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Some masonic references cannot be catalogued. They remain unique.
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Architecture
This decorated lamppost, with cherub, masonic apron, trowel, and ruler, dates from 1862 when Ulster Hall in Belfast was designed by William J. Barre (1830-1867).
William J. Barre's greatest rival in Belfast architectural competitions was Sir Charles Lanyon, one time Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Ireland.
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The mullions of this shopping centre entrance clearly depict the masonic square and compasses.
Continental Centre
8470 Cambie Road, Richmond
British Columbia, Canada
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João Baroni offers lodging to freemasons and their families while undergoing treatment at the local cancer hospital. A satelite view can be seen at coördinates 20 34 45.51 S, 48 34 34.14 W and further details are available at paragemdeourofino.com.br.
Casa do Maçom
Av. Brg. Eduardo Gomes,
1067-1121 - Nova América
Barretos
Sao Paulo, Brasil
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Located in Macon, Georgia, USA, the Masonic Children's Home of Georgia opened on 14 June 1905.
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Opened in 1932, the International Peace Garden is a 2,300 acre botanical park straddling the U.S. and Canadian border between North Dakota and Manitoba. The Masonic Auditorium was built in 1981, and sponsored by the Grand Lodge of North Dakota and the Grand Lodge of Manitoba.
International Peace Garden
Boissevain-Morton, Manitoba, Canada / Rolette County, North Dakota, USA
Coordinates: 48.994514°N 100.072248°W
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This horse brand was photographed in Seville, Spain and printed in the Winter 2003 issue of Freemasonry Today.
freemasonrytoday.com
Matador Cattle Company’s Beaverhead Ranch, in Montana, uses a Square and Compass brand. This ranch, owned by Koch Industries of Kansas, is not to be confused with Granville Stuart’s Matador Land and Cattle Company which used a "flying V" brand, or the Matador Land and Cattle Company, started by Texas cattleman, Henry H. (Hank) Campbell in 1878. [Koch Industries photo]
http://kochind.com/newsroom/
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Cocker Spanials in Finland
HIGHTIDE’S FREEMASON s. 5.5.99
spanieliliitto.fi
05.08.2000 JYVÄSKYLÄN YMP. tuom. Risto Janné (8) jaerj. Keski-Suomen
Spanielikerho
englanninspringerspanieli HIGHTIDE’S FREEMASON
spanieliliitto.fi
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Cookie cutter
Square and compasses cookie cutter offered for sale on an internet auction in 2003.
www.ebay.com
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The same contraption, now termed an ice cream mold. Apparently there were six different shapes of these made, the others including a playing card spade and a policeman's star and crescent.
antiqbuyer.com
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Inns, taverns and public houses
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Freemason’s Hotel appears to be a common name for hotels, at least in Australia. In Britain there are almost three dozen drinking establishments named Masons Arms, Freemason's Arms, or some variant. (See below)
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The Masons Arms, Teddington |
Battersea, London [c. 1881]
Bedale, North Yorkshire
Bowland Bridge, Cumbria
Branscombe, Devon
Cartmel Fell
Covent Garden, London
Devonshire St, London
Dinas Cross, Newport
Downshire Hill, London
Dudley
Falmouth, Cornwall
Frome, Somerset
Grange Over Sands, Cumbria
Hampstead Heath, London
Handforth, Wilmslow
Harrow Rd, London
Hill End, Droitwich
Hove, Sussex
Kendal, Lake District
Kensal Green, London
Knowstone, Devon
Knutsford, Chesire
Maddox St, London
Northwich
Regent's Park, London
Snodland
Soho, London
Teddington, Middlesex
Town Centre, Consett
Walpole Pl, Teddington
Warkworth, Northumberland
Wickersley, South Yorkshire
Wigan, Lancashire
Yeovil, Somerset
58 Harrington Street Hobart TAS 7000 Australia
York Street, Sidney, Australia [Macleay Museum, Photograph 820090017]
Freemason’s Arms Murray Street Hobart District [1870]
Marine Terrace Mall, Geraldton, Western Australia 6530
20 Channon Street, Gympie, Queensland, Australia
400 Argent St. Broken Hill N.S.W 2880 [built 1886]
Lt Bourke Street, Victoria [03/05/1854]
Swanston Street, Melbourne, Australia [c. 1866]
Perth, Australia [c. 1865]
Blood’s Corner, Grafton, Australia
Herries Street [?], Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia [c. 1889]
63 Malop St. Geelong Melbourne, VIC, Australia [1854]
Main St., Toodyay Wheat Belt, WA, Australia [built 1861]
188 Bute Street, Cardiff [1901]
St George’s Tce and William St, Wellington [1900-1910]
Cullen Street, Nimbin, New South Wales
1 Bank Street, Molong NSW 2866 9 [c. 1850]
The Freemason Inn Bed and Breakfast. 411 West York Street, Norfolk, Virginia
Ditt Hotell-Frarehotellet O Stationsgatan 15 Soderhamn Sweden 82124
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Geography
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Photos: George Skelton, 2003
Map: MapQuest
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Near Norfolk International Airport, Virginia, can be found Freemason Street and Freemason Mews.
Freemason Island, a subaerial island with a substrate composed of mollusk shell fragments, is the southernmost of the Chandeleur chain of islands off the shore of St. Bernard County, Louisiana, USA (Lat: 29.79083, long: -88.97417). It was a nesting spot for Reddish Egrets and Louisiana Herons until several freezes starting in 1962 killed off the Black Mangrove thickets. Hurricane Ivan swept the area with a maximum sustained winds of 212 kmph (132 mph) on September 16, 2004, reducing the island to two small islets.
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Owned by the Grand Lodge of North Dakota, Masonic Island on Lake Metigoshe, North Dakota, has been the site of summertime masonic meetings since 1905. Masonic features of the island include a set of three, five and seven steps leading up from the dock, mortered stone chairs and altar, and a large carved square and compasses.
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Mason City, Iowa, United States. Main city, seat (1855) of Cerro Gordo county, northern Iowa, U.S., along the Winnebago River, about 120 miles (195 km) north of Des Moines. The area was inhabited by Winnebago and Sioux peoples when Freemasons arrived to settle the site in 1853; its earlier names were Shibboleth, Masonic Grove, and Masonville before the present name was adopted. [Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. 2009/04/09]
"In 1853, John Long and John Bilford came from Illinois to claim timber and prairie land along the Winnebago River. John Long named the densely wooded area Masonic Grove in honor of the Order of Free Masons. That same year Long, Joseph Hewitt and George Brentner laid out a town on the same site renaming it Shibboleth. En route from Illinois with his family, Long's son, Mason, died. When he returned to Shibboleth, the town was renamed Masonville, in honor of his son. In the fall of 1853, John L. MacMillian and James Jenkinson built the first log cabin for MacMillian's family within the limits of what is now Mason City. When the first post office was erected, there were two towns in Iowa named Masonville, thus the present-day name of Mason City came into being. With an area of only one square mile, Mason City, Iowa became incorporated in 1870 with Darius B. Mason elected as the first mayor." visitmasoncityiowa.com
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Logos and wordmarks
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The masonic square and compasses has been widely trademarked for the exclusive use of freemasons but that has not prevented many incidents with non-masons incorporting the emblem into their corporate logo. On the right is a service vehicle photographed on the side of a highway in northern British Columbia in 2022. A few other examples are shown below.
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The city of Apopka, Florida was incorporated in 1882, with the city limits measuring one mile in all directions from the masonic lodge hall for Orange Lodge No. 36, located at what is now Main St. (US 441) and Alabama Avenue. The current city logo, designed in 1976, commemorates this masonic heritage by incorporating the masonic square and compasses into its design.
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Bart's Barber Shop occupies the ground floor of the Portland, Oregon lodge hall at 8134 N Denver Ave. Also see "Scissors and razor".
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The International Association of Machinists logo contained a square and callipers. When they re-formed with the aerospace workers they modified the original logo.
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Founded in 1853, the Junior Order of United American Mechanics was an outgrowth of the Union of Workers, founded in Germantown, Philadelphia in 1845 by a group of nativist working men attempting to stop immigration. Alvin J. Schmidt reported in Fraternal Organizations (Greenwood Press, 1980) that by 1979 the membership was 8,500 social members and about half as many insurance members. In 2010, Lexington Council No. 21 continued to support the American Children's home in Lexington, NC which they built in 1927. Other than the logo, there appears to be no historic association with Freemasonry.
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While the all-seeing eye of Providence, checkerboard flooring and the clasped hands—seen here on the Fraternal Order of Police emblem—are not exclusively masonic, the three towers formed part of the arms granted to the London Company of Masons in 1472. The use of such terminology as Grand Lodge and Brethren further suggest a masonic connection.
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Miatt Patents, 1868 - 1909. G. W. Miatt, Counsellor at Law, Solicitor of U.S. and Foreign Patents, etc. Offices: Temple Court, 5 and 7 Beekman Street, New York. [Dec. 18, 1909]
The image is no coincidence, George William Miatt was an active Royal Arch freemason with Manhatten Chapter No. 184, R.A.M., and Shriner.
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The Polyteknisk Flyvegruppe is a Danish Flying Club. Their logo appears to be inspired by the square and compasses, or not.
www.pfg.dk/
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Repairs101 is a handyman "how-to" Youtube channel focusing on skill building, knot tying, and familiarity with a wide variety of tools designed for different jobs around the home, car, boat or work-site.
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Square and compasses emblem embossed on a bottle of cooking oil supplied by 4 Oak Oil & Vinegar in Prince George, BC.
Veronica Foods (1924). [2013]
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An industrial and commercial design firm in Kelowna, BC has taken the tools of their trade and arranged them in a fashion reminiscent of the masonic emblem. Whether this was intentional, or just classic design, is unknown.
Rambow Mechanical Ltd. [2013]
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Established in 1997, the Island School of Building Arts has adopted two logos, one seen here, that bear a striking resemblance to the masonic square and compasses emblem. Neither the owner nor the school are known to have any masonic affiliation.
Log and Timber School
Island School of Building Arts
Gabriola Island
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United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America
Created at a Chicago convention on 12 August 12 1881, one of its two organizers, Peter N. McGuire, was a socialist— the union refused to endorse any political party or philosophy although it supported legislation establishing the eight-hour workday. The repressive response to its strike called for 1 May 1886 led to the Haymarket Riot the following day. The Brotherhood admitted both black and white carpenters on an equal footing when it was first formed
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Monuments
Eilat, Israel
This masonic monument was erected by Solomon's Pillars Lodge No. 59 in the traffic circle on Highway 90 at Izmargad, south of Eilat, Israel on the way to to the Egyptian border at Taba.
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Ascunscion, Paraguay
Masonic Memorial outside the Silvio Pettirossi International Airport in Ascunscion, Paraguay, dedicated on Saturday, 13 October 2012. The monument was built by Pitágoras No. 17 Lodge to commemorate the bicentennial of the independence of Paraguay, and Freemasons such as General Bernardino Caballero (1839-1912)and Marshal José Félix Estigarribia (1888-1940).
granlogia.org.py
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Denver, Colorado
Relatively uncommon today, in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, local freemasons were often asked to officiate at the cornerstone laying of public buildings. Notable for its current rarity, one of the more recently laid is not in fact a cornerstone but is the "capstone" for the Denver Airport in Colorado.
USS North Carolina Battleship Memorial
Reputedly, the executive officer of the North Carolina during World War II was a Freemason. His masonic bible is on display in an officers room, and can be seen when touring the ship.
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Names
What were the top baby names in 2011?
Every year the United States Social Security Administration compiles the most popular names for newborns in the USA.
In 2011, "Mason" was the second most popular name, having moved from 64th place in 2001. "Its popularity might be because Kourtney Kardashian named her son Mason in 2009. Mason is an interesting name because it is also an occupation. Traditionally, a mason is someone who is skilled with stone. Other occupations have also transitions into names, like Archer, Dean, Hunter, and Taylor. However, they have never been the most popular names in America."
http://hotword.dictionary.com
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Online
A self-styled Apple computer 'fanboy', Joel Hladecek, posted his Confessions of an Apple Freemason on July 22, 2010, in which he defined an 'Apple Freemason' as one who had supported Apple since its earliest days in the 1980s. Why is unclear.
theinteractivist.com
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Philately
The study and collection of masonic themed postage stamps has been the topic of several books, and doesn't qualify as a curiosity. Anti-masonic stamps are a whole other topic, while stamps celebrating Freemasonry or Freemasons are noted elsewhere on this site.
This 1962 stamp from Nigeria qualifies as a curiosity since the intent of the artist is unknown. If it represents an artistic interpretation of the masonic square and compasses, no record is available to demonstate the fact. There is also no available evidence that this depicts any actual building or monument.
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Puzzles
Cryptic Crossword (2015)
In Gemini Crosswords' Cryptic Crossword for Monday, April 13 (12985), the clue for 7 Down reads "Priceless stonework found in lodges (11)". The answer is Freemasonry.
Cryptic Crossword © Gemini Crosswords All Rights Reserved.
www.xwords.net/
Crossword Puzzle (2020)
20 Across: "Freemason"
Vancouver Province daily crossword puzzle
Wednesday, 22 July 2020 22-7-20 (6876)
Similar clues are not uncommon:
Universal Crossword (2023)
Upended by Dennis Nullet, edited by Jeff Chan
97 Down.
Clue: Type of Lodge, "Masonic"
Vancouver Sun, 2023/03/18.
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The Freemasons Arms is located on the site of the Freemasons' Tavern, demolished in 1860. Their sign board displays the coat of arms of the United Grand Lodge of England, whose offices and lodge rooms are now situated 250 yards east in Great Queen Street. The Football Association met here in 1863 to organize the rules of what North Americans call soccer.
Freemasons Arms
81-82 Long Acre
Covent Garden, London
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A sign outside the Square & Compass public house, owned by the same family for a hundred years and noted in all editions of the Good Beer Guide and the CAMRA inventory. The story goes that the name is not derived from Freemasonry, but from the local stonemasons for whom the pub was originally built.
The Square & Compass
Worth Matravers
Nr Swanage
Dorset
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The Square is older than it looks—behind the brick casing is a timber-framed building. Through most of the 19th century, the licensee was a blacksmith, John Land Wright, followed by his son, Land. No fancy artwork on the walls, just the brass square and compasses on the mantelpiece. The sign out front was recently reworked.
The Square & Compasses
46 High Street
Great Shelford
Cambridgeshire
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The Square and Compasses is a public house, believed to date from about 1652.
The Square and Compasses
Fuller Street, Fairstead
Chelmsford, Essex
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Racehorses
At least two horses have been named Freemason.
Freemason, an Australian racehorse owned by Jack Ingham, won a Queensland Derby in his three-year-old season, breaking a 10-year-old track record, with the time of 2 min 26 sec at the BMW at Rosehill Gradens on April 12, 2003.
queenslandracing.com.au
Shown here is "Freemason" Favourite hunter of the late Hugo Maxwell Ingham Esq. [plate 3: 6" X 8" image]. The book of the horse, S. Sidney Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Co. London, Paris & New York & Melbourne, 1875 Original chromolithograph.
store.encore-editions.com
There is also a training stable in Newmarket, owned by Sir Michael Stoute since 1972, called Freemason Lodge. Sir Michael was the only trainer in the 20th century to win a Classic in five successive seasons and has been champion trainer six times.
news.bbc.co.uk
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Restaurants
The Most Expensive Galician Restaurant.
This unusual restaurant in Lviv, Ukraine, displays extensive masonic imagery as well as featuring several gimmicks such as a faux hidden entrance and astronomical prices that will be marked down 90% upon request.
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Ships
At least two ships have had masonic names.
Two sailing ships of interest operated off the U.S. Eastern seaboard between 1737 and 1779. They were the "Freemason" and the "Master Mason".
The brigantine "Freemason" is recorded on voyage in late 1772 while in Shipwrecks North of Boston: Vol. 1: Salem Bay a note is made of a "... storm, killing ten (1773); The explosion at anchor in Marblehead of the privateer brigantine Freemason" in 1779.
A brigantine is a vessel with two masts, at least one of which is square rigged. In modern parlance, a brigantine is a principally fore-and-aft rig with a square rigged foremast, as opposed to a brig which is square rigged on both masts. In the late 17th century, the Royal Navy used the term brigantine (often contracted to brig) to refer to small two-masted vessels designed to be rowed as well as to sail, rigged with square sails on both masts.
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Click on image.
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The USS Baron DeKalb, a City class ironclad with the Union Navy, is something of a masonic mystery, there being no record of why the civil war vessel would display the masonic square and compasses, although it is know that DeKalb had been a freemason, as was the ship's fifth and final captain, Lt. Commander (later Admiral) John Grimes Walker.
Almost as curious is the appearance of the image in the opening credits of the comedy television show, The Big Bang Theory.
US National Archives and Records Administration Image, No. 533123.
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Typography
Freemason is a distressed typeface designed in 2003, and posted online without explanation by 21 year old Israeli, Meir Sadan.
www.sadan.com
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