Traveling Man Barn Raising

The date, September 27.  The place, a picturesque sheep barn in South Windsor.  The memories, I'll hold onto for a very long time.

The Master Mason was a beautiful display of what it means to be a Mason.  The cooperation to put something like this together was amazing.  Three blue lodges of the area Hartford Evergreen Lodge #88, South Windsor Washington Lodge #70, Windsor, and Manchester Lodge #73, Manchester, worked together setting up the barn, preparing lunch and performing the ritual.


At 10:00 a.m. just off Ferry Street, a mile down the road from Hartford Evergreen Lodge, is a rustic New England sheep farm.  A large red barn was the venue for the degree work.  Rows of seating were in the north, and also up atop a hay loft in the south looking down onto an altar surrounded by hay bales.  The officers had their usual positions and the three hosting lodges changed officers at different points throughout the day.

Having the officers of the three lodges work together was a beautiful display of our Masonic beehive in action.  The first half of the degree was performed in the morning, then lunch was served a mile down the road at Hartford Evergreen's Lodge.

The lunch of BBQ pulled pork, grilled chicken, corn on the cob, beans, salad and cake hit the spot.  The lunch hour was a great time for getting to know one another a bit better, but then everyone headed back to the barn for the remaining degree work.

Brothers came from ten Connecticut lodges and one lodge from southern Massachusetts.

The "Barn Raising" was the second of what will hopefully become a long lasting tradition.  The brothers performed the degree wearing garments that are reminiscent of the medieval era.  The brothers' floor work was well executed, and the lectures throughout the day were performed equally well.

The ritual was intriguing to watch.  There were differences one might not be used to seeing.  For instance, the order in which the three principal officers rapped their gavels during the opening and closing of the ceremony three times in a row rather than one after the other.  Its little differences like this, that I find incredibly interesting as I travel around this great state we brothers call home.