We requested help on this one from the Masonic Library & Museum Association (MLMA), made up of Masonic curators, librarians, historians, and enthusiasts from all over the world. A particular shout out to the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library, located in Lexington Massachusetts for their most helpful assistance in providing context. Check out a blog they wrote about these fobs here: https://www.srmml.org/new-to-the-collection-masonic-protective-association-fobs/

Turns out, these show up quite a bit in the state of Massachusetts, and some are even heart shaped! Ours is quite worn, but looking closely you can still read, "J Robbins M+G Co. Boston, Telegraph this number 2832 to the Masonic Protective Ass'n Worchester, Mass, They will Inform My Friends." On the opposite side are the square and compasses and the words: "To Identify Me, See Other Side"

09/24/2026

Thank you to everyone who showed up to support the Washington Masonic Library & Museum last Saturday! We were thrilled to have so much engagement and excitement surrounding our redesign. Here are some pictures of our outside festivities, as well as our display of a time capsule from 1941!

We look forward to hosting more events leading up to our opening in Spring 2027, so stay tuned for more fun in the future!

09/18/2026

We would love to see you tomorrow at our open house! It should be a lot of fun, and we will also be setting up a display inside of artifacts from a time capsule from 1941. Come check it out!

Help us spread the word by inviting your friends and family.
Everyone is Welcome!

09/09/2026

Need to scan some Lodge records? We can help!

09/01/2026

Check out our new bookcases!

We just received these photos of our custom bookcases that are in production! They are getting ready to be shipped up to our Library & Museum for installation early next year.

A special shout out to our design firm, The Alchemy of Design, located in Portland, Oregon for leading the process of locating and ordering these bookcases that will help us realize our vision for a newly revamped Library & Museum space in 2027. These bookcases are specially picked to help us reimagine the space-- some of them will have exhibit text panels installed on them to create a cohesive feel. We will share more updates in the future as we get closer to installation and opening!

08/28/2026

This gavel was made from a tree planted at Fort Nisqually!

Recently we inventoried and accessioned some very special gavels from our offsite storage. This one was made from the wood of a locust tree that was planted in Fort Nisqually in the mid 19th century! The plaque reads: "To George E. Wood, J.W. 1950, Steilacoom Lodge No.2, F.&A.M. Made by WM C. Landsburgh, P.M. 1931 From Locust Tree Planted by L. Work and E. Huggins, Ft. Nisqually, O.C. 1847"

L. Work would refer to Letita Work, a pioneering cook at Fort Nisqually and sister-in-law of the Hudson Bay Company's Chief Factor. E. Huggins would be Edward Huggins, a prominent figure (and later manager of the fort) who documented life at Fort Nisqually through his prolific writings. According to some preliminary research, the 1847 date on the gavel is likely a misprint. Huggins did not arrive at Fort Nisqually until 1850. Perhaps the date intended was 1857, as Huggins and Work were married in October that year. They went on to have eight children, and were a prominent early American family in the region.

Fort Nisqually Living History Museum