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  • Our Lodge
    • Our Officers
    • Our History >
      • Past Masters of Ashlar Lodge No. 98 F & A M
      • History of Freemasonry in St. Augustine
      • The Monumento De La Constitucion
      • History of Freemasonry in Florida
    • When Do We Meet?
    • How Do I Join?
    • Calendar of Events
    • Trestleboard
    • News >
      • Ashlar Lodge Supports Horse Play
      • Maultsby Carrick Gold Cards
      • Newest Master Masons
      • New Lodge Parking Lot Layout
      • The Traveling CunningHammer
      • Dan Holiday's 60th Anniversary
      • Honoring Boy Scout
      • Installation of Officers - 2018
      • Honoring Law Enforcement Officers
      • Annual Pilgrimage to Pineland Lodge - Ashlar Lodge No. 98 F. & A.M.
      • Flag presented to the Florida School for The Deaf and the Blind by Ashlar Lodge No. 98 F. & A.M.
      • Ashlar Lodge No. 98 Recognizes Past Master and Senior Members
      • Ashlar Lodge No. 98 Free and Accepted Masons Present Scholarships to Five St. Johns County Students
      • Recognizing Outstanding Educators
      • Rainbow Girls Initiate Randilicious
      • Bozards New Family Member
      • JROTC Recognition
      • Rainbow Girls Share Work
      • Visit Ribault Lodge No 272
      • Sweetheart Luncheon
      • Outstanding Explorers
      • Installation of Officers - 2017
      • INTERPRETING MASONIC RITUAL
      • Honoring First Responders and an Outstanding Teacher
      • Billy Tatel Turns 100
      • Honoring First Responders
      • Visit to Lodge in Jamaica
      • Outdoor Degree
    • Photos
  • What is Freemasonry?
  • Contact Us & Map
  Welcome to Ashlar Lodge No. 98 F. & A. M. website. We are located in downtown St. Augustine, FL.

What is Freemasonry?

Freemasonry - A Brief History

No one knows with certainty how or when the Masonic Fraternity was formed. A widely accepted theory among Masonic scholars is that it arose from the stonemasons' guilds during the Middle Ages. The language and symbols used in the fraternity's rituals come from this era. The oldest document that makes reference to Masons is the Regius Poem, printed about 1390, which was a copy of an earlier work. In 1717, four lodges in London formed the first Grand Lodge of England, and records from that point on are more complete.

Within thirty years, the fraternity had spread throughout Europe and the American Colonies. Freemasonry became very popular in colonial America. George Washington was a Mason, Benjamin Franklin served as the head of the fraternity in Pennsylvania, as did Paul Revere and Joseph Warren in Massachusetts. Other well-known Masons involved with the founding of America included John Hancock, John Sullivan, Lafayette, Baron Fredrick von Stuben, Nathanael Greene, and John Paul Jones. Another Mason, Chief Justice John Marshall, shaped the Supreme Court into its present form.

Over the centuries, Freemasonry has developed into a worldwide fraternity emphasizing personal study, self-improvement, and social betterment via individual involvement and philanthropy. During the late 1700s it was one of the organizations most responsible for spreading the ideals of the Enlightenment: the dignity of man and the liberty of the individual, the right of all persons to worship as they choose, the formation of democratic governments, and the importance of public education. Masons supported the first public schools in both Europe and America.

During the 1800s and early 1900s, Freemasonry grew dramatically. At that time, the government had provided no social "safety net". The Masonic tradition of founding orphanages, homes for widows, and homes for the aged provided the only security many people knew.

Today in North America, the Masonic Fraternity continues this tradition by giving almost $1.5 million each day to causes that range from operating children's hospitals, providing treatment for childhood language disorders, treating eye diseases, funding medical research, contributing to local community service, and providing care to Masons and their families at Masonic Homes.

The four million Masons worldwide continue to help men and women face the problems of the 21st century by building bridges of Brotherhood and instilling in the hearts of men ideals for a better tomorrow.

Source: http://www.msana.com​

Freemasonry Resources:

The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of Florida
Digest of Masonic Law of Florida F. & A. M.
The Masonic Society
The Philalethes Society
Masonic Service Association of North America
The Masonic Trowel

Location

105 King Street, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Founded in 1888, Ashlar Lodge No. 98 is part of a long history of Freemasonry in St. Augustine, FL.

We have our regularly scheduled Stated Communications on the First and Third Thursday of each month.  Dinner starts at 6:30pm and the meeting starts at 7:30pm.  

Contact Us

  • Home
  • Our Lodge
    • Our Officers
    • Our History >
      • Past Masters of Ashlar Lodge No. 98 F & A M
      • History of Freemasonry in St. Augustine
      • The Monumento De La Constitucion
      • History of Freemasonry in Florida
    • When Do We Meet?
    • How Do I Join?
    • Calendar of Events
    • Trestleboard
    • News >
      • Ashlar Lodge Supports Horse Play
      • Maultsby Carrick Gold Cards
      • Newest Master Masons
      • New Lodge Parking Lot Layout
      • The Traveling CunningHammer
      • Dan Holiday's 60th Anniversary
      • Honoring Boy Scout
      • Installation of Officers - 2018
      • Honoring Law Enforcement Officers
      • Annual Pilgrimage to Pineland Lodge - Ashlar Lodge No. 98 F. & A.M.
      • Flag presented to the Florida School for The Deaf and the Blind by Ashlar Lodge No. 98 F. & A.M.
      • Ashlar Lodge No. 98 Recognizes Past Master and Senior Members
      • Ashlar Lodge No. 98 Free and Accepted Masons Present Scholarships to Five St. Johns County Students
      • Recognizing Outstanding Educators
      • Rainbow Girls Initiate Randilicious
      • Bozards New Family Member
      • JROTC Recognition
      • Rainbow Girls Share Work
      • Visit Ribault Lodge No 272
      • Sweetheart Luncheon
      • Outstanding Explorers
      • Installation of Officers - 2017
      • INTERPRETING MASONIC RITUAL
      • Honoring First Responders and an Outstanding Teacher
      • Billy Tatel Turns 100
      • Honoring First Responders
      • Visit to Lodge in Jamaica
      • Outdoor Degree
    • Photos
  • What is Freemasonry?
  • Contact Us & Map