History of the Masons

• As the world's largest and oldest fraternal organization, the Freemasons started in England in the early 1700s. The term "masons" comes from the stone mason occupation. According to The Masonic Society website, the group's early ideals used the tools, symbolism and terminology of stone masonry as a way to teach character building. The fraternity soon spread to the American colonies and the rest of the world. As there is no overall governing organization, individual states or countries each have a grand lodge which presides over lodges within its territory.
  
  

Masonic Principles

• The Freemason's main belief is that every man can make a difference in the world by improving himself as a person and being active within the community. Other principles include that faith must be the center of a Mason's life, all men and women are children of God, it is important to make the world a better place and that no one has the right to tell another what he or she must think or believe.
  
  

Mason Activities

• According to the Grand Lodge of Virginia website, besides individual growth, the Masons focus heavily on community service. The Shrine Masons, or Shriners, operate the largest network of hospitals that provide free treatment for children who are burn victims. The Scottish Rite Masons maintain a network of 150 Childhood Language Disorder clinics and programs. Besides these large networks, the Masons also provide scholarships programs and public service within their communities.
  
  

Becoming a Mason

• In Freemasonry, a Lodge is both a group of Masons who meet together and the room in which they meet. Lodges meet once or twice a month to go over business, vote on new members and induct new members through three ceremonies known as degrees. To become a Mason, a man must be of good character and believe in a Supreme Being. Men of all religious faiths and political backgrounds are welcome. To join, one must petition a local lodge -- the Master of the Lodge will create a committee to visit the applicant before the Lodge ultimately votes on the member's petition.
  
  

Famous Masons

• There have been many famous Freemasons. Many of America's Founding Fathers including Paul Revere, John Hancock and Benjamin Franklin were Masons, as well as George Washington and 13 other U.S. presidents, eight vice presidents and 42 Supreme Court justices. Other famous Masons include Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Wolfgang A. Mozart, Duke Ellington and John Wayne.