To mark its 135th anniversary this year, the Masonic Lodge organized the open house, welcoming visitors interested in both Freemasonry and historical restoration work. It was the first time in decades that such an opportunity has been offered.

“On this day, our Lodge was open to all and all were welcome to come in and learn about us and our history in the community and surrounding area,” said Gerald Somerville, worshipful master of Dufferin Lodge.

To get ready for the occasion, the Lodge made several improvements to the 129-year-old building that has been its home for the past 90 years. For the first time ever, the outer bricks were repointed and restored. Additional work over the past year included replacing the roof, painting the interior of the lodge room, renovating the main floor, installing air conditioning and a new furnace; painting outside fixtures and trim, and landscaping.

“I would estimate we spent close to $30,000 on the recent renovation work,” said Mason Art Adams of Greensville, a member of the Lodge since 1963. Guests were taken on a tour of the two-storey building that includes the banquet hall on the main floor and a meeting room upstairs. They were also treated to cake and champagne to mark the special anniversary.

The Masonic Order is steeped in history. Neither a religion nor a secret society, Masonry is a silent society in that its members seldom talk about their charitable deeds.

The origins of the Masonic Lodge can be traced back to the 14th and 15th centuries, when stonemasons built Gothic cathedrals and castles in Europe. These masons formed guilds (lodges) to maintain the standard of workmanship and act as teachers of apprentices. Years later, the lodges began to accept members who were not masons, but were also dedicated to doing good for others.

The first Grand Lodge was formed in London, England in 1717. Membership grew quickly and today there are about 150 Grand Lodges with five million members worldwide. In Ontario, there are more than 80,000 members in 649 lodges. The Hamilton area is divided into three districts with roughly 4,300 members.

Many family names associated with the early days of Dufferin Lodge are still well known today. They include Jones, Weir, Betzner, Dyment, Inksetter and Crooks.

During its heyday, the local lodge had close to 160 members. Over the years, membership fluctuated, falling off sharply at times but always rebounding. Right now, membership is going through a growth period, with about 50 names on the lodge’s roster.

Before the lodge purchased the former Methodist church, its members met for 38 years in a room over the West Flamboro Blacksmith Shop, a stone building owned by one of its brethren, Bro. Alfred Jones. The site, on the south side of Hwy. 8, was occupied recently by a service station. In 1911, when it became apparent that larger quarters were needed, members met in a framed carriage house on the same property. The lodge bought the church in 1918 for $550.

Dufferin Lodge, like all other lodges across the province, contributes to the Masonic Foundation of Ontario, a registered charitable group that provides bursaries to students and helps hearing impaired children by supporting deafness and implant programs. The Foundation also funds peer education in schools about drug and alcohol abuse.

In North America, Shrine-Masons raise over $1 million a day to run their 27 hospitals for crippled children and three burn hospitals that are free to all children up to the age of 17.

Throughout history, Masonic Lodges have attracted members from high places in politics and society, including Canada’s first Prime Minister John A. Macdonald, England’s Sir Winston Churchill, 14 presidents of the United States, Mohawk chief Joseph Brant, Scottish poet Robert Burns and astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the first man on the moon.

But membership is also open to the common man, or as Adams explains, “to any man wanting to do good.”

For more information about Masons and the local lodge, visit online at http://www.dufferinlodge.com .