Souvenirs of Masonic Travel at the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library

by Hilary Anderson Stelling, Director of Exhibitions and Collections, Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library

Cover Image: Booklet of James G. Elwood’s Calling Cards, 1880. Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts, GL2004.11350.

In 1880, James G. Elwood, along with thousands of other Knights Templar, attended the 21st Triennial Conclave of the Grand Encampment of the United States in Chicago. Elwood and other office holders in the Commandery of Illinois had special booklets of personalized calling cards, also called emblem cards, assembled for the event. Tied with red ribbon and protected by a colorful cover, each bundle contained cards related to one man’s Masonic affiliations. Elwood’s collections of gilt-edged cards noted his Blue Lodge in Joliet, his Royal Arch chapter, and his office in the Commandery of Illinois. These booklets were likely given to or exchanged with Conclave attendees and preserved as souvenirs of the event. Freemasons like James Elwood have long created and amassed souvenirs designed to commemorate travel, special meetings, ceremonies, and social gatherings. The Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library is lucky to count many of these objects in its collection.

Sample of Lawrence Souvenir, 1895. Soule Photo Co., Boston, Massachusetts. Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts, GL2004.4630.

Drawing thousands of men—many of whom brought family members with them—the Knights Templar Triennial Conclaves held in the late 1800s and early 1900s were spectacles. Along with social activities, attendees marched in or observed elaborate parades. Out-of-town participants also took advantage of the chance to take in new sights and scenes. Hoping to cash in on attendees’ urge to collect souvenirs of their travels, the Soule Company designed a distinctive photographic item to mark the 1895 Knights Templar Conclave in Boston. This card featured a portrait of Samuel Crocker Lawrence, the Eminent Grand Commander of Knights Templar in Massachusetts & Rhode Island, and several pictures of his gardens and estate in Medford, Massachusetts. The Soule Company proposed that this souvenir would be for sale at area hotels for 50 cents during the meeting.

Pocket Mirror Souvenir of the Masonic Home at Utica, ca. 1905. Gift of Gift of Jacques Noel Jacobsen, Jr., GL2004.4630.

In 1892, the Grand Lodge of New York dedicated the first of several buildings of the Masonic Home and School at Utica, New York. The Grand Lodge established the Home with the purpose of helping destitute Masons and their children and widows. Several impressive buildings, including a hospital and a chapel, were later added to this campus and the complex became a local landmark. This pocket-sized mirror is a souvenir of the facility that was likely designed to appeal to the many tourists who came to see the Home over the years.

Postcard, Prince Hall Masonic Temple, Boston, Mass., 1920-1925. Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library, A2022.026.001.

In the early 1920s, the Bruton Studio produced another photographic souvenir, a postcard of the Prince Hall Masonic Temple in Roxbury, Massachusetts, home to the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. The group purchased the building around 1920. Soon after, in 1922, the Prince Hall Grand Lodge held a celebration to burn the mortgage and mark the $40,000 raised to pay for the building. This postcard may date from the time that the Grand Lodge bought the structure and served as a handsome souvenir of the Grand Lodge’s new home on Tremont Street.

Souvenir Apron, 1923. Wamsutta Mills, New Bedford, Massachusetts. Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts, GL2001.2719.

Seeking to promote the commercial potential of shipping goods by air, in 1923 the Army Air Service, Wamsutta Mills, and the Board of Commerce in Augusta, Georgia, working with the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce of the United States, collaborated to produce souvenir aprons for the Shrine’s 49th Imperial Session. The legend printed on each apron tells the story of the project: the cotton used to weave the aprons, carried on two Martin bombers, reached Wamsutta Mills in New Bedford, Massachusetts, in late afternoon. Workers at the mill wove, sewed, and printed the aprons overnight. The aprons, each folded and wrapped in brown paper, arrived at the meeting in Washington, D.C. the following day. Press accounts of the extraordinary effort noted that “this really historic flight” was “the first time in history cotton was transported through air from the field where it is grown to the mills where it is made into cloth.” Organizers hoped that demonstrating the remarkable speed of transporting commercial goods by plane to the tens of thousands of Shriners at the convention would draw attention to the possibilities of air transportation and help spur Congress to regulate the nascent industry.

Picture Made for Karl Harry Lindquist, ca. 1948. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Museum Purchase, 2017.001. Photograph by David Bohl. Bobble Head Doll, 1963. Gift of Mrs. John F. Stucke, SC82.25.2.

Picture Made for Karl Harry Lindquist, ca. 1948. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Museum Purchase, 2017.001. Photograph by David Bohl. Bobble Head Doll, 1963. Gift of Mrs. John F. Stucke, SC82.25.2.

Records show that business traveler Karl Harry Lindquist likely made two journeys to Brazil by ship in 1948. While he was there, he commissioned this custom-made picture. This picture combines information about Lindquist’s Masonic affiliations with stylized scenes of tropical landscapes. Membership records at the Grand Lodge of California confirm that Lindquist was a member of Paul Revere Lodge #462. Lindquist received his Scottish Rite degrees in San Francisco in 1945. The craftsmen who created this picture used paint along with blue, pink, and yellow butterfly wings to give vibrant color to this personalized souvenir of Lindquist’s travels and his involvement in Freemasonry.

Bobble Head Doll, 1963. Gift of Mrs. John F. Stucke, SC82.25.2.

Different kinds of nodding figures of people and animals made of ceramic, papier-mâché, and plaster have been produced as novelties since the mid1700s. In the 1960s, professional American baseball and football teams offered bobble head dolls representing both generic and specific players as collectible souvenirs. These figures— which retailed for about a dollar each—were wildly popular through the 1960s. During the height of the trend, this plaster bobble head doll of a Shriner, identified with a metal plaque as a souvenir of the Shrine All-State Convention held in Houston, Texas, was produced. If this doll was given to all convention-goers or was available for sale at the meeting is not known. Either way, the doll served as a light-hearted reminder of the gathering and suited the fun-oriented reputation of the Shrine.

Whether humorous or serious, souvenirs of Masonic events and achievements help tell the story of what Freemasonry meant to many participants.

For more information about the exhibition and the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library, visit srmml.org.