Salem Lodge #368 A.F. & A.M.
Prior to 1878, there was only one Masonic Lodge (Sussex #5) in Brockville. As the number of Masons increased, it became apparent that there was a need for a second lodge in town. So on July 15th, 1878 Salem Lodge #368 held its first meeting in the town of Brockville. Since that time the men that have made up Salem Lodge have played key roles in local, national and international affairs.
I became a Mason as my grandfather and great uncle had before me and had the pleasure and honour of being the Master of the Lodge (that’s “The Grand Poobah” for all you Flintstone fans out there) when my father became a member. I have met a lot of great people and have been part of benevolence projects that have changed me as a person and shaped who I am as a man.
I’ve decided to place a Letterbox Hybrid for a few reasons. A great many cachers have never experienced a letterbox cache, it’s actually a very similar premise to geocaching (see link below). Also, let’s be honest, you want the icon (lol), but more than that, I’d like to offer my fellow cachers a great caching experience when they come to Brockville. So as I work on offering a variety of different caches, it’s in an effort to give the cacher the “total caching experience” and that is why this cache was placed.
The cache is a large ammo can literally chocked full of very cool swag. There is a log book and pencil for geocachers and a stamp book with a very old Salem Lodge stamp for the letterboxers. Please leave the stamp as it is key to the letterbox portion of the cache, also bring your own stamp ink pad as there is none in the cache. I've also included a book on local Masonic history for you to peruse while at the site, a summons from my year as Master marks the Salem Lodge pages.
There is plenty of parking in the area and the muggle traffic is generally low, but as always, keep an eye out for the wandering eyes. The property to the east is private property, so there's no need to go further than the wire fence. I would humbly request that you return the cache to the same condition (or better) that it was in when you found it, so as to give everyone a chance to enjoy it. Thanks a lot for participating in my caching experience.
Canadianzombie (Mark)
What is Letterboxing?
http://www.letterboxing.org/
Some Famous Masons you may have heard of:
Harry Houdini, Charles Lindberg, Clark Gable, John Diefenbaker, Gene Autry, Buffalo Bill, Ty Cobb, Daniel Boone, Jesse Jackson, Douglas MacArthur, George Washington, Peter Sellers, Red Skelton and Dave Thomas
Edit August 15th, 2010
I checked on the cache today and noticed that the book on the local history of masonry is gone as is the 100 year old stamp from the lodge, whether on purpose or in error, this is frustrating. I considered archiving this one, but it has been around for a couple of years and is the only Letterbox Hybrid around the area. I've left the stamp book, so please leave your stamp and in the near future I may add another stamp to the cache to again return it to it's true status as a Letterbox Hybrid.
Cheers
CZ