Freemasons celebrate with open house

BOLSTERS MILLS — Have you ever wondered who the Freemasons are? Want to know if they are really descendants of the Knights Templars, what the inside of a lodge looks like, or how to become a Mason?

On Saturday, October 20, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Crooked River Lodge, AF & AM, will host an open house at its lodge on Bolsters Mills Rd. in Bolsters Mills, and the public is invited to attend.

Joining more than 180 lodges across the state celebrating “Square and Compasses Day,” the Crooked River Lodge will offer tours of its building, talk about Freemasonry’s history, discuss its rituals, signs and symbols, and explain what the members do. Refreshments will be served as well.

Freemasons trace their roots to the stonemason guilds that built Europe’s cathedrals and castles during the early to midyears of the last millennium. As construction of these buildings declined, they began accepting members from outside their trade.

These new members, influenced by the “Age of Enlightenment,” transformed the organization from a group of builders to one focused on developing the character of its members.

Masons are encouraged to value principles, ethics and morality, and to live their lives accordingly. By “making good men better,” Freemasonry benefits its members, their families and communities.

The first Maine Masonic lodge was chartered in 1762, and the Grand Lodge of Maine was formed by one of the first statues enacted by the new Maine Legislature in 1820.

Since then Maine Freemasons have been part of an unbroken tradition of men who have changed the world in ways both big and small. Past Masons include Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Thurgood Marshall, John Glenn and Maine’s own Joshua Chamberlain.

For more information, call Thomas Nolan at 807-2988 or visit www.mainemason.org.