Our Masonic Heritage

An illustrated catalogue of Masonic artifacts & a history of their ownership.

This is a new release of the original 1928 edition.

'Goodly Heritage' by Dwight L. Smith is the most comprehensive historical account ever written about the Freemasons in the state of Indiana. It was originally published in 1968 in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of the January 1818 founding of the Grand Lodge of Indiana F&AM in Madison, and is widely considered to be the most authoritative historical reference work for the state's fraternity. It contains a wealth of early photographs of historic lodges and influential men within the Masonic community, along with exhaustive reference lists of lodges, grand lodge officers, and more. This facsimile reprint edition was authorized in 2018 in conjunction with the Grand Lodge's Bicentennial celebration and through the assistance of the Masonic Library and Museum of Indiana, Inc.

The author's home lodge is different. They suffer from higher than 100% attendance, men wait periods of longer than a year to get initiated, they have never lost a single Entered Apprentice, they have nobody on the roles who is NPD or has been dropped for NPD. Men arrive on lodge days at 8:00 a.m. and are often reluctently leaving for home near midnight or 2:00 a.m. Their dues are high by American standards, the background check is rigorous, and the initiations are solemn and serious. Every lodge meeting is treated as an event and celebrated as such. Dinner is treated as a feast with all its positive connotations. Freemasonry is celebrated in every aspect of the lodge. From the artwork, the furnishings, the set up and the atomosopher; all aspects of the lodge meeting are intentional and meant to create an experience. The Lodge is a Traditional Observance Lodge or T.O. Lodge as it is called by some. Like all labels, the Traditional Observance label has caused fear and fright, anger and frustration, confusion, and edicts. It has also helped to define the practices that make the author's lodge one of the most successful lodges in the United States by any standard one might choose to measure it. This book does not claim to provide a Masonic magic pill for the ailing lodges of the world. Nor does it claim in any fashion or form that the way this author's lodge operates is the only way or the best way to operate. What this book does is explain the the Traditional Observance model and encourages ideas in the area of increasing the lodge experience and allowing quality to become the watchword over every aspect of Freemasonry. The writings contains a mixture of personal experiences, practicle advice, and real life examples for creating a Traditional Observance lodge or increasing your lodges fulfillment.