Browsing "History of Masonry"

Question: Is there any relationship between Freemasonry and the Knights Templar?

Yes. Absolutely. The relationship between Freemasonry and the Knights Templar goes waaaaaaay back.

Freemasons built many of the Knights Templar commanderies, knights halls, churches, abbeys, preceptories and castles. In France, the Knights Templar were major financial backers for many major building projects, including the great cathedral Notre Dame de Paris, which was constructed under the direction and participation of operative Freemasons. Wherever Knights Templars built or funded the building of great buildings, Freemasons were heavily involved; from the Middle East, through France, Italy Portugal, Spain, England, Scotland France and other European countries.

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Time Capsule laid by Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, and William Scollay opened

paulrevereA time capsule laid in the cornerstone of the Boston State House in 1795 has been unearthed.  This particular time capsule is notable as it was laid by Governor Samuel Adams, Grand Master of Massachusetts (and Knight Templar) Paul Revere, and William Scollay who was not only author Herman Melville’s grandfather, but also a Freemason appointed by Paul Revere as his deputy.

From the Smithsonian:

Back on July 4, 1795, none other than midnight-rider Paul Revere and Samuel Adams, who was then Massachusetts’ governor, laid a time capsule in the Massachusetts State House in Boston. The event was a big to-do. Fifteen white horses (one for each state of the union) pulled the brass box to the ceremony, where a 15-gun salute accompanied its entombment within a cornerstone by Revere, Adams and fellow revolutionary William Scollay.

You can read the whole article HERE.

Apr 23, 2014 - History of Masonry    No Comments

Second Temple period chisel found near Kotel in Jerusalem

ChiselA 2,000 year-old chisel found last year by the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA) may have been used during Second Temple period to construct Western Wall.

The Israel Antiquities Authority said that while the chisel was unearthed last year, it is waiting for research on it to be completed before issuing an official announcement on the discovery.

Archaeologist Eli Shukrun, who heads the dig at the bottom of the Temple Mount near the Western Wall, stated that the discovery was very exciting. “It is a 15 CM long ancient chisel. For the first time, after 2,000 years, we are in the possession of a work tool used by the builders who built the Kotel, the Western Wall.”

“I have no doubt that it belongs to the time the Wall was built,” Shukron said. “We found it at the base of the Western Wall, about six meters below the main street of Jerusalem in the era of the Second Temple. The coins we found in the area, and ceramics too, indicate that it was at the time the Western Wall was built.”

“The chisel itself was found inside rubble of stone chips that fell from the stonemasons working on the rocks comprising the Western Wall,” he added.

Additional findings by the same team of archeologists include cooking utensils, weapons from the Roman empire, and a golden bell that could have been used by priests in the temple.

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Jan 5, 2014 - History of Masonry    1 Comment

Golden Gate Bridge construction begun

buildingthegoldengatebridgeOn January 5, 1933 construction was begun on the Golden Gate Bridge, the iconic suspension bridge sporting “International Orange” paint that spans the Golden Gate strait – the mile-wide, three-mile-long channel between San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. This famous bridge links the city of San Francisco to Marin County, bridging both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1 across the strait. The bridge is one of the most identifiable symbols of San Francisco. The American Society of Civil Engineers has declared the Golden Gate Bridge one of the Wonders of the Modern World. Read more »

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