Augusta in Kennebec County, Maine — The American Northeast (New England)

Cornerstone Day / La pose des premières pierres

Augusta, Maine

— The Museum in the Streets® —

Cornerstone Day / La pose des premieres pierres Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., July 30, 2017

1. Cornerstone Day / La pose des premieres pierres Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

On June 14, 1894, the cornerstones for the Masonic Temple and Lithgow Library were laid with imposing Masonic ceremonies. Parades, speeches, and feasting marked the day, and hundreds of people from all over the state participated. Constructed for $40,000 by the Augusta Masonic Building Company, the temple was a meeting place for the capital city's various Masonic organizations. The day marked nearly a century of Masonry in Augusta and over seventy-five years of library activity. An anonymous poet wrote a poem entitled "The Two Cornerstones" to commemorate the day. The final stanza summed up the day's legacy with these words: Augusta city of our love! Thy storied past is safely shrined, so that thy children faithful prove, To all these builders have designed.

Le 14 juin 1894, on posa les premières pierres du Temple Maçonnique et de la bibliothèque Lithgow avec de grandes cérémonies maçonniques. Des défilés, discours et festivités marquèrent la journée et des centaines de citoyens du Maine y participèrent. Construit pour 40 000$ par l'Entreprise de Construction Maçonnique d'Augusta, le

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temple servait de lieu de rendez-vous pour les diverses organisations Maçonniques de la capitale. La journée marqua près d'un siècle de vie maçonnique à Augusta et soixante quinze ans de bibliophilie. Un poète anonyme écrivit un poème intitulé « Lex deux pierres angulaires » pour commémorer la journée. Le couplet final déclare: Ville d'Augusta bien aimée! Ton riche passé rempli d'histoires est ici révéré, pour que tes fils se montrent fidèles, c'est pour eux tous que les maçons ont œuvré.

Erected by Augusta Historic Preservation Commission, Kennebec Savings Bank, and the Maine Community Foundation. (Marker Number 20.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Fraternal or Sororal Organizations. In addition, it is included in the The Museum in the Streets®: Augusta, Maine series list. A significant historical date for this entry is June 14, 1894.

Location. 44° 18.85′ N, 69° 46.486′ W. Marker is in Augusta, Maine, in Kennebec County. Marker is on Water Street south of Winthrop Street/Front Street, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 283 Water Street, Augusta ME 04330, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. United States Post Office / La Poste des Etats-Unis (within shouting distance of this marker); Flag Protest ~ War of 1812 / Drapeau en berne - Guerre de 1812

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., July 30, 2017

2. Cornerstone Day / La pose des premieres pierres Marker

(within shouting distance of this marker); Granite Block / Un Bâtiment en granit (within shouting distance of this marker); Shipbuilding Days / L'époque des chantiers navals (within shouting distance of this marker); Augusta's Publishing Empire / L'empire de l'édition à Augusta (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Market Square / La place du Marché (about 300 feet away); Steamboat Landing / L'embarquement des bateaux à vapeur (about 300 feet away); They Were Superior Buildings / Des bâtiments pittoresques (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Augusta.

Also see . . .
1. History of the Augusta Masonic Building and the Abnaki Club (Caswell, 1970). (Submitted on December 7, 2017, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
2. The Museum in the Streets Tour Map, Augusta, Maine. (Submitted on December 7, 2017, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)

Masonic Temple image. Click for full size.

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., July 30, 2017

3. Masonic Temple

Masonic Temple Entrance Detail image. Click for full size.

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., July 30, 2017

4. Masonic Temple Entrance Detail

Credits. This page was last revised on November 17, 2021. It was originally submitted on December 7, 2017, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 180 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 7, 2017, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.