Washington Masonic Library & Museum

08/28/2026

This gavel was made from a tree planted at Fort Nisqually!

Recently we inventoried and accessioned some very special gavels from our offsite storage. This one was made from the wood of a locust tree that was planted in Fort Nisqually in the mid 19th century! The plaque reads: "To George E. Wood, J.W. 1950, Steilacoom Lodge No.2, F.&A.M. Made by WM C. Landsburgh, P.M. 1931 From Locust Tree Planted by L. Work and E. Huggins, Ft. Nisqually, O.C. 1847"

L. Work would refer to Letita Work, a pioneering cook at Fort Nisqually and daughter of the Hudson Bay Company's Chief Factor. E. Huggins would be Edward Huggins, a prominent figure (and later Commander) who documented life at Fort Nisqually through his prolific writings. According to some preliminary research, the 1847 date on the gavel is likely a misprint. Huggins did not arrive at Fort Nisqually until 1850. Perhaps the date intended was 1857, as Huggins and Work were married in October that year. They went on to have eight children, and were a prominent early American family in the region.

Fort Nisqually Living History Museum

08/21/2026

Is it obvious this is from the Cold War?

Check out one of our most recent additions to the permanent museum collection--a gift from District 12 to Most Worshipful Stewart E. Perry (1947-1948). This desk decor seems to say much more about the time period than about the man who received it as a gift. Most Worshipful Perry was in the insurance business and from our research, did not appear to have any direct military connection. In fact, he was best known for his prize winning gladioluses--a stark contrast to the shiny torpedo seen here.

It seems more likely that whoever was in charge of choosing the Grand Master's gift from District 12 that year had the start of the Cold War at top of mind, perhaps as a representation of the Bretheren of that District and the work they were doing to protect the region. The Lodges of District 12 at that time were all located on the peninsula where military presence was strong: Franklin No.5 (Port Gamble), Union City No.27 (Union), Port Orchard Lodge No. 98 (Port Orchard), Bremerton Lodge No. 117 and Charleston No. 269 (Bremerton), Warren G. Harding No. 250 (Poulsbo), John Paul Jones No. 271 (Gig Harbor), and Hood Canal No. 253 (Belfair).

08/11/2026

Help us decipher this inscription!

A recent add to our permanent collection is this 1901 edition of the Washington Monitor and Freemason's Guide compiled by our first Grand Secretary and two time Past Grand Master, Thomas Milbourne Reed. In it is a personal inscription from the author to Brother Warren L. Bair, founder of the Bair Drugstore that still is a landmark in Steilacoom today.

It reads: "To Brother Warren L. Bair, with compliments of the a(???), T.M. Reed, Grand Sec." Try as we might, we have not been able to decipher the entire sentence.

If you had to guess, what does the rest of the inscription say?

Steilacoom Historical Museum Association https://www.steilacoomhistorical.org/bair-drug-and-hardware

08/05/2026

Our hearts are with you, Spokane.

Our organization, Washington Masonic Services, has a disaster relief fund available and is actively providing on the ground support to those affected by the Spokane Complex Fires. If you or someone you know would like to help or are in need of support, please do not hesitate to reach out to Washington Masonic Services at 253-442-2505.

Disaster Relief

07/31/2026

A gavel made of wood from the George Washington Elm

This gavel, once presented to the MW Grand Lodge of Washington, F&AM, is made from wood carved from the George Washington Elm! This tree once stood in the Cambridge Common in Massachusetts. It was the subject of a popular legend that George Washington stood under it while taking control of the Continental Army on July 3, 1775. While this has never been substantiated by credible documentation, the elm became a symbol of patriotism for the American public and a famous tour attraction until it died in 1923. Afterwards, wood from the fallen tree was made into souvenirs such as this gavel, which was presented to our Grand Lodge through MW John I. Preissner, Past Grand Master (1933-1934) and Past Grand Secretary (1944-1960).

This is just one of several unique gavels we recently accessioned into our permanent collection, and we are excited to share others in the weeks ahead!

07/28/2026

Watch our curator build an archival box for an artifact in our collection!

07/24/2026

Always check inside the book!

Every book that comes to the Library & Museum undergoes a careful review. Our current standard is to keep two copies of each year of Grand Lodge proceedings. While we already had two copies for every year in the 1930s, we decided to place these three (3rd copies) of proceedings in our Museum Permanent Collection after discovering during our review process that they were the personal desk copies of our past Grand Secretary Horace W. Tyler (1906-1944).

As we do with every book, we skimmed inside to check for any goodies tucked between the pages. Sure enough, in Tyler's 1938 desk copy, we found this lovely, never- before-seen photo of the Masonic Retirement Center in Zenith! Several figures are standing in the distance, and it's possible one of them is Tyler himself. While there's no date on the photo, we're comfortable saying it's c. late 1930s-early 1940s, given where it was found.

This marks the second time we've found a never-before-seen photograph inside a book in our Collection! Check out our earlier post: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1cH3SCNcZg/

07/21/2026

Another interesting find!

One of our latest discoveries during unpacking is this ceramic bowl, covered in Masonic symbolism! The maker's mark says "Wedgwood," which is a famous ceramics company founded in London in 1759 that is still in operation today. Some online research indicates this bowl is likely pre-1891, since the maker's mark in the years following said "Wedgwood England." A sticker on the bottom indicates it was later acquired by a fine arts dealer in London and sold to someone who brought it overseas, where it ended up in our care.

Have you seen a bowl like this before? Or do you recognize anything from the symbolism on the bowl that could help us narrow down the timeframe when this bowl was made? If so, we'd love to hear from you!

07/16/2026

Volunteer Appreciation Lunch

Thank you to our wonderful volunteers who have dedicated years to shaping our Library & Museum! We are overwhelmingly grateful for the unwavering support we receive from volunteers who believe in our mission and help us work towards our vision for the future. This week, we hosted a volunteer appreciation lunch as a small thank you, and invited Washington Masonic Services staff to join.

To all our volunteers, past, present, and future! We cannot do it without you!