Brief History of Freemasonry

There are many theories concerning the origins of Freemasonry. Some scholars claim to have traced the lineage of the Fraternity as far back as the original builders of the Egyptian pyramids or developed from the guilds of stone masons who built King Solomon’s Temple, while others believe that Freemasonry was formed after the demise of the Knights Templar at the hands of King Phillip IV of France in 1307.

What we do know with reasonable certainty is during the Middle Ages, many European monarchs embarked on ambitious building programs, resulting in the beautiful Gothic churches and cathedrals which still stand today. Many of these larger structures took decades to build and employed hundreds or even thousands of stonemasons. In those days, most common people lived under a feudal system whereby their work and their very lives were the property of their lord. The craft of masonry, on the other hand, was so specialized and valuable that stonemasons enjoyed the rare privilege of being 'free' - in other words, they could travel, live and apply their trade wherever they wished. This is the origin of the term 'Free Mason'. 

Masons were highly paid workers so it became essential to distinguish genuine Masons from those who would attempt to obtain work without being qualified. Local communities of Freemasons therefore organized themselves into 'lodges' consisting of a Master (the chief architect), his two Wardens (who helped him run the bureaucracy of the Lodge) and a body of skilled workers. Those workers consisted of apprentices who were learning the art of masonry and 'fellows of the craft' who were fully-qualified Masons performing the actual construction work. The Lodges developed certain means of recognition consisting of secret passwords and signs. In this way a Freemason could apply his trade wherever he wished and the local Lodge could be sure that they were only hiring genuine Freemasons.

As these vast building programs wound down, work became scarce for Freemasons, but the local Lodges survived since they had developed into central hubs for social activity and fraternity. In time, these Lodges began to admit 'Speculative' Masons - men who were not stonemasons by trade, but who wished to share in the Brotherhood and knowledge of the organization with like-minded men whom they might otherwise never meet due to religious, political or economic restrictions. Eventually the Speculative Masons grew to outnumber the Operative Masons, and the customs and rituals of Masonry were adapted to serve the purpose of building spiritual buildings instead of physical edifices. Freemasonry was thus born - an organization that takes good men and makes them better by applying a system of moral education founded in the symbolism and allegories of operative stonemasons.

In 1717, four London Lodges came together to form the first Grand Lodge (Antients Grand Lodge of England), which began to charter other Lodges around the country. Naturally,  England’s Grand Lodge also chartered Lodges in the American Colonies so that Freemasons abroad could continue to enjoy the benefits of the Craft in their new homeland.  The Grand Lodge of the State of New York declared its independence on June 6, 1787 and since that time, the Grand Lodge of the State of New York has been the sole body empowered to issue the Charters or Warrants under which regular Lodges operate in New York State.

Present day Ridgewood Lodge is a union of three lodges Cypress Hill Lodge No. 1064, Star of Hope Lodge No. 430 and Ridgewood Lodge No. 710. Together their combined histories make up the long illustrious history of Ridgewood Lodge. The original charter was presented to Ridgewood Lodge by MW John H. Anthon Grand Master on June 17, 1871. 

Historical records show that great men of character and ability were attracted to Ridgewood Lodge and became very active in its work. Two brothers rose to the eminence of Grand Master of Masons in New York and forty-seven others received Grand Lodge appointments.

The two brothers who rose to the eminence of Grand Master was MW Elbert Crandall ( 1902 – 1903) and MW Carl J. Fitje (2002 -2004) almost a hundred years apart. Through their leadership Ridgewood Lodge seen great expansion among membership and continued contribution to our community and Freemasonry in New York.   

Today’s Lodge leadership continues its long history with making good men better through its continued support of the Second Kings Masonic District, Masonic Medical Research Institute, Masonic Care Community, Chancellor Robert J. Livingston Masonic Library, Camp Turk and supporting its widows and orphans.