Master Mason certificate issued to Sidney Hayden by Rural Amity Lodge, No. 70, 1832 January 15

Item

Identifier: A1978-018-001

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Scope and Contents

A Master Mason certificate issued by Rural Amity Lodge, No. 7 (Athens, Pa.) to Sidney Hayden. Dated January 15, 1832. The artwork includes depictions of the Eye of Providence, two aproned Masons (one standing on a winged hourglass while the other stands on an ark), the symbol of Charity (a female), and scales (the symbol of justice). The certificate design was created by Charles Cushing Wright in Homer, New York, circa 1816.

Dates

Creation: 1832 January 15

Creator

Hayden, Sidney, 1813-1890 (Recipient, Person)
Freemasons. Rural Amity Lodge, No. 70 (Athens, Pa.) (Organization)
Wright, Charles Cushing, 1796-1857 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Materials in this collection may be governed by copyright. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights. Please contact the Archivist regarding permission to publish material.

Extent

1 item/s ; 8" x 13"; 21 x 34 cm.

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Museum purchase

Exhibition Label

Signed and Sealed: Masonic Certificates Exhibition corridor show 2017

Master Mason Certificate, 1832 Issued to Sidney Hayden (1813-1890), Rural Amity Lodge, No. 70, Athens, Pennsylvania Engraved by Charles Cushing Wright (1796-1854), Homer, New York Sold by William B. Whitney, Homer, New York Museum Purchase, A1978/018/001

A young engraver, Charles Cushing Wright, designed this certificate sometime before 1818. He also crafted designs for engraved Masonic aprons around the same time. He left blanks in the certificate text where a lodge secretary could fill in the recipient’s degree, the lodge name, its number and location. With this flexibility, the certificate could be sold to different lodges. Several years after Wright made this certificate, officers of a Pennsylvania lodge filled it out for newly-minted Master Mason Sidney Hayden.