Nantucket Freemasons open their doors for Stroll
BY MARLI GUZZETTA
The holidays are a time of tradition, generosity and maybe the occasional treasure. In that context, Nantucket's Freemasons' Union Lodge is perfectly timed in its open house this Saturday.

"The most common comment we get is from people who've lived here their whole lives and say, 'I've walked by this place a thousand times and have always wanted to know what's here," said Union Lodge Master and Assistant Town Clerk James E. Grieder, 35.

Established in 1771, the Union Lodge is older than the country itself, one of the oldest continuously meeting Freemasons' Lodges in the western hemisphere.

The Freemasons organization's most essential purpose is to help its members become better men, according to Nantucket Freemason Allen Reinhard.

That mission includes charitable giving, and the Union Lodge has committed itself fully to that purpose. One of its most nimble community benefits is a freestanding commitment to assisting any Nantucket children with a want for necessities like glasses or shoes. Through the Masonic Angel Fund, all a principal or educator need do is contact the Lodge, through its treasurer, and a check can be cut on the spot to the vendor able to furnish the child's needs.

The Union Lodge, like all Masonic organizations, gives heavily to the esteemed Shriners Hospitals for Children. Recently at the Rose & Crown, the brothers of the Union Lodge raised roughly $20,000 for the Shriners charities. On Friday, Dec. 9, the Lodge will be hosting a toy drive for kids at the hospitals - with the intentions of delivering the toys in person. Additionally this hol- iday season, the men have created an Amazon.com wish list under "Union Lodge." The list logs the wants and needs of a Shriners facility - just look up "Union Lodge" under the wish list function on the website, pick an item and pay for it. The Web site will ship it to the address already on file.

Currently, the Lodge has approximately 200 members, ranging in age from their 20s to their 90s. Members meet on the first Monday of every month, with a dinner being served before the meeting itself.

Reinhard, who is the Lodge's chaplain, added that views of the Masons as a conservative, religious organization are false.

"We don't talk politics," said Reinhard, who located himself on the left side of the political spectrum. "We have a diverse group of political views. Some are very conservative and some are very liberal, but we all get along quite well together."

The Masons do have a religious pre-requisite, though; applicants cannot be atheists.

"You have to believe in a supreme being, whether that be Muslim, Protestant, Catholic, or whatever you believe. That goes back to the deism that was part of the 18th century mindset; the Masons believe in a 'supreme architect.'"

To that effect, the Masons assist their members in becoming better architects of their own lives.

"The whole purpose of the Masons is designed for people who want to take an introspective look at their lives and lead more creative, more productive lives and relationships with their families and their communities atlarge," said Reinhard. "And we use metaphors as a way to live and engage the world."

The Masons of the Union Lodge are also well-versed in their history, which is plentiful. Grieder explained that, in its infancy, the Lodge provided a social alternative to the Quaker Meeting House, which was in its prime. Part of the cause for the schism of the Congregational Meeting House - which ultimately led to locations on Centre and Orange Streets - were the shifting local power bases caused by the Masons.

In addition to sharing the extent of their services, the Masons would also like this open house to be a time for Nantucket to enjoy the treasures safeguarded in the building on Main Street - beginning with the room itself.

"The Hall itself is really quite lovely, and we like to give people an opportunity to come up and inspect the Hall," Reinhard said.

Within the Hall are two relics of note: a letter by Mason Paul Revere, informing the Lodge that it had not paid its dues. (Grieder explained that this was due most likely to a disagreement over Masonic policies at the time.) It also bears jewels that Revere, a silversmith and the Massachusetts grandmaster at the time, cast for each chair in the Lodge, focusing on the senior officers, who are represented by a square, a level and a plumb.

The Hall also houses pieces like a beautiful punch bowl made in China specifically for Union Lodge and brought back to Nantucket on a whale ship in the mid-19th century. Visitors will also see familiar faces from Nantucket's history, like Jose Reyes and Cyrus Peirce.

But some of the most remarkable treasures in the Lodge may be its own records, which date back to the 18th century. In studying them, Grieder discovered what he believes to be proof that the Masons and their principals were integral to the execution of the Boston Tea Party - and that Nantucket had an unknown connection to this critical point in American history. Currently, he is writing a book about his findings.

Sounds pretty cool doesn't it? Maybe that "National Treasure" movie wasn't too far off.

When: Saturday, Dec. 2, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Where: upstairs at 30 Main Street

(above the Sports Locker) Cost: Free For more information, contact James Grieder at Tuckernuckjim@yahoo.com or at 228-0676. The Union Lodge's holiday dinner and toy drive will take place at the Brotherhood of Thieves on Dec. 9, 6 - 9 p.m. If you'd like to contribute, you can leave toys or you can drop them off at the Town Building, attn: James Grieder.

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