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Masonic Lodge at Westville Opens Historic Westville, the living history museum near Lumpkin, Georgia, has opened an actual Masonic Lodge for public viewing. The Westville Lodge is located upstairs in the Stewart County Academy, an 1831 school house which was moved into the museum in 1973. This room has never been open on a permanent basis before, so former visitors probably have not seen the Lodge. Visitors can now see the Lodge as part of the regular tour of the Village. View Photos. History. In Masonic terminology, “Lodge” refers to a local group of members. Therefore, the room itself is not actually the Lodge. The building now at Westville came from nearby Lumpkin and first was used as an academy for poor boys. It later became a school for girls. Cross Lodge #12 purchased the building about 1850 and established its lodge in the second floor where the school master had once lived. The Lodge fell on hard times during the Civil War and Reconstruction, giving up its charter. It was re-established as Cross Chapter #173 in 1885, when the building was moved from its original location to the courthouse square in Lumpkin. Thus, Westville is actually the building’s third location. A Fraternity. The Masons---also known as “Freemasons”---are a social fraternity based on general religious principles. It is a worldwide organization with no central authority, so there are widely varying practices. Here in Georgia, the prominent organization is the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Georgia F. & A.M. (Free and Accepted Masons). As a fraternity, the Lodge does have secrets. However, the members are gracious to allow the public to see their traditional meeting room at Westville. The Room. While the wood-sided, hand-planed walls and ceiling of the room are original to the building, the paintings on them were added only in 1975. They are traditional paintings, however, and are appropriate to any Masonic Lodge. The room is an amazing place to be. The ceiling is a cloud-covered canopy. The floor is a “mosaic pavement” which lay-people might call a black-and-white checkerboard. There are visual references to architectural construction everywhere---squares and compasses. The Bible is prominently displayed in the center of the room. All of these “ornaments” have meanings which refer both to building a structure and a person’s character. Come to the Lodge! Westville’s staff and visitors are grateful to the members of Cross Lodge #173 for their continued assistance and willingness to present the Lodge. Many Famous Masons Throughout History Free Masonry and the Westville Lodge For more information, please e-mail Westville at director@westville.org, or call 229/838-6310
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