Masonic Temple Time Capsule Opened

ZANESVILLE, Oh – Almost 120 years after its placement within the cornerstone of the Zanesville Masonic Temple, a time capsule filled with hidden gems of city and masonic history was opened!

Past Grand Masters of Ohio Masons as well as Zanesville Mayor Don Mason helped explore the capsule’s contents following a dinner catered by The Clover Key.

A wide assortment of well-preserved historical pieces, including stamps, photos, coins, pins, books, and much more were discovered.

There were also lodge records and memorabilia within the capsule, thought to have been permanently lost in the Temple fire that former Lodge Master Michael Luby said he and the lodge had been hopeful they’d find.

“This is true history in the making. This is something that hasn’t seen the light of day for so long and that’s why it’s so important to us. We’re hoping there are symbols of our fraternity, news from the times, people’s names who participated, all sorts of things like that to give us something to look back into history and make us appreciate what we are doing now with our fraternity more than ever,” Luby said.

True to Zanesville’s rich history with the art, several pieces of pottery, as well as tile samples were also pulled from the time capsule.

While the night was bittersweet for lodge members and the community alike, Luby says they were excited to reclaim a bit of history.

“Tonight is bittersweet for all of us just because of the loss of the masonic temple. But, we’re also reclaiming history that has been buried for almost 120 years,” he told us.

Mayor Mason also made a proclamation, encouraging support for the owners of the Masonic Temple building, Lodge of Amity, and other Masonic bodies as well as, the rebuilding of the temple!

The Lodge of Amity plans to share pictures of the contents of the time capsule soon and looks forward to sharing this piece of history with everyone!