SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA RESEARCH LODGE
F&AM
CORNER STONES
[The following is from an article in the
February-March 1996 The Oklahoma Mason announcing two
cornerstones being laid at Owasso schools, no author so we assume
credit to the editor, Brother Jim Tresner, author of the new
Albert Pike biography.]
From time to time, Brethren ask why Masonry is
involved in the placement of corner stones, and so a little
information about the history of the tradition may be helpful.
The tradition goes back to antiquity - so far that it literally
cannot be traced to its origins, and it probably evolved out of
the foundation and completion sacrifices which were common with
any large building project (and which are echoed in the legend of
the Master Mason Degree). In Babylon, clay cylinders, called
"timmon" were insciribed with the history of the king
and of the building, and buried in the foundations of the
structure. Clay tablets describing the building and the history
of the king were buried in the floors of the buildings erected by
Darius and Cyrus.
During the construction of the cathedrals of
the Middle Ages, special stones, hollowed to receive offerings,
were included in the foundations of the walls.
Thus, from the remotest times, the laying of a
special stone, usually sealing in a deposit intended for future
generations, has been a part of any significant building.
Although the terms are often used
interchangeably, there are actually three major classifications
of such stones.
FOUNDATION STONES are the first stones placed
as part of the foundation of a bulding (or, in the case of most
of the medieval cathedrals, the high altar). These stones are
below the level of the ground. The stone George Washington laid
for the nation's capital was actually a foundation stone, as is
clearly shown by the newspaper accounts of the time.
CORNER STONES are the first stones placed at
ground level. They are generally placed in the northeast corner,
from which building traditionally commenced. They are part of the
structure of the building, and, of necessity, are placed before
the building is built. Until the 1950s and 60s, this was the type
of stone most commonly placed by the fraternity.
COMMEMORATIVE or DEDICATORY STONES are the
stones most commonly placed by the fraternity today. They are not
part of the structure of the building, but fit into a space left
in the stone or brick work. They usually seal a cavity in which a
"time capsule" type of deposit is made. Generally, the
placement of such a stone is the last act in the building and
serves as a dedication of the building and a signal of its
completion.
The association of Masonry with the placement of corner stones is obvious and comes from the craft guilds. There are records of Masonic Lodges in Ireland placing corner stones, with full parades and ceremonies, dating from the 1500s and records from England from the late l600s. Apparently, the first stones in Washington, D.C. which were placed by Lodges with Masonic ceremonies were not those in federal buildings at all, but those which marked the boundaries of the District of Columbia.