The Ghosts of Freemasonry: Haunted Lodges

As with many other aspects of life, the belief in spirits, and by extension, ghostly haunting, is subjective and highly personal. Two common popular responses attempt to establish the idea of spirit contact as either a frivolous idea suitable for entertainment, or gullible naïveté. For most, the search for understanding ceases there. For many who have been habituated to skepticism or disbelief, it's nonsense. For many who do believe, it's a matter of faith alone. There is another group of course, who straddle the world of the organic or natural view of the world, and the materialism that has so infested cartesian science.

As a trained folklorist (Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania, 2005) who spent a large part of my graduate career examining belief studies, I learnt early on that despite the public discourse which attempts to dismiss belief in disincarnate intelligence as superstition and a part of our past as a species, even in the United States according to various polls, more than half of the population believes in life after death, and a significant minority, nearly half, believe that ghosts or spirits can have contact with the living. Many also maintain that they, or members of their families, or friends, have had such contact. 

Wherever you may stand on the issue, in the absence of measurable proof, science, according to its own precepts, cannot offer an opinion on the matter. This is despite the claims made by materialists with axes to grind on the subject. Lack of evidence does not equate to a determination that something does not exist; it merely indicates that science has not been able to provide evidence. Further, despite science's presumption that all things will eventually be uncovered or measured, there's no proof to support that belief. 

None of that is a claim that ghosts or spirits do exist, or that we can have contact with them. Vast amounts of anecdotal accounts exist, and you can collect many from your own friends and relatives when you approach the matter in a way that puts them at ease. People who tend to deny having certain beliefs or experiences when they feel they may be subject to ridicule are often quite forthcoming when they feel they have a sympathetic ear. 

I cannot state to a material scientist's satisfaction that spiritual entities exist, and I am not interested in convincing other individuals to believe any particular perspective. This is one of those things we need to decide for ourselves, and if we are intelligent - or perhaps rather confident, we will not need to try to change other people's minds. The only reason anyone tries to convert another, whether in religion or in opinion, is due to insecurity. 

What I will note is that those who believe in the reality of spiritual entities or ghosts often do so as a result of the rational conclusions they draw from other beliefs they hold, but those who are certain of their existence do so as a result of personal experiences - either their own or those of people whose judgements they trust. More often it is from personal experience. There's an amazing amount of personal experience out there, as anyone who has studied the subject can attest.



All of this rambling commentary serves as an introduction to a fascinating subject - the haunting of Masonic lodges. You may approach this as a fascinating peek at paranormal science or as a piece of entertaining fluff. If you enjoy the entry, I frankly don't mind which view you entertain.  For a long time, it was taboo among academics in the social sciences to admit that they accepted spiritual realities as, well, reality. With the discussion of personal metaphysical experiences in the course of cultural research by no less a figure in Anthropology than Edith Turner, and the subsequent founding of the anthropology of experience, this should no longer be an issue. Scholars have written about their personal experience of phenomenon such as possession without putting their credentials at risk. I am no exception. However, it remains, until such time as the obsessive cartesians can figure out how to materially quantify an essentially immaterial phenomenon (they never stop trying except when they want to deny it's possible), a matter of personal belief. I leave that to each of you to decide. 


In the meantime, I wish to offer a sampling of reports in the media and online concerning haunted Masonic lodges. This is by no means a scientific study. I have done no academic study of the subject, nor should my mention of any one of these stories or sites be taken to infer a viewpoint about their authenticity, nor approval of whatever techniques or approach used by any individuals in any of these cases.  In fact, the majority of references we find online, after weeding out announcements of "Masonic Haunted Houses" being organized for Hallowe'en, fall into three general categories. The first is reports concerning "hauntings" including in the majority variations of the traditional "ghost story." The second category is one which is on the rise. These consist of reports relating to "ghost hunters" who purport to use electronic equipment and recording devices - sound, video, and still cameras, to document and "prove" hauntings. These have mushroomed after the genre became popular on cable television. The third and by far the least common are performances of or in haunted Masonic lodges. Some are dramatic, some are staged by entertainers and stage magicians. 

It would appear that the "Haunted Masonic Lodge" is itself something of a trope, a literary or rhetorical device or figurative scheme of thought which may be constitutive of our experience. The idea of a haunted Masonic lodge seems to be a coming together of a number of standardly held stereotypes. Masons are mysterious and secretive; Masons delve into the metaphysical; Masons are dangerous; and of course, large old buildings, especially deserted ones, are subject to hauntings.

So, as you might have expected, or been hoping, if you've read this far, you will now be treated to some brief reports of ghostly encounters in haunted Masonic lodges. 

We start with Boston's abandoned Masonic Hall. Of this site, we find that the old temple was recently bought by photographer Liam Carleton, 36, who told the UK's Daily Mail that ‘We've heard things and seen a few things, there have been a few cases of footsteps running around the building. There's also been a female form shown up in the hallway, that's only happened twice in the time I've been here and on both occasions it was during sunset.’ Mr Carleton, who is currently renovating the building, has been told he should try and do something about the hauntings, although he doesn't agree. ‘If it isn't trying to hurt me, I won't mess with it, I'll just let it be.’ 

The old Davenport Lodge No. 37, in Davenport, Iowa, was donated in 1996 to Palmer College. It now houses a museum and lecture halls. Many types of haunting phenomenon at all hours of the day have been reported by the college's security staff. These involve moving objects, items winding up in odd places, furniture rearrangement, foot steps, weird moving lights, the aroma of cigars, cold spots, cool breezes not coming from the air conditioning or natural wind source, odd noises, disembodied voices in discussion, or the calling out of names, individuals being touched by an unseen presence, having the feeling of being watched, and actual visual sightings of apparitions. It is claimed that security cameras have provided clear evidence of an entity or entities unknown, still enjoying their good times as Masons.


It appears that Detroit's awesome Masonic Temple, said to be the largest in the world, is haunted by more than economic woes. Built in 1912 by George D. Mason, the Detroit Masonic Temple has over 1,000 rooms, several secret staircases, concealed passages, and hidden compartments in the floors. Br. Mason went slightly overboard when financing the construction of

the building, and eventually went bankrupt, resulting in his wife leaving him. Overwhelmingly depressed about his financial and personal circumstances, Mason jumped to his death from the roof of the temple. Security guards claim to see his ghost to this day, ascending the steps to the roof. The temple, abundant with cold spots, inexplicable shadows, and slamming doors, is known to intimidate visitors with the eerie feeling of being watched. The financial woes associated with this building have remained with it and continue to haunt the Masons of Detroit much like the man who built it does.

Over the years, Lodge members and visitors alike have reported many strange and ghostly happenings at the Morrison Lodge in Elizabethtown, Ky., including apparitions of what appear to be Civil War era soldiers; door alarms that ring even when no one leaves or enters the building; phantom footsteps; objects that move around on their own; strange knocking sounds; ghostly figures; and even helpful ghosts (possibly former Lodge members) who once saved a Lodge member from unconsciousness when he fell ill and passed out while alone in the building. Past investigations in the building have collected photos, EVPs and first­ hand accounts of the hauntings. The Masons in Elizabethtown at least from time to time offer ghostly tours as well.

Lastly, although I have no details of the purported ghostly activity at this lodge, we have to make mention of this lodge in the Indianapolis area. The reason? It is named Irvington Lodge, No. 666.

French Rite: Lodges

In North America, one of the biggest obstacles to communication across Masonic borders is ignorance of the other. The USA is large enough that we have a habit of forgetting the rest of the world exists, or trying to do so. However, other parts of the world have played a role in making the US what it is today. Freemasons in the US view the rest of the Masonic world with ambivilence when they don't treat it with outright hostility. That makes so little sense. The Freemasonry of France has an important place in Masonic history and when viewed as "the enemy" all we gain is ignorance. It played a real role in the development of Masonry in this country and apart from old dusty legends of it as a threat, the reality was more constructive than not. It's time to put aside antiquated animosities and take a look with the intent of learning something.

 Loge Maçonnique Le Réveil de l'orient

One very unthreatening step that people can take is to see, quite literally, the presence of Freemasonry there. There's a rich history and a lot of beautiful material culture associated with Freemasonry in France. When we look at photographs of Masonic Lodges in France, apart from seeing some nice architecture, we also see the common heritage. There is more that is common between French and American Freemasonry than there are differences. So in this post, along with a very small taste of history, some photos from the other side are presented.  Open the eyes, and maybe minds will follow.

Saint-Hilaire-Petitville

According to traditional wisdom, the first Masonic lodge in France was founded in 1688 by the Royal Irish Regiment, which followed James II into exile. It was known as "La Parfaite Égalité" and was located in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Historians think such an event is likely, despite a lack of surviving documents.  The same can be said of the first lodge of "English" origin, "Amitié et Fraternité", founded in 1721 at Dunkerque. The first lodge whose existence for which contemporary documents exist was founded in Paris, circa 1725. It met at the house of the traiteur Huré on rue des Boucheries. It brought together Irishmen and Jacobite exiles. It is quite probable that it was this lodge that in 1732 received official patents from the Grand Lodge of London under the lodge-name "Saint Thomas", meeting at the sign of the "Louis d'Argent", still on the rue des Boucheries.

Lodgeroom in Porrentruy

In 1728, Philip Wharton, 1st Duke of Wharton was recognized as "grand-master of the Freemasons in France. Wharton lived in Paris and Lyon from 1728 to 1729, and in 1723 had already become grandmaster of the Grand Lodge of London. His nomination as French grandmaster, prior to the transformation of the "Grand Lodge of London" into the "Grand Lodge of England in 1738, was an important event for French Freemasonry and its independence from British Freemasonry. He was succeeded as grandmaster of the French Freemasons by the Jacobites James Hector MacLean and later Charles Radcliffe, Earl of Derwentwater.

Dinant - Breizh

In December 1736, the chevalier de Ramsay pronounced a discourse in which he suggested a chivalric origin for Freemasonry. This idea later influenced the creation within French Freemasonry in the last half of the 18th Century of a large number of Masonic Upper Degrees, which later regrouped around different Masonic Rites.

Chamber of reflection, Lilles

In France today, there are at least 11 Grand Lodges, few of which recognize the legitimacy of the others. In June 2005, the Grande Loge Nationale Française and the Grande Loge de France took steps to improve their fraternal working relations by signing an administrative protocol to cooperate with each other at a level below official recognition.





This last point is a practical one. There are ways to approach dealing with things which will allow the bureaucrats at Grand Lodge levels, who usually are more hindrance than help, to

Temple in Royan

get out of everyone's way and begin using some common sense. When looking at the politics surround Grand Lodge Freemasonry, I am reminded of a quote I read, attributed to Henry Kissinger, who is not someone I would otherwise quote. He was referring to his experience in the academic world prior to his appointment by Nixon as Secretary of State. He said, "The bloodiest battles always occur in academia, precisely because so little rides on the outcome." In the context of Freemasonry, the outcome might just be more light than heat. For once.

Deserted Temples: Empty Lodges

It's been exactly two years to the day since I last posted an entry on deserted Lodge buildings. That entry was entitled The Ruined Temple. I began to collect my thoughts for this one a couple of days ago and only coincidentally looked up my old post on the same subject this morning, and noticed it was the second anniversary of that post today. That seemed an interesting if not terribly meaningful coincidence, but it surprised me to also think that I have been writing this blog since November of 2011.  All of that is irrelevant as I am not inclined to write much about myself here or elsewhere, and I doubt that such a revelation will be of much interest to anyone.

Alas, Masonic lodges continue to go idle and the buildings continue to be left to decay, or, as recently happened with the most historic Prince Hall Lodge, the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, fall to the auction block. There is also a photograph of a Masonic Lodge that collapsed.

Admittedly, I love architecture of many varieties. I also am fond of the romance of ruins. As a child, one of the few risky behaviors I indulged in, which I can safely admit to now that my parents have left this plane of existence over 15 years ago, was to sneak into boarded up buildings in my neighborhood and explore. I did this a number of times with a pair of my friends. I suspect the real risk was relatively little, and the buildings in question are still standing - now renovated. No, none of them were lodge buildings, although one was only a few doors away from one of the oldest Theosophical Society buildings in the country. However, I have had the pleasure of exploring empty buildings in four countries in the course of my life, and the appeal remains.

The real issue here of course, is not the buildings. Empty Masonic Lodges are a symptom of the problem, not the problem itself. The reality is that
Freemasonry can no longer support expensive and excessive buildings. Freemasonry probably can no longer afford modest buildings. Even where Lodges are not shutting down, they have to sell their buildings or put them to other uses. One lodge near me recently sold their building and in return, they rent their old lodge at a reasonable rate once a month. Another long ago converted the first floor of their building into retail space.

The transition will most likely continue to be painful and sloppy. There's no way to universally usher in a change of approach, nor will one solution work in all cases. Perhaps some lodges and
obediences will be able to maintain some of their properties, while jettisoning others. However it plays out, it seems likely that Freemasonry of all flavors needs to change its thinking about lodge buildings. The earliest operative lodges were temporary affairs, set up to serve while a larger building such as a church or cathedral was being constructed. In the early days of Speculative Freemasonry - the 1600s in Scotland, and later during the early 1700s in England, lodges met in pubs and taverns, which must have made for some very lively meetings.

So, as wonderful as some of the Masonic Lodges of the 19th and early 20th Century were and are, the days when they represented realistic options is over. Freemasonry, even if it is able to stem the tide of a receding membership, must come to grips with a new condition. Freemasonry must, at least in this regard, prepare to return to an older practice, one of lodges without real estate. Lodges can rent space in buildings, and smaller ones may meet in homes. This is not simply a matter of losing real estate. It also means that in the future, lodges will need more portable and lighter weight furniture and props. Such a lodge cannot deal with pillars and altars that require several people and hand trucks to move.

While such adaptations need not alter the form of ritual in any significant way, it will over time change the character of the experience in some subtle ways.  In truth, it may return to the craft more of the intimacy of the earlier days when Freemasonry was growing.

Doubtlessly, many will object to considering much less publicly discussing such matters, but it seems a logical consideration, and one which I suspect, no am certain, that many lodges are currently dealing with.