- Title:
- Collection of material relating to freemasonry in the United States of America, including jewels, badges, medals, regalia and souvenirs.
- Object name(s):
- Museum collection level; Collection, United States of America
- Brief description:
- The Library and Museum holds a large collection of jewels, medals, badges, souvenirs and, to a lesser extent, regalia from across the American states. Many of the jewels and medals commemorate grand lodge anniversaries, meetings, conferences and individuals. The badges are often simple souvenirs worn to display membership. The collection also holds a smaller number of items related to the York Rite, Scottish Rite and Shriners (see below). There are also a number of gifts given by various states to the United Grand Lodge of England and its Rulers.
- Collection:
- Museum of Freemasonry
- Associated concept:
- U.S.A. Freemasonry Jewels
- Associated concept:
- U.S.A. Freemasonry Regalia
- Comments:
- Freemasonry is practised across the United States of America
- Comments:
- every state (and the District of Columbia) has its own grand lodge, and most have their own Prince Hall (see below) grand lodge as well. Beyond craft freemasonry, there are two main progressions open to its members: the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, which is composed of 33 degrees and is similar to the Ancient and Accepted Rite practised in England, and the York Rite, which consists of 9, 10 or eleven degrees that are conferred in either Royal Arch Chapters, Councils of Royal and Select Masters or Knights Templar Commanderies. Finally, a mason who holds the 32nd degree in the Scottish Rite or is a Knight Templar in the York Rite is permitted to join the Shriners, or the Ancient Arabic Order, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. Except for this condition of membership, the Order is not strictly Masonic and devotes itself entirely to charitable and social activities.
- Comments:
- Prince Hall was a man of African descent in Boston, Massachusetts who, along with 14 other black men, was initiated into a travelling Irish lodge in 1775. In 1784, they received permission from the Moderns Grand Lodge in England to form African Lodge, No. 459 (erased in 1813). In 1797, Prince Hall warranted lodges in Philadelphia and Rhode Island, and from these three lodges the Prince Hall system of freemasonry originated.
- Comments:
- For a detailed guide of freemasonry abroad, see Kent Henderson and Tony Pope, Freemasonry Universal: A New Guide to the Masonic World, vol. 1 - The Americas, and vol. 2 - Africa, Europe, Asia and Oceania (Global Masonic Publications, 1998 and 2000).
- Comments:
- See also individual websites for state Grand Lodges, e.g. http://www.nymasons.org/cms/, http://www.pagrandlodge.org/, http://www.grandlodgeoftexas.org/, http://www.glflamason.org/
- Comments:
- For masonic items from other countries, see collection level catalogue entries on the Commonwealth nations, Continental Europe, Swedish Rite and other overseas.
- Comments:
- This catalogue entry is intended to provide an overview of the collection discussed. There are 40 collection catalogue entries in total, which give an introduction and a context to different areas of the collection, as well as providing examples of that collection. They are primarily intended as an interim measure before each item in the Library and Museum’s collection is catalogued individually, due to be completed by 2017. However, it is also hoped that they will provide the user with an entry into freemasonry and its material culture. Only 10 per cent of the Library and Museum’s collection is on display at any one time but the rest can be viewed upon request
- Comments:
- it is hoped that these catalogue entries with encourage our users to do so.
- Comments:
- Items from the collection are viewable upon request with 72 hours notice.
- Object name:
- Museum collection level; Collection, United States of America
- Object number:
- COLL/USA
- Object production date:
- c1850-2---
- Object production place:
- United States of America
- Related object number:
- 27149826
- Related object note:
- Related object database number
- Related object number:
- 27145577
- Related object note:
- Related object database number
- Related object number:
- 27150540
- Related object note:
- Related object database number
- Related object number:
- 27146133
- Related object note:
- Related object database number
- Reproduction format:
- Digital image
Persistent shareable link for this record: https://museumdata.uk/objects/0b278ff3-9127-396c-b1a7-1e88ecc12039
Use licence for this record: CC BY
Attribution for this record: https://museumdata.uk/objects/0b278ff3-9127-396c-b1a7-1e88ecc12039, Museum of Freemasonry, CC BY
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