The Library and Museum of the Onondaga & Oswego Masonic Districts Historical Society has a fine collection of Books, Magazines, Papers, Archives and Artifacts for the Brother in search of more or further Light. The Library is open during the Communications of the Masonic Bodies which meet at the Liverpool Temple; the Blue Lodge meets there on First and Third Mondays, 7-9 pm, except in July and August. The Liverpool and Phoenix Libraries are also available by appointment for research.

R.’.W.’. Herbert W. Greenland Templar Sword:

The Biography of R.’.W.’. and Ill.’. Bro. Greenland may be seen at http://www.syracusemasons.com/Past%20Masters/greenland.pdf.

He was Created a Knight Templar in Central City Commandery No. 25, KT in 1884.

120 years having passed, through the good graces of Mr. Larry Sherman of Michigan,

his gold Templar Sword has returned home to Syracuse and is safely and gratefully in the OMHDS collection at the Liverpool Temple.

Bro. Greenland’s bronzed plaque is also in the Lobby of the Liverpool Temple.

Additionally, his extensive Masonic collection is housed at the Chancellor Robert R Livingston Library of Grand Lodge, at the campus in Utica, New York.

For many years I have known of this cup, and have seen it at antique shows, display cases and on the internet, but now we are quite fortunate to have one for our collection through the graces of the Scottish Rite Offices at the Memorial Center in North Syracuse, NY. It is rather unique among the many Masonic artifacts created over the years.

PhoenixMasonry has a feature article on the cup on its website at:

Of this cup, they note:

Be sure to surf the other great pages of PhoenixMasonry while visiting it. Some other fine examples of three-handles cups may be seen at http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/masonicmuseum/loving_cups_table_of_contents.htm

Note: The Commandery used to always meet in conjunction with the Central City Bodies, to include:

Central City Lodge No. 305, F&AM

Central City Chapter No. 70, RAM

Central City Commandery No. 25, KT

and Central City Scottish Rite Bodies, A.A.S.R.

1. The first meeting place of the Commandery was at 63 (now 317) South Salina Street, just south of the First Presbyterian Church. This old landmark has long since disappeared, and the adjacent building razed so that the original site would be difficult to determine.

2. The Commandery then moved to the new Central City Masonic Hall at 339 South Salina Street on 5 Mar 1871.

3. The disastrous fire in Jan 1902 fortunately did not destroy their records. The Commandery temporarily held their conclaves in the Greyhound Building at the corner of James and Warren Streets through the generosity of Syracuse Lodge No 501 until adequate restoration could be achieved.

The building shown on the ‘Loving Cup’ appears to be the Onondaga County Courthouse, designed by Archimedes Russell, Architect.

Known as Bro. ‘Joe’ Moody to the Onondaga District, this fine collection, recently passed to the archives of OMDHS by M.’.W.’. Bruce Widger, Past Grand Master of Masons in the State of New York, gives an interesting perspective of Bro. Joes Masonic career in Jamaica. Among the collection are his beautiful Certificates of membership, correspondence, a paper on Jamaican Freemasonry than he delivered, an some interesting copies of “The Jamaican Freemason – A Pictorial New Magazine,” a collection of about 50 books and booklets [which will appear in subsequent updates to this website], and his exquisite 30^o sash and jewel.

Again, we wish to thank M.’.W.’. Widger for his ongoing support of the OMHDS, of which he is a Founding Member, and for his generous donations from his private collection of the years, to include a complete set of ‘the Word,’ from its inception.

From last report, Bro. Joe is in retirement in the sunny South. Thank you Bro. Joe; you are well-remembered among your contemporaries in the Onondaga District.

In the Colonial period there were some interesting connections among some Grand Masters of England, Scotland & Ireland with Jamaica. This will be a forthcoming posting to the History pages of this website.

Over 2,000 entries have been made to our acquisition register. It will be made available on-line when it has been made compatible to the format on the internet. The posting of to Register is ongoing and could use a few stout-hearted Brothers to assist in this endeavor. If you have a computer [which you obviously have if you are reading this], and some time to ‘spare’ <grin>, please drop us an email and assist in bringing more and further Light to the Fraternity. Many Libraries and Museums have who they affectionately call “Friends of the Library.” I hope that we many in our area; it is a mutually rewarding experience to a Friend of the Library. We get the benefit of you kind assistance; you get to see at first hand a very fine Masonic collection.

Having nearly completed a draft of the “Socio-genealogical History of the Grand Masters of England, Scotland and Ireland,” the first draft . . . “Ireland” has been posted on the History page of the present website, along with a series of genealogical charts showing the close inter-relationship of many of these Grand Masters. On the History page you will other papers of a similar nature at:

In the meanwhile I am also working on a four-part [+] compendium of Freemasonry in the Onondaga District and am well on my way to the first installment of it. Check back from time to time to see what has been uploaded.

Since compiling the original Links Page of this website, I have obviously come across many more, but for the time being I would like to call you attention to just a few. Just not enough hours in the day to get too fancy for now. If you have a favorite Link you would like to share, or something you would like to contribute to this website [a picture, paper, thought or otherwise] please drop us an email.

Having acquired a great new Webmeister, Bro. Kevin Razawich, I have been busily rummaging through my very large hard drive files to [finally] get some of them uploaded. I know that the Philosophy Page is somewhat barren for the present, but check back from time to time.

This is one way to get into the Blog of R.’.W.’. Richard Powell. It is a crisp, clean presentation, well worth the time to surf, with timely articles and great graphics. His Home Page may be seen at: http://arsmasonica.com/default.aspx

Not Masonic, but very useful if you have very long URLs you wish to email or other post. At this URL you may enter your longest URLs and it will reduce to a very SHORT one.

Example: http://books.google.com/books?id=zT_661xPKn0C&pg=PA126&lpg=PA126&dq=%22rensselaer+van+rensselaer%22&source=web&ots=P_UO8pGUSt&sig=1WUCATd-3dt0YhtT4C2AMmI8qjk#PRA1-PA530,M1

This will take to you a great book on the van Rensselaers, specifically to page 530 where appears Killian Henry van Renssalaer, a luminary in the Scottish Rite and a Brother of the Onondaga Pre-Mogan Mt. Moriah Lodge No. 245 of Amber, Otisco, New York. A very interesting fellow.

If you go to tinyurl.com you may enter this long URL and will end up with the tiny URL of http://tinyurl.com/244m2a .

Check out both of the above URLs; you will see that you end up at the same page.

This URL will take you to “The Pictorial Field-Book of The Revolution by Benson J. Lossing Volume l”

This is one of a couple of URLs where this book may be found. It is a most interesting work on the American Revolution filled with great engravings. There is a companion the this work: Volume II.

Also, by the same author is another wonderful work on the War of 1812, which may be found with more great engravings at:

If you really get hooked on Lossing, he also wrote “The Hudson from the Wilderness to the Sea,” with more great engravings at:

http://threerivershms.com/hudson.htm and “The Pictorial Field-Book of the Civil War,” filled with photos, a copy of which is in the archives of the OMDHS, private collection.

Not Masonic? Well, errrr, I have found a lot on most interesting information in it about many of our Brothers, both Colonial & British who had quite active roles in the Revolution, which has appeared or will appear at: http://omdhs.syracusemasons.com/history.htm

Masonic Temples have been around for a long time. Take a peek at this URL. There is a graphic on this page on which you may click to look at the workmanship in some of the various rooms of this Temple dug out of a mountain.

I can’t say that everyone is burning to read this book, but Philip was Grand Masons of the Premier Grand Lodge of England in 1722-23, during whose tenure James Anderson wrote the now famous Constitutions. He was a bit of rascal & rogue, as was more common in his time for his station in life than one may imagine. When first I came across this URL, I was the first to download it; I see that now, as of this posting, 24 more people have downloaded it at: http://www.archive.org/details/lifeandwritingso024502mbp

Or it may also be downloaded at: http://books.google.com/books?id=XlUDAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA81&lpg=PA81&dq=%22mary+wortley%22+%22life+and+writings%22&source=web&ots=t3wV8uI52D&sig=5l-S2zL4zGMHgkSQw70z2Ah0c44#PPR1,M1

There are at least two companion books to this, one being “Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, Her Life and Letters 1689-1762” at:

[makes you think again about the tinyURLs above].

The other companion book is “Hell-Fire Duke” by Mark Blackett-Ord, which I recently purchased through Amazon.com and is now in the archives of the OMDHS.

McNulty, W. Kirk, “Freemasonry – Symbols, Secrets, Significance”

Available from Amazon.com at: http://www.amazon.com/Freemasonry-Significance-W-Kirk-MacNulty/dp/0500513023 , is in the archives of OMHDS, private collection. It is one of the best designed Masonic books I have had the pleasure of reading, with great illustrations! I had the pleasure of talking with W. Kirk a few months ago while on a visit to Washington with Brer Bil, where he was installed as Senior Warden of Fiat Lux Lodge.

I noted Bro. McNulty’s name on the evening’s program and inquired of the Brother sitting to my left if W. Kirk was present. The Brother looked around the lodge room and grinned, pointing to my immediate right. W. Kirk was sitting next to me. Talk about synchronicity!!!

“The Craft,” with an estimated four million Freemasons worldwide, remains the largest fraternal organization in the world. Written by an active Freemason, this book comprehensively explains Freemasonry through its fascinating visual culture, rich in mysterious and arcane symbols of life, death, and morality that have evolved over centuries of secrecy and that have profound philosophical meaning. Ceremonial regalia, paintings, manuscripts, tracing boards, ritual swords, furniture, prints, ephemera, and architecture: the book is copiously illustrated with many specially researched items from Freemasonry archives. This unrivaled compendium will appeal both to Freemasons wishing to learn the full story of their order and to a general audience that is intensely curious about this traditionally secretive and closed movement.

The coverage includes • the historical and philosophical background of the order, including the Knights Templar, the medieval stonemasons’ guilds, and esoteric traditions such as Kabbalah and Hermeticism • its history from the earliest Masons to the present day, including famous members and scandals • its geographical spread from Japan to California, Sweden to South Africa •300 illustrations, 200 in color

About the Author W. Kirk MacNulty has been a Freemason for over forty years and is a member of three lodges in the United States and England. His previous books include The Way of the Craftsman and Freemasonry: A Journey Through Ritual and Symbol. He lives in Arlington, Virginia.

Available from Amazon.com at: http://www.amazon.com/Freemasonry-Birth-Modern-Science-Robert/dp/1592330118 is also in the archives of the OMHDS, private collection. This is another fascinating read of the early times of the Grand Lodge of England &c. It was from this book that I developed an interest in the connection between Grand Master and the Royal Society and noted the penchant for the UK to use titles for people, rather than names. In time this led to over 800 pages of material compiled on my hard drive and a draft of what is now “A Socio-genealogical Perspective of the Grand Masters of England, Scotland and Ireland,” an excerpt of which may be found at: http://omdhs.syracusemasons.com/history.htm

Book Description In 1660, within a few months of the restoration of Charles II, a group of twelve men, including Robert Boyle and Christopher Wren, met in London to set up a society to study the mechanisms of nature. At a time when superstition and magic governed reason, the repressive dogma of Christian belief silenced many, and where post-war loyalties ruined careers, these men forbade the discussion of religion and politics at their meetings. The Royal Society was born and with it modern, experimental science.

This situation seems unlikely enough, but the fact that the founding members came from both sides of a brutal civil war makes its origins all the more astonishing. Freemasonry and the Birth of Modern Science is a fascinating study of the turbulent political, economic, and religious background to the formation of the Royal Society – an era of war against the Dutch, the Great Plague, and the Great Fire of London. In particular, it reveals the ambitions of one man, Sir Robert Moray, the key driving force behind the society. Building on his detailed experience of another organization and the principles on which it was based, Moray was able to structure and gain finance for the Royal Society. This other organization, the “Invisible College” as Boyle called it, is known today as Freemasonry. This book  will make you reassess many of the key events of this period and will show how Freemasonry, supported by Charles II, was the guiding force behind the birth of modern science, under the cover of the Royal Society. About the Author Robert Lomas gained a first-class honors degree in electrical engineering before earning a Ph.D. for research into solid state physics and crystalline structure. He has always had a keen interest in the history of science and wrote an acclaimed biography of Nikola Tesla entitled the Man Who Invented the Twentieth Century. In 1986, Robert became a Freemason and quickly became a popular lecturer on Masonic history before co-authoring the international bestsellers, The Hiram Key, The Second Messiah, and Uriel’s Machine. He currently lectures in Information Systems at Bradford University School of Management.

————-

The below books are also in the OMDHS Library, private collection, and may be borrowed from there or acquired through Amazon.com, Borders, Nobles or your favorite bookseller. The appearance on the below list does not suggest that I agree with the views of the authors, but in that these books are ‘out there’ for the readings public, some of them have been acquired to see what they have to say. If anyone would like to write a short book review or comment of anything they have read, please feel free to drop us an email:

Ulysses Press. 324 pages, paperback, with index. “Unravels history from myth as it takes you on a Freemason’s tour of Washington. It reveals the evidence of Masonic influence during the construction of America and its new capital, including clues hidden in plain sight.” Also by Chris Hodapp, lest anyone not have heard of it by now . . . <grin> . . . “Freemasons for Dummies.”

·       Baigent & Leigh, “Temple and the Lodge”

·       Baigent & Leigh, “The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception”

·       Baigent, Leigh & Lincoln, “Holy Blood + Holy Grail.” Dell Books. 488 pages, paperback, with index.

·       Baigent, Leigh & Lincoln, “Messianic Legacy”

·       Brown, Dan, “The DaVinci Code”

·       Burstein, Dan, “Secrets of the Widow’s Son” Sterling Publishing. 201 pages, hardcover, with index.

·       Gardner, Laurence, “Lost Secrets of the Sacred Ark.” Barnes & Noble. 395 pages, paperback, with index.

·       Gardner, Laurence, “The Shadow of Solomon – The Lost Secrets of Masonry Revealed”

·       Knight & Lomas, “The Hiram Key”

·       Knight & Lomas, “The Second Messiah”

·       Lawlor, Robert, “Sacred Geometry.” Thames and Hudson, 111 pages, paperback.

·       MacNulty, W. Kirk, “Freemasonry – A Journey through Ritual and Symbol.” Thames and Hudson. 96 pages, paperback.

·       Melchizedek, Drunvalo, “The Ancient Secret of the Flower of Life.” Volumes 1 [228 pages] and 2 [251 pages, with index]. Light Technologies Publishing, paperback.

·       Plummer, L. Gordon, “The Mathematics of the Cosmic Mind – A Study in Mathematical Symbolism.” The Theosophical Publishing House. 215 pages, hardcover, with index.

·       Wallace-Murphy, Tim and Hopkins, Marilyn, “Rosslyn”

·       Wallace-Murphy, Tim and Hopkins, Marilyn, “Templars in America – From the Crusades to the New World.” Barnes & Noble. 276 pages, hardcover, with bibliography.

·       Yates, Frances A., “The Rosicrucian Enlightenment.” Barnes & Noble. 269 pages, hardcover, with index. A standard work.

·       Prebble, John, “Culloden.” Penguin. 360 pages, paperback, with index. The Battle of Culloden, following which three Grand Masters were executed.

·              Prichard’s Masonry Dissected – Carr

·              Ensigns of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, The – Mendoza

·              Preston Lectures – Quatuor Coronati Research Lodge

·              Early Masonic Catechisms, The – Knoop, Jones and Hamer

·              Freemason’s Guide and Compendium – Bernard & Jones

·              Three Distinct Knocks and Boaz and Jachin – Carr

·              Early French Exposures – Carr

·              Freemasons Book of the Royal Arch – Bernard & Jones

·              Revelation of a Square – Oliver

·              History of Initiation – Oliver

·              Thomas Smith Webb – Biography

·       Egyptian Hermes, The

·       Euclid – Thirteen Books of the Elements (3 Volumes)

·       Golden Ratio

·       Heavenly Secrets , Vol. 1 – Swedenborg

·       Hermetica – Introduction, Texts and Translation

·       Hermetica – Notes on the Corpus Hermeticum

·       Knowledge of Time and Space

·       Mathematics in the Time of the Pharaohs

·       Pythagoras, Golden Verses of

·       Pythagoras, Iamblicus’ Life of

·       Pythagorean Triangle

·       Pythagoreans, The Theoretical Arithmetic of the

·       Riddle of the Pyramids, The

·       Secrets of the Great Pyramid – Peter Tompkins

·       Sefer haZohar – Parashat Pinhas (3 Volumes)

·       Telsa – Master of Lighting

·       The Book of Spendors

·       The Secret Doctrine (6 Volumes) – Blavatsky

·       The Secret Doctrine of the Rosicrucians

·       The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order – Paul Foster Case

·       The Rosicrucians – C. McIntosh

Numerous Biographical or Historical works, for those who like either History or genealogical research:

·       Anatomy of the Castle

·       Ancient Empires

·       Ancient Greek & Roman Women

·       Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, The

·       Bourbon, The First – Henri IV of France & Navarre

·       Byzantium, A Short History of

·       Carolingians, The

·       Celtic Britain

·       Chronicle of the Roman Emperors

·       Chronicle of the Russian Tsars

·       Chronicles of the Barbarians

·       Church, The History of, by Eusebius

·       Crusades, The First 1095-1131

·       Crusades, The, by Zoe Oldenbourg

·       Decline & Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol III – Gibson

·       Egypt, The Encyclopedia of Ancient

·       Eleanor of Aquitaine

·       Elizabeth I, The Life of, by Alison Weir

·       English Channel, The

·       Europe, The Invasion of

·       France in the Middle Ages, 987-1460

·       Francis the First

·       Frederick the Second

·       From Durrow to Kells

·       Great English Houses

·       Habsburg, The House of

·       Habsburgs, The

·       Hastings, The Enigma of

·       Heirs of the Kingdom – Zoe Oldenbourg

·       Helmskringa – The Lives of the Norse Kings

·       Henry VIII and His Court

·       Henry VIII, The Six Wives of, by Alison Weir

·       Hohenzollerns, The

·       House of Hanover, The

·       Hundred Years War, The

·       In a Gilded Cage – From Heiress to Duchess

·       Julius Caesar

·       Kings and Queens of England and Scotland

·       Kings and Queens of England, The Lives of

·       Lines of Succession

·       Mayflower Increasings

·       Medieval Castle, Life in al

·       Medieval Warfare

·       Middle Ages, A History of

·       Moorish Spain

·       National Geographics, nearly complete collection

·       Ostrogoths, A History of the

·       Prince in the Tower, The

·       Queen and Cardinal – A Memoir of Anne of Austria and her relations with Cardinal Mazarin

·       Richard III

·       Spain of Ferdinand & Isabella, The

·       Spain, Its Story Briefly Told

·       The Mammoth Book of British Kings & Queens, a growing standard for UK genealogy.

·       Thomas Jefferson – An Intimate History

·       Vikings and their Origins, The

·       Vikings, The Penguin Historical Atlas of the

·       War of the Roses, The