Iowa Masonic Library and Museum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Iowa Masonic Library and Museum |
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Building on March 28, 2011
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| Location | 813 First Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States |
| Built | 1955 |
| Website | Grand Lodge of Iowa: Library and Museum |
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The Iowa Masonic Library and Museum in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is a super cool place! It's one of the biggest libraries about Freemasonry in the world, and it also has three amazing museum collections. Imagine, this library was the very first one like it anywhere to have its own special building, built way back in 1884. Today, it's in a newer building from 1955, which also holds the main offices for the Grand Lodge of Iowa, a group that helps run Freemasonry in Iowa.
Contents
A Look at the Library's History
The idea for this library started in the 1840s. The Grand Lodge decided to set aside money for books about Freemasonry. At first, the library was kept at the home of Theodore S. Parvin. He was the first Grand Librarian and began with just 5 books!
The library moved with him from one city to another in Iowa. Finally, in 1884, it found a permanent home in Cedar Rapids. It has been there ever since. Today, the Masonic Library is one of the top five Masonic libraries globally. It holds over 100,000 books! These books cover both Masonic and general topics. Anyone can visit the library, whether they are Masons or not.
In 2008, the Masonic Library and Museum Association (MLMA) held its yearly meeting here. This was 80 years after a similar meeting took place at the original library in Cedar Rapids.
Special Prince Hall Collection
The library has a very important collection of materials about Prince Hall Freemasonry. This is a branch of Freemasonry for African Americans. Experts say this collection is quite large and open to the public.
Many published records from black Masonic groups from the 1870s onwards can be found here. Only a few other places, like the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library in Massachusetts, have as many Prince Hall Masonic items.
Explore the Museum Collections
The Iowa Masonic Library also has three museum collections. These are open for everyone to visit. The collections are huge, with thousands of items!
You'll find a Masonic collection on the first floor. On the second floor, there's a Non-Masonic collection. There's also the Charles H. Swab Memorial collection, which was given to the museum in 1958.
One special item is a Civil War flag. This flag belonged to an Iowa regiment. It was carried during the Battle of Champion Hill, where many Iowans were hurt or lost their lives.
In 2008, the African American Museum of Iowa needed a temporary home. Their building was flooded during the Iowa flood of 2008. The Masonic Library kindly let them use its space for a while.
The Library's Buildings
In 1884, this library made history. It became the first Masonic library in the world to have its very own building!
The building you see today was finished in 1955. It cost over a million dollars to build. The outside is made of beautiful Vermont Marble. Inside, the halls are lined with grey marble from Carthage, Missouri. The windows, doors, and stair rails have bronze metalwork. The main part of the building is over 245 feet long and 50 feet wide. The library section at the west end is 113 feet deep.
On the front of the building, you can read a quote from the Bible (Amos 7:7). It says: "Behold the Lord upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand."
This building is part of the Grant Wood Cultural District. This district was recognized in 2010 by the Iowa State Historical Society.
The Grand Lodge of Iowa
The Grand Lodge of Iowa has its offices right here at the museum. This group is in charge of Freemasonry in the state of Iowa.
The Grand Lodge was started in 1844. Back then, Iowa was still a territory and didn't become a state until two years later. Before the Grand Lodge of Iowa could begin, interested Masons in the territory asked the Grand Lodge of Missouri for permission to form their own local groups.
People who study Masonic history often know about this Grand Lodge. That's because of the amazing Iowa Masonic Library and Museum. It has a huge collection of items, both Masonic and non-Masonic.
It's interesting to know that the first four Masonic groups in Iowa were part of the Grand Lodge of Missouri. This was before the Grand Lodge of Iowa was formed. Here's how the Masonic groups are connected, like a family tree:
We read our pedigree in this way: The Grand Lodge of Scotland, formed of 'time immemorial' lodges in 1730, chartered the Provincial Grand Lodge of North Carolina in 1761, and that became independent in 1787. Tennessee was formed out of North Carolina Lodges in 1813, Missouri out of· Tennessee lodges in 1821, Iowa out of Missouri lodges in 1844, and Dakota out of Iowa lodges in 1875.
See also
- List of Masonic libraries
- Cedar Rapids Scottish Rite Temple
