Brethren,

Born August 1, 1780 in Frederick (now, Carroll) County, Maryland, Francis Scott Key made his living as a lawyer. Trained at St. Johns College in Annapolis, he was District Attorney for Washington D.C. when the War of 1812 broke out. He was taken hostage by the British and observed the bombardment of Ft. McHenry. This inspired him to write the "The Star Spangled Banner", which he set to the music from an old British drinking song, "To Anacreon in Heaven". We will have a visit from Mr. Key (portrayed by Alan Gephardt) after our regularly scheduled 7:30 P.M. business meeting on May 6. We are extending an invitation to family and friends to come and be entertained by this unusual character from America's past. All guests who are interested should arrive shortly before 8:30 P.M. Light refreshments will be served afterwards.

The building of churches and cathedrals provided masons with steady work. From 1050 until 1350, 80 cathedrals, 500 large churches and a number of parish churches were constructed in France, alone. In England, some cathedrals took over 100 years to erect. There were two kinds of masons who worked in the trade. The first group, the "hard hewers" or "rough masons" laid the foundation and walls of the cathedrals, using the hard stone for the base of the structure. The more highly skilled group worked with the softer, chalky stone used for the building's facades. This softer stone was called "freestone". The masons who worked with it were therefore called "freestone masons". This was often shortened to "freemasons". Between 1550 and 1700, the Freemasons began to change. Men who favored a simple belief in God over controversial theological doctrines, and who encouraged religious toleration between men of different religious backgrounds, developed their own fraternities. It's from this group of "gentlemen masons", who replaced their "operative" forbearers, that we may trace the beginnings of our Masonic brotherhood. At 7:00 P.M. on May 20th, we will raise two brothers to the degree of Master Mason in this ancient and honorable fraternity. Please note the time change for the meeting.

Fraternally,

Dennis R. Hamlet
Worshipful Master

Dates to Remember (excerpted from A New Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry compiled by Arthur Edward Waite)

1680 - Rabbi Leone Yehudah of Modena lectured in London on King Solomon's Temple. Laurence Dermott is said to have admitted that the Arms of Royal Arch Masons were derived from the papers of this Rabbi.

1717 - Meeting of certain lodges at the Apple Tree Tavern where "they constituted themselves a Grand Lodge pro tempore in due form". Later that year, on St. John Baptist's Day, at the "Goose and Gridiron", in St. Paul's Churchyard, Anthony Sayer, gentleman, was elected Grand Master.

Saturday, May 31, 2008 - Ned Featherston and Bob Schott hold their pancake breakfast from 7:30 A.M. until 10:00 A.M. Family and friends are invited. $3.00/person. Free of charge for the Masons of the Month.