What is Freemasonry?

Freemasonry has always claimed some of the best, brightest and most talented.  Men like, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Henry Ford, Harry Houdini, Robert Burns, Johann W. Goethe, Rudyard Kipling, Voltaire, Benjamin Franklin and George Washington have all been honored to be Masons.

You may have known Masons throughout your life.  Your father, grandfather or uncle may have been one.  Or you may have just discovered the fraternity in a book or movie.  However you may not be too sure what this mysterious group of men are or what they do.  Hopefully this page will answer some of your questions.

The goal of Freemasonry is to make good men better.  This is accomplished through moral lessons illustrated by symbols and allegories specifically relating to the building of King Solomon's Temple.  These lessons are taught through a series of ceremonies called degrees.  The three degrees in Masonry are called Entered Apprentice (first), Fellow-Craft (second), and Master Mason (third).  These degrees are designed to impart great truths and are of a solemn character.  No hazing or horseplay is tolerated in Freemasonry.  The truths of Freemasonry have been handed down through a succession of ages.  Mount Vernon Lodge takes great pride in its rich heritage and ancient roots.

Masonry is the world's oldest fraternity.  The first Grand Lodge met in England in 1717 at the Goose and Gridiron Tavern in London, however many historians date the fraternity back hundreds of years earlier.  Masonry's earliest document, The Regius Poem, dates to around 1390.

There are many theories as to how the Masonry developed, ranging from the obvious to the outrageous.  Many historians believe the fraternity evolved from the operative Masonic Guilds of the middle ages.  These guilds were the builders of the great Gothic cathedrals throughout Europe and were the keepers of great secrets relating to architecture and geometry.  The term Freemason is believed to come from the fact that these builders were permitted to travel freely throughout Europe building these cathedrals, able to prove themselves Freemasons by certain passwords.

Prior to the seventeenth century, the craft began to admit "Accepted" or speculative members.  This meant that for the first time, men were allowed to join the craft who did not practice the operative art of building.  These days very few members are masons by trade.

As the new world began to develop, Freemasonry was one of the first imports.  Here in Georgia, General James Oglethorpe opened the first Masonic Lodge in 1734.  After the Revolutionary War, states created their own Grand Lodges.  Grand Lodges are sovereign unto themselves and in the U.S. there are 51 regular Grand Lodges for every state and Washington D.C.

During the first part of the twentieth century, the fraternity grew by leaps and bounds.  This unprecedented growth was followed by a steady decline during the 1950's-1980's.  With some exception, like many things their fathers cherished,  Freemasonry was mostly ignored by the Baby-Boomer generation.  This decline created the public image that lodges have become decrepit buildings, where old men gather to tell stories.  At Mount Vernon Lodge that perception could not be farther from the truth.