Ingrained in Masonic Culture Masonic Village at Elizabethtown is rich with Masonic symbolism, from street and building names to statues to etchings in the windows of the Goose and Gridiron Tavern. It’s also abundant in talent among its more than 2,080 residents. Using their woodworking skills, a group of residents recently found another way to showcase the Masonic fraternity’s influence on campus culture. Above the desk at the Visitors Center, in the Freemasons Cultural Center, a circular wooden overhang features 22 Masonic symbols representing groups and appendant bodies which either meet at Masonic Village or to which residents belong. The carvings are the work of members of the Rooster Woodshop, Ben Hoenich (shown above, right), Past Master and member of Abraham C. Treichler Lodge No. 682, Elizabethtown, and John Lewis (shown above, left), Past Master and member of Carlisle Lodge No. 260. The symbols include a square and compasses in the center, and to the right Past Master, Scottish Rite, Shriners, Knights of the York Cross of Honor, Holy Royal Arch Chapter, Cryptic Masonry, Knights Templar, York Rite Cottage, International Order of Rainbow for Girls, Job’s Daughters, DeMolay, National Sojourners 8
Winter 2021 Issue
and Heroes of ’76. To the left of the center are Order of the Eastern Star, Order of Amaranth, Social Order of Beauceant, Red Cross of Constantine, High Twelve, Tall Cedars of Lebanon, Grotto and Daughters of the Nile. It took up to seven days to complete one symbol. Individual pieces of each were put together like a puzzle. The process included sketching the symbol, cutting out pieces with a scroll saw (they were not laser cut), sanding, staining, applying two-sided tape to the back and installation. Among the arduous parts of the project was finding a stain to match the wooden overhang. Ben and John went through 85 stain samples before blending a perfect match. It was an ideal job for John and Ben. John taught middle school wood shop for 32 years and has an eye for art, and Ben worked in graphic design and is an avid photographer. “The Masonic fraternity is important to many residents, and we hope they will be proud to see a representation
