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 Logo of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota | |
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Region | Minnesota |
| Website | https://mnfreemasons.org |
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The Grand Lodge of Minnesota, formally known as "The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Minnesota," is the oldest independent Masonic Grand Lodge established in Minnesota. It was formed in 1853. [1]
Many early settlers from the eastern and southern states brought Freemasonry with them to their new homes in the frontier west. In the growing and thriving villages of Stillwater and Saint Paul these men sought the companionship of other Masons.
The first recorded Masonic meeting in the Territory was held on May 31, 1849 in Saint Paul. A meeting notice had been published in the first newspaper in the Territory, the Minnesota Pioneer. The meeting was held in a room above the newspaper office. No written record exists as to what transpired at this, or at two subsequent meetings; it may be surmised, however, that this group of Masons discussed the varied forms of the masonic work from their home jurisdictions. They would have also made plans for obtaining a dispensation to confer the degrees on willing and deserving candidates. Similarly, other Masons were meeting and talking about the formation of a lodge in Stillwater as early as November 1849. Not until 1851 would a third group of Masons seek to form a lodge in the hamlet of Saint Anthony.
The Grand Lodge of Minnesota was formed by the union of three chartered Lodges: Saint Johns Lodge No. 1, operating under a charter from the Grand Lodge of Wisconsin, dispensation granted October 12, 1850; Cataract Lodge No. 2, operating under a charter granted by the Grand Lodge of Illinois, dispensation granted February 5, 1852; and St. Paul Lodge No. 3, operating under a charter granted by the Grand Lodge of Ohio, dispensation granted August 8, 1849.
The creation of the Grand Lodge took place at a convention held on February 23–24, 1853 in Saint Paul, five years before Minnesota was admitted as a state. The Grand Lodge was formally constituted on February 24, 1853, with its headquarters in Saint Paul. It later relocated to Bloomington in 2006, where it remains to this day.
The history of Freemasonry encompasses the origins, evolution and defining events of the fraternal organisation known as Freemasonry. It covers three phases. Firstly, the emergence of organised lodges of operative masons during the Middle Ages, then the admission of lay members as "accepted" or "speculative" masons, and finally the evolution of purely speculative lodges, and the emergence of Grand Lodges to govern them. The watershed in this process is generally taken to be the formation of the first Grand Lodge in London in 1717. The two difficulties facing historians are the paucity of written material, even down to the 19th century, and the misinformation generated by masons and non-masons alike from the earliest years.
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The Grand Lodge of Idaho is one of several bodies that govern Freemasonry in the U.S. state of Idaho as recognized by the United Grand Lodge of England. It was established in 1867 by five Masonic Lodges operating in Idaho Territory.
The Grand Lodge of Kansas Ancient Free & Accepted Masons is the governing body that supervise Freemasonry in the U.S. state of Kansas. The Grand Lodge of Kansas is headquartered in Emporia, Kansas.
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The Masonic Hall, also known as the Masonic Temple and Mendocino Lodge No. 179, is a historic Masonic building located at 10500 Lansing Street in Mendocino, California.
Abraham Jonas (born September 12, 1801, in Exeter, England; died June 8, 1864) was the first permanent Jewish resident in Quincy, Illinois. He was a member of the Illinois and Kentucky state legislatures, a leading lawyer, Freemason, and a valued friend of Abraham Lincoln.
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The Grand Lodge of Cyprus, or in the Greek language, Μεγάλη Στοά της Κύπρου, is the sovereign governing body of freemasonry within the Republic of Cyprus. Its formal English name is "The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Cyprus, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons." While four of its constituent lodges are approaching 100 years of age, the Grand Lodge of Cyprus itself came into being on February 15, 2006. Thus it is one of the youngest grand lodges in the world.
Socrates Nelson was an American businessman, politician, and pioneer who served one term as a Minnesota State Senator from 1859 to 1861. He was a general store owner, lumberman, and real estate speculator and was associated with numerous companies in the insurance and rail industries. He was involved in the establishment of the community of Stillwater, Minnesota and was an early member of the first Independent Order of Odd Fellows lodge in Minnesota. He served on the University of Minnesota's first board of regents before being elected to the Minnesota Senate.
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The Grand Lodge of Tennessee, officially the Grand Lodge of the Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of Tennessee, is the main governing body of Freemasonry within Tennessee. This Grand Lodge was established in Knoxville, Tennessee, on December 27, 1813, by nine Masonic lodges operating within the state. In 2017, the Grand Lodge of Tennessee had a reported membership of 34,858 Master Masons, and by 2020 the membership had fallen only slightly to 33,200.
