Marietta Masons to celebrate 300th anniversary of Freemasonry

MARIETTA — On Saturday, join the Masons for the 300th anniversary celebration of Freemasonry. The celebration will start with a parade from the Marietta Masonic Temple to Glover Park on the downtown Marietta Square. The parade begins at 10 a.m., followed by Family Festival from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“Masonry (or Freemasonry) is the oldest fraternity in the world,” said Event Chair Bryan “Rusty” Newport, an Acworth resident who was born and raised in Marietta. He is the managing director and CEO of 33 Events.

“The celebration has two main purposes: celebrating an incredible milestone in our history and an opportunity for the public at large to find out more about Freemasonry and the role it has played in our collective history,” he said.

Saturday marks the formation of the Grand Lodge of London and Westminster. “Three hundred years before, four Masonic Lodges came together to form a Grand Lodge, from which all other Grand and Subordinate Lodges all over the world have their origin,” Newport said.

Newport explained that Freemasonry is thought to have arisen from the guilds of stonemasons who built castles and cathedrals during the Middle Ages, and who were influenced by the Knights Templar, a group of Christian warrior monks formed in 1118 to help protect pilgrims who were making trips to the Holy Land.

“In 1717, Masonry created a formal organization in England when the first Grand Lodge was formed. A Grand Lodge is the administrative body in charge of Masonry in some geographical area,” he said.

A Grand Lodge is located in each state of the United States, and each province of Canada. “Local organizations of Masons are called lodges. There are lodges in most towns, and large cities usually have several,” he said.

There are about 13,200 lodges in the US and 427 in Georgia.

Notable figures such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Voltaire, Harry Houdini, Theodore Roosevelt and John Wayne were Freemasons, along with framers of the US Constitution, 19 signers of the Declaration of Independence and a host of other prominent men.

Festivities include a parade, blood drive, entertainment, guest speakers, concessions and information booths. Former Gov. Roy Barnes will serve as parade Grand Marshal.

“The public is welcome and invited to help us celebrate this momentous occasion in the history of Freemasonry and our nation,” Newport said.

The Marietta Masonic Temple is at 547 Roswell St., Marietta.