The Lost Symbol

Freemasons, or Masons, are a fraternal organization that originated as a practical union of stonemasons. The organization allowed for the regulation of stonemasons’ qualifications and dictated members’ interactions with both authorities and clients. Over the centuries, the organization evolved from a practical organization to a more esoteric secret society. Modern versions exist and function in many places across the world today. Freemasons require that all members believe in a supreme being, but not in a specific religion, and women are not allowed among their ranks. Masons value symbols, often those that revolve around the tools of stonemasonry, and they also perform intricate rituals as part of their moral code and as a way of teaching their moral precepts to new members. Individual status within Freemasonry is strictly organized; each member rises through the ranks by degrees, mastering the symbols and rituals of one degree before being allowed to move up to the next. Members also take a vow to support one another in all things unless a law has been broken.

The origin of the Masons is unclear. Some groups, such as the Lodge of Edinburgh, practice rituals that date back to the 1500s, while other groups appear to have formed in the 1700s. Some scholars believe that the Masons find their true origins in Rosicrucianism, a spiritual and cultural movement of the early 17th century. The first Masonic lodges in the American colonies appeared in Pennsylvania, New York, and the Carolinas in the early to mid-1700s. Lodges were granted warrants by the Ancient Grand Lodge of England, the Grand Lodge of Ireland, and the Grand Lodge of Scotland, but as Masonry spread through the colonies, other lodges were founded without warrants from the Grand Lodges; instead, they asked for warrants only after they were sure that the new groups would survive and thrive. After the Revolutionary War, there was some talk of creating a Grand Lodge in the United States with George Washington as the Grand Master, but the state lodges declined for fear of losing control over their own lodges.

Because Masonic Lodges in the American colonies did not accept Black members, a branch was formed by Prince Hall that catered exclusively to Black men. This branch, known as Prince Hall Freemasonry, was founded in 1784. There are two main branches of Prince Hall Freemasonry: the independent State Prince Hall Grand Lodges, and those under the jurisdiction of the National Grand Lodge. Prince Hall Freemasonry is the oldest and largest fraternity whose membership is predominantly Black.

Of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence, nine of them have been verified to be members of the Freemasons, including Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, and George Walton. As Dan Brown mentions in his novel, George Washington was known to be a member of the Masonic Lodge in Virginia. It is unknown whether Thomas Jefferson was a Freemason, but he did design the obelisk that appears on his grave. (The obelisk is an important Freemason symbol.) Jefferson also hired a Mason named Benjamin Henry Latrobe to design the Capitol Building, and George Washington was invited to take part in the placement of the cornerstone. The obelisk-shaped Washington Monument was designed by Robert Mills, a Freemason, who chose the shape of an obelisk intentionally due to its status as an important Masonic symbol.