The inception of Freemasonry

In the Middle Ages, the term "freemason" was awarded to highly skilled stonemasons who were hired as free agents to build castles and cathedrals in England and Scotland.  Because of the inherent danger of their work, stonemasons formed local organizations, called lodges, to take care of sick and injured members as well as the widows and orphans of those who were killed on the job.  The first Grand Lodge was established in 1717 in London.  In 1718,  English Freemasonry spread to France and Spain, and after 1729, to India, Italy, Poland and Sweden.  Freemasonry spread to the other parts of Europe and eventually made its way to the American colonies.  In 1733, the first American lodge was established in Boston, under the authority of the Grand Lodge of England.  Of the 39 men who signed the U.S. Constitution, 13 were Masons.









A legacy of philanthropy

Throughout their 150 year history, the California Masons have remained steadfast in their commitment to helping others and serving the community.  They have volunteered hundreds of thousands of hours and donated millions of dollars to support a wide range of charitable programs.  Among the fraternity's first charitable activities was helping victims of the great cholera outbreak in Sacramento in 1850.  Three Lodges, with a combined membership of 69 men, raised more than $32,000 to help build and maintain a hospital at Sutter's Fort.






Famos freemasons




PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES

Buchanan, James
Ford, Gerald R.
Garfield, James A. 
Harding, Warren G.
Jackson, Andrew
Johnson, Andrew
McKinley, William
Monroe, James
Polk, James Knox
Roosevelt, Franklin D.
Roosevelt, Theodore
Taft,William Howard
Truman, Harry S.
Washington, George



MILITARY FIGURES

Arnold, General Henry "Hap" - Commander of the Army Air Force
Bradley, Omar N. - Military leader
Doolittle, General James - Famous Air Force Pilot
Jones, John Paul - First Admiral of the US Navy
MacArthur, General Douglas - Commander of Armed Forces in Philippines
Marshall, George - General of the Armies
Montgomery, Richard Major General - First General Officer of the Continental Army
Murphy, Audie - Most decorated soldier of WWII.
Pershing, John Joseph - Decorated American Soldier
Rickenbacker, Eddie - Great American Air Force Ace 



SPORTS FIGURES

Cobb, Ty - An original member of the Baseball Hall of Fame
Combs, Earle Bryan - Baseball Hall of Fame
Naismith, James - Inventor of Basketball
Palmer, Arnold - Golf Pro



WRITERS/ACTORS

Clemens, Samuel L. - Mark Twain - writer
Doyle, Sir Author Conan - Writer - Sherlock Holmes
Gable, Clark - Actor
Kipling, Rudyard - Writer
Rogers, Roy - American cowboy and screen star
Shakespeare, William - Writer
Voltaire - French writer and philosopher
Wayne, John - Actor



MUSICIANS

Clark, Roy - Country Western Star
Key, Francis Scott - Wrote US National Anthem
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Composer
Smith, John Stafford - Wrote the music that became the US National Anthem.
Sousa, John Philip - Led the US Marine Band from 1880 - 1892



GOVERNMENT FIGURES

Churchill, Winston - British Leader
Diefenbaker, John G. - Prime Minister of Canada 1957-63
George VI - King of England during W.W. II
Marshall, John - Chief Justice US Supreme Court 1801 - 1835
Marshall, Thurgood - Supreme Court Justice



ASTRONAUTS

Aldrin, Edwin E. - Astronaut
Armstrong, Neil - Astronaut
Glenn, John H. - First American to orbit the earth in a space craft
Grissom, Virgil - Astronaut



AMERICAN PIONEERS

Austin, Stephen F. - Father of Texas
Bowie, James - Alamo
Clark, William - Explorer
Cody, "Buffalo Bill" William - Indian fighter, Wild West Show
Colt, Samuel - Firearms inventor
Crockett, David - American Frontiersman and Alamo fame
Henry, Patrick - Patriot
Lewis, Meriwether - Explorer
Revere, Paul - Famous American
Travis, Colonel William B. - Alamo


OTHER FAMOUS MASONS

Bartholdi, Frederic A. - Designed the Statue of Liberty
Beard, Daniel Carter - Founder Boy Scouts
Borglum, Gutzon & Lincoln - Father and Son who carved Mt. Rushmore
Dunant, Jean Henri - Founder of the Red Cross
Ford, Henry - Pioneer Automobile Manufacturer
Hoban, James - Architect for the US Capital
Hoover, J. Edgar - Director of FBI
Land, Frank S. - Founder Order of DeMolay
Mayo, Dr. William and Charles - Began Mayo Clinic
Penny, James C. - Retailer
Warner, Jack - Warner Brothers Fame










For the Latin American, St Martin was a mason