In 2009, a legitimate-looking website, http://glsneafam.wordpress.com/, announced the Grand Lodge of Connecticut and the Grand Lodge of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations would merge to form the Grand Lodge of Southern New England on April 1 of that year. Initially generating "confusion among the craft" the posting became suspect as

Ernest Shackleton, a member of Wooster Lodge 79 and Siloam Lodge 32 in Connecticut, was a pioneer Antarctic explorer. During an expedition in January, 1915, Shackleton's ship "Endurance" became locked in an ice floe. Eventually the pressure of the ice crushed the ship's hull, rendering it useless except for shelter and provisions. Shackle

Brother Edwin Booth, the most famous actor of his time and a member of New York Lodge 330, heroically saved a young man from being crushed by a train during the Civil War. Booth's courageous act was made more notable by the fact that the young man was Robert Lincoln, son of President Lincoln. In an even more incredible twist, Edwin Booth was the br

Brother Charles Louis Napoleon Bonaparte — Napoleon III (1808-1873) was both the first elected president of France and its last reigning monarch. A tumultuous autocrat, he was exiled three times, escaped after being sentenced to life in prison and on other occasions welcomed as a hero. A member of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of France, t

The original Mayo Clinic started in a Masonic Temple in Rochester, Minnesota, where William Worrall Mayo (1819-1911), Charles H. Mayo (1865-1939) and Charles W. Mayo (1898-1968) were members.

In the French-Indian War, Brother George Washington was shot no less than five times in a single battle. His thick coat stopped four of the bullets and one went through his hat. If that wasn't enough, in the same battle he had two horses shot out from under him. Observing this, one Indian Chief said he thought Washington's God must be protecting hi

Charles H. Allen, William North Lodge of Lowell, Massachusetts, became the first governor of Puerto Rico after the US freed it from Spanish rule. A man of incredible talent, he was an accomplished artist, musician and cabinet-maker. Also an avid gardener, his home, "The Terraces," boasted showcase gardens featuring fountains, a pergola, a

With the recognition of "The King's Speech" as best motion picture of 2011, it is interesting to note that both George VI (1895-1952) and his speech therapist, Lionel George Logue (1880-1953) were Freemasons. Initiated in Naval Lodge 2612 in 1919, King George VI was an active member holding many of the highest offices in England and Scotl

a teenager, Brother George Washington joined the British Navy. His mother had recently lost her husband and had another son serving as a British seaman, a dangerous profession at best. She begged young George to change his mind until he finally relented and resigned. Had Brother Washington ignored his mother's pleas, the man who became General of t