Temple Times - Fall 2020

Temple

Fall 2020

TIMES

Masonic Charities One Masonic Drive Elizabethtown, PA 17022

A Message from Michael D. McKee, Executive Director This year has been full of challenges with the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, we have strong support from our CEO, Grand Lodge Officers and donors. In these uncertain times, we take our responsibility of preserving our history seriously. The writer and philosopher George Santayana once wrote: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” His quote attests to the importance of our work. The objects and documents entrusted to us tell the United States’ history from the Pennsylvania perspective and show how important the liberal arts are to our gentle craft of Freemasonry. As we slowly reopen and share our treasures with the world, we hope to bring

a bit of happiness into people’s lives. In the age of technology and our fast-paced daily lives, we can tend to neglect ourselves.

One of the joys of working at the Masonic Library and Museum of Pennsylvania is seeing visitors leave their phone in their pocket and experience the beauty of our Masonic Temple. Thank you to all who have supported us and continue to support us in our preservation efforts. We are humbled by our donors who have made us part of their legacy.

IMPORTANT REPLICAS IN THE EXHIBIT HALL (and the Importance of Provenance) On Oct. 8, 1868, in Glasgow, Scotland, a cornerstone-laying ceremony was held for the new University of Glasgow building.

Its original historic High Street location was too small to accommodate the city’s growth.

His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales (who became King Edward VII in 1901), and his wife, Princess Alexandra, officiated the ceremony, conducting it with ornate ceremonial working tools from well-known gold/ silversmith and scientific instrument maker James W. Benson. The ceremony was not Masonic, nor was the Grand Lodge of Scotland involved in any way, because, at the time, His Royal Highness was not a Freemason. The Prince of Wales became a Freemason two

months later on Dec. 20, 1868, in the Swedish Grand Master’s Lodge, in the Royal Palace at Stockholm. His Masonic career escalated when he was proclaimed an honorary Past Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England in 1869.

He was elected Grand Master in 1875 and held that office until being crowned King in 1901.

Eight years later, Brother Julius F. Sachse, the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania’s museum curator and librarian, toured Britain and Europe. While in Glasgow, Brother Sacshe visited the wellknown Masonic regalia retailer George Kenning & Son and purchased many items, including reproductions of the setting maul and level used at the 1868 cornerstone ceremony.

However, the first accession book lists the maul and level as: “Used in Laying Corner Stones P. of Wales.” This led subsequent museum staff to believe that the pieces were genuine, not reproductions. This is likely not the case. The working tools were presented as gifts to the Prince and Princess, meaning they would’ve been added to the Royal Collection. While it was their prerogative to donate or loan them to the university or another museum, there’s no reasonable way to explain

how they would have become available to George Kenning & Son. Plus, the market for museum-quality reproductions is fairly robust. Because of their incomplete histories, it’s impossible to know with 100% certainty that these items are the “real deal,” and not reproductions. George Kenning & Son probably procured or produced reproductions for sale, rather than obtaining items that would normally go into the Royal Collection. However, Brother Robert L. D. Cooper, curator for the Grand Lodge of Scotland, and Marc Dennis, curator of the Museum of Freemasonry in London, disagree on the issue.

While, like our staff, Brother Bob is fairly certain we have reproductions, Dennis is open to the possibility that they could be authentic. George Kenning & Son maintains good records; after a reply to our correspondence, we can create a full, complete provenance record.

Whether duplicates or authentic pieces, they remain impressive additions to the collection. With your generosity, they can be restored for future generations.

ACT NOW TO SAVE ON TAXES THIS YEAR Many are finding they can make a big difference to help further our mission with an IRA charitable rollover gift, aka a qualified charitable distribution (QCD). If you are age 70 ½ or older, you pay no taxes on the transfer and your gift counts dollar-for-dollar to support our important work. This is a good way to reduce taxes and to increase your giving impact!

Contact the Gift Planning Office at 1-800-599-6454 for more information on a QCD. Please note: there is NO required minimum distribution (RMD) for 2020. For those who do not itemize, a QCD is generally more advisable than a cash gift.

Learn More or Donate To learn more about opportunities to support the Masonic Library and Museum of Pennsylvania, please call the Office of Gift Planning at 1-800-599-6454 or email giving@pamasonictemple.org.

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