Scottish Rite Masons and their Families VALLEY VOICE. June 2014

Transcription

1 Scottish Rite Masons and their Families VALLEY VOICE June 2014

2 Valley of Detroit VALLEYVOICE June, 2014 Valley Voice is the official publication of Detroit Scottish Rite. The Bodies of the Scottish Rite, sitting in the Valley of Detroit, State of Michigan, acknowledge and yield allegiance to the Supreme Council, 33 o, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the United States of America whose Grand East is in Lexington, Massachusetts. Ill. John Wm. McNaughton, 33 o Sovereign Grand Commander Ill. David R. Bedwell, 33 o Deputy for Michigan Ill. William J. Dover, 33 o, MSA Active Member for Michigan Ill. Walter F. Wheeler, 33 o Active Member for Michigan Ill. Robert H. Sale, 33 o, MSA Active Member Emeritus On the Cover: Stock Photo Join Us for an Evening of Fun Friday, September 12, 2014 Dave & Buster s Victor Pkwy ~ Livonia Come celebrate with us while we honor our members and show appreciation for those that work hard to make our Valley the place you want to be! This is also a great opportunity to show your Lodge Brothers the fun and fellowship the Valley of Detroit provides! $20.00 per person ($50 Value) Prepaid reservations required! or call Ill. Erwin W. O Dell, 33 o, MSA Active Member Emeritus Ill. Gerald F. Thorp, 33 o, MSA Active Member Emeritus 32ndDegreeMasons.org All correspondence concerning this Publication should be directed to the Executive Secretary of the Valley of Detroit, Timothey S. Marshbanks, 33 o Mailing Address 907 Monroe St. Dearborn, MI Fax Toll Free valleyofdetroit@32nddegreemasons.org Editor Ill. David R. Bedwell, 33 o dbedwell@ameritech.net Permission to reprint original articles in the Valley Voice is granted to all recognized Masonic publications with credit to the author and this publication. Copyright 2014 Board of Trustees of the Scottish Rite Bodies of the Valley of Detroit

3 Annual Meeting of the Michigan Council of Deliberation Saturday, June 14, 2014 Treetops Resort~ Gaylord Scottish Rite Masons of Michigan will come together for the Annual Council of Deliberation. Saturday morning the Council will open to conduct the business. Following lunch, a program of interest for Scottish Rite Masons will be held. Saturday evening a banquet honoring those that have been elected to receive the Meritorious Service Award will conclude the day s activities. Join us on Friday, June 13, for the Duffer s Golf Outing on the Tradition Championship Golf Course. Details and registration information is available on the Michigan Council of Deliberation website at: AASR-MI.org Detroit Masonic Temple Tour Saturday, August 9, 2014 We invite you and your family to visit the Detroit Masonic Temple. This historic landmark took six years to build from This private tour will reveal public and non public areas and will highlight the Gothic architecture and grandeur of Masonic Temples from that majestic era. Watch the Valley Voice for more details as they become available.

4 Fighting Fires and a Sea Serpent? Aimee E. Newell, Ph.D., Director of Collections, Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library, Lexington, MA At the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library in Lexington, Massachusetts, we actively collect objects to continuously strengthen and improve our existing holdings. Our primary strength is American Masonic and fraternal items and we look for things that tell an engaging story, are in good condition and do not duplicate our existing holdings. Recently, I was contacted by an antiques dealer who had a fascinating painted leather fire bucket for sale. The bucket was in nice condition and had a square and compasses symbol on the front above a pair of clasped hands and the name J. Beach. At the top of the bucket, a painted banner read Friendship in Adversity. On first glance it looked like a terrific addition to our collection. My first step was to analyze it according to our collecting criteria as described above. So I searched our collections database to see just how many fire buckets we already have. Imagine my surprise to find the one pictured here, which the Museum purchased in 1981 it was almost identical to the photo that the dealer had sent me! While we are fortunate to have a large storage area at the Museum, space is always finite, so I passed on buying the second one and promptly did some research on the one we already owned. Antiques are rare and valued for a reason as time passes objects break, get lost, thrown away and disintegrate. Yet, before they became antiques, they were often common household items. While it was surprising to turn up two fire buckets with almost identical decoration, it shouldn t be unexpected. During the 1700s and early 1800s, most households had at least a couple of buckets like these ones. They were often the most effective way to combat a fire. Local residents could line up and form a bucket brigade passing buckets from hand to hand to try and quench the blaze. Decorating them with symbols and the owner s name meant that they would be easy to return when the fire was over. Groups of local residents also formed fire companies or societies to assist with fighting fires in their neighborhoods. It makes sense that these local groups would procure fire buckets with similar decoration as is the case with these two buckets. The Museum s bucket is almost identical to the one that was owned by J. Beach virtually the only difference is the owner s name Z. Stevens and the date it was presumably made Thanks to an with a colleague, Timothy Winkle, associate curator in the Division of Home and Community Life at the National Museum of American History, I was able to determine that John Beach and Zachariah Stevens were members of the Masonick Fire Society in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Formed in 1789, the Masonick Fire Society aimed to be helpful to each other in extinguishing [fires in Gloucester], and in saving and taking the utmost care of each other s goods. The printed Rules and Orders go on to require that each member always keep ready, two good Leather Buckets, and two strong bags. Members of the Society were also required to be an approved Mason. Indeed, both John Beach and Zachariah Stevens, who owned the fire buckets, were members of Gloucester s Tyrian Lodge. Beach was raised in 1779 and served the lodge as Master in

5 1802. Stevens was raised in Thanks again to Timothy Winkle, I discovered that Stevens was a witness to the sea serpent sighted in Gloucester in Starting in August 1817 and continuing for the next few years, reports of a strange sea creature off the coast of Gloucester began to circulate. The accuracy of these accounts was debated throughout the country and never conclusively resolved. But this rather outlandish tale adds another layer of interesting history to Stevens Masonic fire bucket. And keep your eyes peeled there may be other fire buckets just like this one waiting to be discovered! IMAGE CREDIT: Masonic Fire Bucket, 1799, unidentified maker, probably Gloucester, Massachusetts. Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library Collection, Special Acquisitions Fund, Join with us as the Valley of Detroit will be attending the Moslem Shriners Family Picnic Sunday, July 20, :00 Noon - 5:00 p.m. Moslem Shrine Temple Southfield Rd ~ Southfield Food ~ Tents ~ Children s Games ~ Beverages $10.00 Per Person (non Moslem Shriners Only) Children under 16 Free Prepaid Reservations Required no later than July 11 Contact the Valley Office Toll Free at or Online at

6 The Valley of Detroit Presents a Two Hour SUNSET CRUISE Friday, July 18, 2014 Enjoy a two hour sunset cruise on the sparkling waters of the Detroit River, the world s busiest international waterway. Passengers of all ages discover countless sights rich in history and anecdote during the expertly narrated tour. The Boat Boards at 7:15 p.m. Sails from 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Wyandotte Dock at Bishop Park Bishop Park extends along Van Alstyne south of Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital. The dock is at the foot of Superior Blvd. at Van Alstyne. $25.00 per person ($70 Value) Includes a catered meal with open refreshments Limited to 70 members and their guests Prepaid Reservations Required by contacting the Valley Office Toll Free at or online at Free Parking available at the following locations: Lot #1 Between Oak and Elm at the Detroit River Lot #2 West side of Van Alstyne, south of Elm Street Lot #3 Southwest corner of Van Alstyne & Maple Get on board & enjoy a Michigan evening The Valley of Detroit Presents ~ The Founders Series: Trenton-Wyandotte Lodge No. 8 Tuesday, September 8, 2014 ~ 7:30 p.m. We invite you to attend our September Valley Meeting. A short business meeting will open at 7:30 pm. Following that we ll open our Cathedral to members, guests and ladies for a presentation highlighting Trenton-Wyandotte Lodge No. 8. The program is approximately 35 minutes. Refreshments and fellowship following the presentation. For the purposes of a refreshment count, please make reservations with the Valley Office Toll Free at or vial to valleyofdetroit@32nddegreemasons.org.

7 IT S GIVE BACK NIGHT AT ON THE BORDER! Get full. Be fulfilled. Monday, July 14, 2014 Lunch & Dinner Present this flyer at On The Border on this date 07/14/14 and 10% of your purchase will be donated to the Childrens Dyslexia Center of South Eastern Michigan. ONTHEBORDER.COM ON THE BORDER - On The Border 3310 Fairlane Dr. Allen Park, Michigan

8 The Board of Trustees of the Scottish Rite Bodies of the Valley of Detroit 32 o Masons and Their Families 907 Monroe Street Dearborn, MI Dated Material - Please Do Not Delay Support Your Club Calendar Blue Water Club Bernie Kirchoff Voyager Restaurant 525 Riverside Dr St Clair, MI rd Monday, 6:30 P.M. Macomb Club Al McKay, MSA Roseville Masonic Center Gratiot Ave. Roseville Last Saturday, 9:00 A.M. Oakland Club Dennis McWilliams Jimi s Restaurant 714 S. Washington Royal Oak 2nd Monday, 6:15 P.M. Club of the Lakes Les Ferguson Pinckney Masonic Center 210 Mann St. in Pinckney 3rd Sunday, 11:00 A.M. Downriver/Monroe Club Michael J. Stetz, 33 o Leon s Family Dining Michigan Ave. in Dearborn 2nd Saturday, 9:00 A.M. Jackson Club Ken Strobel The Groto Club 120 E. Washington Ave. Jackson, MI nd Sunday, 8:30 A.M. June Council of Deliberation / Golf Outing July 18 Diamond Jack Sunset Cruise 20 Moslem Shrine Family Picnic 26 MMCF Square & Compass Golf Outing August Tiger Game at Comerica Park 9 Detroit Masonic Temple Tour 18 Teddy Bear Classic Golf Outing September Valley Meeting 12 Valley Appreciation Night 18 Board of Trustees 20 CDC Walk/Run