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California lodges of free and accepted masons
President Washington belonged to the Free and Accepted Masons who are sometimes referred to as "free masons".
Yes (and no kinda) yes, because to be a member of a traditional, regular and recognized Masonic lodge you must me Male. No, because there are what are known as irregular or Clandestine lodges that include in their lodge, elements not in line with the ancient and established traditions of Free Masonry. A big no-no in any regular lodge is to initiate a women as a Mason. However, there are many clandestine lodges out there that do confer Masonic degrees on and make women Master Masons. There are coed and all female lodges all over the USA and in Europe. As far as any regular Grand Lodge is concerned these women are not really masons and Members like myself from recognized lodges are forbidden from having any Masonic contact with clandestine lodges and their members.
If by "Black Freemasons" one is referring to Masons of African heritage, such men are found both in Lodges chartered by the Grand Lodge of Colorado (http://www.coloradofreemasons.org/) and the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Colorado, Wyoming and Utah (http://mwphglco.com/).
No
Are the Ancient Order of Foresters associated with the Free Masons ? Thank you.
In the middle ages, stonemasons built large buildings, like cathedrals and castles, out of quarry stone. Quarry stone, or "free stone," was used so that it could be cut into ashlars, which were square or rectangular cut stones, that had to be plumb, square and level. Every angle had to be cut at exactly ninety degrees. Stonemasons, or freemasons, belonged to lodges instead of guilds. These lodges were self-governing. They were specifically forbidden to hire or admit brick masons, into their lodges. Brick masons built crude buildings out of brick. Brick was not cut from stone, but was made of mud, cast in molds and baked in ovens. Brick masons were also known as "rough masons" or "row masons." They were considered inferior to stone masons or freemasons. Some only had middle school educations. If they were literate, they wrote in sentence fragments and failed to capitalize their letters when it was appropriate. =================== in the dark ages they made bricks and layed them so they are bricklayers mason douglas kimpton middle school team7-1
It's unknown. There are clear references to the existence of lodges in England by the mid-seventeenth century. Some Freemasons text goes back as far as the 14th century but no one know for sure who started the whole thing.
It's unknown. There are clear references to the existence of lodges in England by the mid-seventeenth century. Some Freemasons text goes back as far as the 14th century but no one know for sure who started the whole thing.
No.
no
no.