John Skene: First Known Mason in America

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Jim Stapleton

New Jersey holds the special honor of being home to the first known Freemason in America - Brother John Skene. He was a member of Aberdeen Lodge No. 1, of Aberdeen, Scotland. As a Quaker, he was imprisoned and fined in England in the 1670s due to his religious activities. In 1682, Skene sailed to the New World and settled in Burlington, NJ, the capital of the West Jersey Province. John Skene purchased a 300-acre property in the late 1600s and named it Peachfield. This was an ideal area for a merchant to get established. There were fertile farmlands and it was in close proximity to Philadelphia. The area also had the benefit of having a large Quaker population. In addition to being a merchant, Skene also had a successful political career. He was elected to the West Jersey assembly and later appointed to the council. In 1685, he was appointed Deputy Governor of the Province of West Jersey. He served in that role until 1687.

A conference was recently held to help shed light on Brother Skene’s unique role in American Masonic history. The first annual John Skene Masonic Conference was held on August 19, 2023, in Westhampton, NJ. This novel conference celebrated the life of Skene and the Scottish origins and influences of Freemasonry in America. The day began with a memorial service at Peachfield, where The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in The State of New Jersey maintains a museum. There is a gravestone for Brother John Skene located on the property. The conference continued in the afternoon at the nearby Crescent Shrine building. Speakers included well-respected scholars - Robert W. Howard, Jr., Erich Morgan Huhn, Steven C. Bullock, and Robert Cooper. Topics covered during the presentations included Freemasonry Before 1717, Freemasonry from Skene to Anderson, The Revolutionary Transformation of Early American Freemasonry, and Tracking Scottish Freemasonry in America. The event concluded in the evening with a festive board that featured a presentation on Freemasonry in America and Its Colonial Tavern Beginnings by Robert H. Johnson of Whence Came You?, The Masonic Roundtable, and The Midnight Freemasons fame. 

Kudos are in order for the conference committee that developed the outstanding program - Christian Stebbins, Robert W. Howard, Jr, and Erich Morgan Huhn. A great deal of knowledge was shared at the conference, but it is clear that there is so much more to uncover about early Freemasonry in New Jersey. Hopefully, this will spark more research on the topic and this conference will become an annual event for years to come!

Lurie, Maxine N., and Marc Mappen. 2004. Encyclopedia of New Jersey. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press. https://search-ebscohost-com.proxy.libraries.rutgers.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e900xww&AN=124913&site=ehost-live. p 747.

History of Freemasonry in New Jersey / Commemorating the Two Hundredth Anniversary of the Organization of the Grand Lodge of the Most Ancient and Honorable Society of Free and Accepted Masons for the State of New Jersey, 1787-1987. First ed. New Jersey: Grand Lodge, 1987. p 9.

“About.” Peachfield, June 23, 2022. https://peachfield.org/about/. Accessed September, 23, 2023.

~JS

Jim Stapleton is the Senior Warden of USS New Jersey Lodge No. 62. He is also a member of the New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education No. 1786. Jim received the Distinguished White Apron Award from the Grand Lodge of New Jersey. He was awarded the Daniel Carter Beard Masonic Scouter Award. Jim is also a member of the Society of King Solomon.

Museum of Masonic Culture at the Grand Lodge of New Jersey

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Travis Simpkins

History pervades every cobblestone of Barrack Street in Trenton, New Jersey. As the name suggests, standing on one side of the street is the Old Barracks utilized by British and Hessian troops from 1758 up until the Battle Trenton on December 26, 1776, at which point General George Washington and the victorious Continental Army took control of the area. Diagonally across from the Old Barracks stands a small stone building, built in 1793, which served as the original Grand Lodge of New Jersey. And in between those structures (at 100 Barrack St.) is the magnificent Trenton Masonic Temple, constructed in 1926, which is the current home of the Grand Lodge of New Jersey as well as the Museum of Masonic Culture. 

Last month, I was driving back to Massachusetts from a business trip in Philadelphia and passed through Trenton along the way. I had contacted R.W. Glenn Visscher, the Curator of the Museum of Masonic Culture, and he kindly agreed to meet my wife and I there to give us a tour of the historic Trenton Masonic Temple. I had first become aware of the Museum in 2018, when I was commissioned to make a charcoal portrait of the late Charles D. Visscher, the original Curator. He was Glenn's father. Caring for the collection has become a passionate legacy within the Visscher family. Glenn's mother, Barbara, and his sister, Karyn, both help operate the Museum as well.

After passing through the large doors on Barrack Street and seeing the ornate lobby, banquet hall, Library and administrative area, we headed upstairs. The second floor houses three large Lodge rooms. The first is utilized by a few different Blue Lodges, next there is the impressive Ionic Hall of the Grand Lodge of New Jersey. Then, the far end of the level contains a third (former) Lodge room and several adjacent ante-rooms, all of which provide a wonderful backdrop to display the collection of the Museum of Masonic Culture. 

Cases in the hallway contain a stone from the White House presented by President Harry S. Truman to the Grand Lodge of New Jersey, the original 18th Century deed for the Temple's land, a cannon ball from the Battle of Trenton and a Masonic apron worn at the funeral of George Washington. A few connecting rooms with various displays lead to the entry of the main museum room, named in honor of Charles D. Visscher (with my portrait of him and a plaque hung beside the door). The main gallery contains a comprehensive, all-inclusive collection of historic and contemporary regalia from Blue Lodges and the various appendant bodies (including Prince Hall Affiliated bodies). There is everything from DeMolay and Eastern Star items to Scottish Rite (NMJ and SJ), York Rite, Allied Masonic Degrees, Shriners and the leather biker gear of the Widows Sons. 

Of particular note are an entire display case devoted to Astronauts that were Freemasons and a collection of rare artifacts related to the earliest days of Freemasonry in the State, including the first minutes of the Grand Lodge of New Jersey from 1786. There is something to see at every turn and it is extraordinary work on the part of the Visscher family to have assembled and maintained such a vast collection. I spent about an hour or so looking around and I'm sure I'd notice many new things on a return trip. 

Special thanks to R.W. Glenn Visscher for his hospitality and to the entire Visscher family for their noble efforts in preserving Masonic history for posterity.

Contact info is of the Grand Lodge website: www.newjerseygrandlodge.org

-TS

Travis Simpkins is a freelance artist with clients throughout the United States and Europe. He currently works on projects for the Supreme Council, 33°, NMJ in Lexington, Massachusetts and the Supreme Council, 33°, SJ in Washington, DC. He also serves as a portrait artist for the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, Grand Lodge of New Jersey and other jurisdictions across North America. His artwork is in many esteemed collections, including the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum in Independence, Missouri and the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia.

Bro. Simpkins is a member of Morning Star Lodge A.F. & A.M. in Worcester, Massachusetts. He is a 32° Mason in the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite- Valleys of Worcester and Boston. He is also a member of Eureka Royal Arch Chapter, Hiram Council of Royal & Select Master Masons and Worcester County Commandery No. 5, Knights Templar.