Grand Lodge of the State of New York
 

The Grand Lodge of New York was organized on December 15, 1782 under a Provincial Grand Warrant dated September 5, 1781 from the "Athol" or modern Grand Lodge of England. The New York Grand Lodge declared its independence on June 6, 1787 and assumed the title "Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York."

In the 225 year history of the Grand Lodge F&AM of the State of New York there have been over 100 Grand Masters. Each has contributed to the welfare of both Freemasons and people of the State of New York and the United States of America through their service as Governors, Senators, Representatives, Judges, Doctors, Lawyers, Teachers and everyday people through their many philanthropic endeavors.

The headquarters of the Grand Lodge F&AM of the State of New York are located at 71 West 23rd Street in New York City. Located here are the administrative offices of Grand Lodge who, under the supervision of the Grand Secretary , serve the various committees and provide services to the Lodges and members. This is where the historical, financial and membership records are maintained. Also located at this address is the Chancellor Robert R Livingston Masonic Library of the Grand Lodge.

Freemasonry in New York

As early as the mid 1730's Freemasonry was present in the American colony of New York. Daniel Coxe was appointed by the Duke of Norfolk as Provincial Grand Master for the provinces of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. As no authenticated records exist of his tenure as Provincial Grand Master it seems doubtful that he exercised any authority in Masonic endeavors. The last of the Provincial Grand Masters was Sir John Johnson who assumed office in 1771. The new Grand Lodge of New York elected Reverend William Walter as the first Grand Master in 1781.

In 1784 Robert R Livingston was appointed Grand Master and was elected to the office for the next sixteen years. He presided at the swearing in of the only President of the United States to take the oath of office in New York City. Brother George Washington was the man who took this oath. The Bible (published in 1767) that was used at the swearing in ceremony is owned by St. John's Lodge and is still in use today at the swearing in of the Grand Master and, by request, at the swearing in of the President of the United States.

The Grand Lodge is proud of its Masonic Medical Research Laboratory, Acacia Village and Masonic Care Community in Utica; the Chancellor Robert R Livingston Library in New York and Utica; the Masonic Youth Camp at Camp Turk in Woodgate; the DeWint House at Tappan and the many charitable activities of the annual Brotherhood Fund.

Facts on the Masons

  • Masons, also known as Freemasons, comprise the oldest philanthropic, community- oriented fraternal organization in the world. Masonry is not a religion, but its members must express a belief in a Supreme Being, and each Mason is encouraged to practice the religion of his choice.

  • The Masons stress building of character, knowledge, patriotism, brotherhood, family involvement and community service among its members.

  • The Masons trace their origins back to the Middle Ages, when operative stonemasons, responsible for the construction of majestic castles and cathedrals, organized themselves into guilds.

  • The earliest known documented appearance of the Masons was in The Regius Manuscript Cerea, a "poem of moral duties" written in approximately 1390. Some Lodges in Scotland are reported to have minutes dating back to the 1600's, and the first formal association of Masons was formation of the Grand Lodge in England in 1717.

  • During the 1700's, the Masons became established in Colonial America. Several Lodges came into existence across the Colonies, and in 1731 Benjamin Franklin joined St. John's Lodge in Philadelphia.

  • Nine of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence were Masons; 13 of 40 signers of the Constitution were Masons. .

  • 14 presidents of the United States were Masons: George Washington, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, James Garfield, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Tart, Warren G. Harding, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman and Gerald R. Ford.

  • To date, five U.S. Presidents have taken their Oath of Office on New York's historic St. John's Lodge bible - including George Washington, who took his oath as the nation's first President at New York City's Federal Hall on Apri130, 1789.

  • George Washington is the only Mason to serve as President of the United States and the Master of his Lodge simultaneously. .

  • At its peak in 1959, there were 4,103,161 Masons in the United States: today, there are about 1,700,000. Worldwide, there are an estimated 3,500,000 Masons in about 12,500 Lodges in virtually every free nation in the world.

  • Masons are organized into Lodges, the leaders of which are called the Worshipful Masters.  A Grand Lodge comprises local Lodges on a statewide level.  Each Grand Lodge in each state remains sovereign and independent.  There is no national Grand Lodge.

  • Nationwide, Masons contribute over to $2 million daily to charitable causes across the United States.



    • Facts on the New York Masons

  • As of today, there are over 50,000 Masons in New York State in more than 550 Lodges. At its peak in 1929, there were 346,413 Masons in New York State.

  • 19 Governors of New York State have been Masons.

  • Many famous celebrities have been New York Masons, including Harry Houdini, Irving Berlin, and AI Jolson, among countless other notables.

  • The Grand Master of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York at the present time is Most Worshipful Edward G. Gilbert of Buffalo.  The Deputy Grand Master is Right Worshipful Vincent L. Libone of Bayside, NY.

  • The New York Grand Lodge Headquarters, also known as Masonic Hall, is located at 71 West 23rd Street (at the Avenue of the Americas) in the historic Chelsea district of Manhattan. Masonic Hall is open for free public tours weekdays from 10:00 AM to 4:00 .PM and by appointment.

  • Masonic Hall is home of the Chancellor Robert Livingston R Masonic Library of the Grand Lodge, which houses one of the most complete collections of Masonic literature and artifacts in the world.

  • The New York Masons began the Child ID Program, or CHIP, in response to the staggering number of missing children nationwide. In 2005, over 41,650 children participated - and more than 275,000 have taken part since the program began in 1991. As part of CHIP, a child is recorded on a broadcast - quality DVD to capture mannerisms, facial expressions, speech patterns and profiles - all critical tools for officials to use in tracking missing children. Participants also provide fingerprints, Toothprints - which record unique dental characteristics - as well as a DNA sample that can be stored at home .

  • The New York Masons own and operate the Masonic Care Community, a state-of-the-art retirement community in Utica, New York. It began operation in 1894 to provide care for indigent Masons, their widows and orphans. Today, the New York Masons provide a continuum of health care encompassing a range of facilities from an award-winning independent living campus to assisted living to skilled nursing and rehabilitation for both Masons and non-Masons alike.

  • The world renowned Masonic Medical Research Laboratory (MMRL) was founded by .the Masons of New York State in 1958 and has pioneered in studies relating to the heart and diseases of the heart. The MMRL has been awarded many international awards for its research into cardiac arrhythmias and biological and molecular genetics of the heart. The MMRL is located on the 400 acre Masonic Care Community campus in Utica, New York.

     

 

 

 

 

 

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