Freemasonry

Freemasonry. . , The oldest known masonic document, the Halliwell Manuscript (or Regius Poem), dates to around 1390 and hints at the craft's ancient roots. freemasonry stands as the world's oldest and largest fraternal order. On june 24, 1717, the Grand Lodge of England was born at the Goose and Gridiron Tavern in London, the first masonic grand lodge ever established and still operating today. Many gents from england who settled the 13 colonies brought freemasonry with them. The earliest american lodge popped up in Philadelphia, but Boston's St. John's Lodge, chartered in 1733 by the Grand Lodge of England, claims the title of the oldest continuously operating lodge in the U.S. Of the 56 brave souls who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776, 9 were freemasons. and 13 of the 39 who inked the U.S. Constitution in 1787 belonged to the craft. George Washington, first president of these United States in 1789, was a proud mason., Out west, the Grand Lodge of Nevada F&AM was founded January 17, 1865, at a lodge in Virginia City, chartered by the Grand Lodge of California. On november 18, 1874, the Grand Lodge of Nevada granted a charter to Winnemucca Lodge No. 19 F&AM. The Winnemucca Freemasons met upstairs in the Winnemucca Mercantile Building, at Fourth and Bridge streets, starting in 1889 - until a fire forced them to the Humboldt County Courthouse until repairs were done. In 1965, Winnemucca Lodge No. 19 built this very lodge at Fifth and Baud streets, sitting atop what was once the joss house, a Chinese temple in Winnemucca's old Chinatown. Back then, this town bustled with Chinese folk who'd labored mightily to build the transcontinental railroad, finished in 1869 after six grueling years., Dedicated September 3, 2022 , By Samuel L. Clemens Chapter 1856 , Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus