Long Island Freemasons

April 15, 2020
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Cover of the book Long Island Freemasons featuring a group portrait of elderly gentlemen in 1903.
Long Island Freemasons by Ronald J. Seifried from Arcadia Publishing. Photo of cornerstone laying ceremony of Jephtha Lodge No. 494 in Huntington, August 25, 1904. Image courtesy of Jephtha No. 494

The Freemasons have been with us since the beginning of our country. And no, they do not have secret repositories of hidden gold. They do have a long history of service, community-building and camaraderie that persists to the present. Today we welcome Ron Seifried to the podcast to explore the history and development of Freemasonry in Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

Ron is a member of Jeptha Lodge No. 494 in Huntington and also the author of Long Island Freemasons, newly released by Arcadia Publishing. Starting with the first lodge in Huntington in 1793, Freemasonry grew across the Island with lodges in Smithtown, Hempstead, Sag Harbor and beyond. Ron describes the role Freemasons played in their communities, famous members like Theodore and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and the historical records that still exist to help tell the tale.

1912 campaign image of Theodore Roosevelt in Spokane, Washington’s Oriental Lodge No. 74. Photo by J. L. Phelps. LOC control number 2010645452
Lodge room of Jephtha No. 494 in Huntington, sometime around 1905-1910. Image courtesy of Jephtha No. 494

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