The Masonic Library & Museum of Indiana is again open to the public now that Indianapolis’ COVID restrictions have been eased. The Museum is located on the 5th floor of the Indianapolis Masonic Temple, and can be accessed by appointment Monday through Friday from 10AM to 4PM. If there is no volunteer staff member immediately available, please ask at the Security desk.
Pardon our dust…
The Library & Museum will remain closed this week as we finish up painting on the 5th and 6th floors of Indiana Freemasons Hall and re-set some of our displays. We hope to reopen the week of June 15th.
In the meantime, please explore our website. Here you will find online access to our collection database, links to the Indiana Freemason magazine archives dating back to 1923, book resources, featured artifacts, news and more. We look forward to welcoming Masons and the public very soon.
Masonic Library & Museum COVID 19 Closure Notice
On March 13th, 2020, all Masonic activity in the state of Indiana was suspended due to coronavirus precautions. Per instructions issued by Grand Master Kenneth Roy, Jr. of Indiana, the Indianapolis Masonic Temple and the Masonic Library & Museum of Indiana will be closed to visitors and all but necessary staff beginning immediately. Only essential office staff, maintenance personnel, emergency contractors, and lodge Masters and officers will be permitted in Freemasons Hall and the Museum.
We currently anticipate being able to reopen the week of June 15th.
In the meantime, we at the Library & Museum encourage you to explore our online resources, such as our hundreds of back issues of the Indiana Freemason magazine, books and other documents, and our online visual catalog of the Museum’s physical collections. Links for all of these can be found at our website at www.mlmindiana.org
George Frank Sculpture Featured in April ’20 Indianapolis Monthly
As the COVID-19 pandemic nationwide shutdown rolls along, the April 2020 issue of Indianapolis Monthly magazine arrived today, featuring all of the city’s great restaurants we can’t go visit until the restrictions are lifted. Such are the odd vicissitudes of magazine deadlines closing sometimes months in advance of actual publication.
The back page of the magazine always features an unusual artifact from around the City every month. April’s artifact is none other than the Masonic Library and Museum of Indiana’s unique folk art sculpture by nineteenth century Indiana Mason George S. Frank. It is shown in a beautiful, full-page photo by Tony Valainis with a description of the piece, complete with a few words from our director Mike Brumback.
The magazine should be on news stands this week.
For more about Brother Frank’s remarkable and complex sculpture, see this much longer article HERE.
Like nearly every other facility in Indiana, we have been forced to close during the duration of the pandemic. Normally, we are open to the public. When this all passes, please do stop in and see us on the 5th floor of the Indianapolis Masonic Temple at 525 N. Illinois Street in Indianapolis.
‘Laudable Pursuit’ Audio Book Benefits Museum
The Masonic Library & Museum of Indiana would like to thank the creators of the Whence came You? podcast for generously donating the proceeds from the sale of the new audio book edition of Laudable Pursuit by the Knights of the North to us on an ongoing basis.
Originally released online in 2004 and in its final form in 2006, Laudable Pursuit has become a popular roadmap over the last decade and a half on how to attempt to change the course of Freemasonry. Countless lodges around the globe have adopted concepts from this booklet to reset their own practices and priorities.
• To purchase this audio book version, CLICK HERE.
For the back story behind the creation of this influential booklet, see the article on Chris Hodapp’s Freemasons For Dummies blog.
Masonic Library & Museum Open For Founders Day 1/11/2020
The Masonic Library and Museum of Indiana will be open for Masons and the public this Saturday, January 11th beginning at 7AM in conjunction with the annual Founders Day program. The Museum will remain open into the afternoon until at least 4PM, after the meeting of the Dwight L. Smith Lodge of Research.
Please come and visit us on the 5th floor of the Indianapolis Masonic Temple!
If you are coming to Founders Day, the Speedway DeMolay in partnership with the Grand Lodge will be serving a wonderful breakfast for Masons and guests starting at 7AM until 10AM in the 2nd floor dining room. Price is just $8 for all you can eat! So grab some breakfast and visit the Museum before the festivities begin!
The Dwight L. Smith Lodge of Research wintertime meeting will begin at approximately 3PM on the 5th floor of the Temple, after the conclusion of the Grand Lodge Education Committee breakout session. All Indiana Masons and those in amity with the Grand Lodge F&AM of Indiana are welcome to attend. WM Christopher Hodapp will give a presentation entitled “Your Son Is My Brother” on the use of the Evansville and Indianapolis Masonic Temples during World War II as military service centers, part of a national Masonic movement to assist military personnel. Barry White will present news about the new Montgomery County Masonic Museum taking shape in Columbus. And we’ll be discussing exciting new changes coming soon to the Indianapolis Temple, as well as an upcoming trip to visit the wealth of Masonic sites in Lafayette in the spring. Please join us!
The Indianapolis Masonic Temple is located at 525 N. Illinois Street, just south of the Scottish Rite cathedral parking lot.
For more information about the Masonic Library & Museum of Indiana, visit our website at www.mlmindiana.org