If you’ve ever wondered about the goings on inside the doors at 4690 Watson, pull up a chair and we’ll spill the tea. It’s the oldest commercial building in Beaverton, and was constructed in 1932, home to the mysterious Masonic lodge brotherhood. Now, while the brothers still meet in secret within the walls, they also open the building, including a large meeting room and a full kitchen, to community groups. The most recent tenant, The Experience Theater Project, will be presenting Great Gatsby’s Daisy in the large downstairs meeting room beginning February 4. But what of the building owners, the mysterious Masons themselves?
“A lot of people call Freemasons a secret society,” says Hunter Bronson, the newly chosen Worshipful Master of Beaverton’s Masonic Lodge, “but we like to say we are a society with secrets.” The motorcycle riding, gentle, well-spoken man whose face is ringed with black thick hair says there are many misconceptions about being a Mason that he’d like to clear up. Bronson, who has been a Mason for six years, says “really, the only secrets we have are the ways in which we recognize other Masons. Everything else is open knowledge,” he says.
The lodge itself was founded in 1892, has 130 members with about 25 of them actively attending meetings. As a group they focus on self-improvement and through that process, the improvement of the communities in which they live. “A common phrase in Masonry,” Bronson says, “is that we take good men and make them better. We study the ancient stone masons and we use allegory and story to teach moral and spiritual lessons.”
If you or someone you know has hoped that a Mason might one day ask him (because it is a men’s only organization) to join, he will wait in vain as Masons are strictly prohibited from asking someone to join according to Bronson. Only by making application to the lodge can a man be considered for membership and even then the process isn’t automatic. The Masons, he says, will not accept immoral men for membership, though he’s the first to admit that morality is a subjective value. “A man who wants to be a Mason will need two Mason sponsors. For Bronson, they were his maternal grandfather and another older member. “When we receive a petition from someone who would like to join, we assign three members to investigate them, three men we already know are moral, and then we abide by their judgment.” He says these men may visit the member in his home, conduct a background check and speak to him at length before they render their judgment to the group for a vote. Joining what is called a blue lodge, such as the Beaverton lodge, and going through the training is required for anyone who wants to move on to other Masonic traditions such as the Scottish Rites or the Shriners organizations.
Although the Masons are only open to male membership, Bronson says there are companion organizations for women such as the Eastern Star and the Rainbow girls that also meet in the building. Some Masonic lodges outside of Oregon do admit women, so that heritage may be changing, he says, he admits that he enjoys being part of an ancient tradition.
He is quick to point out that the group, although exclusively male, is as diverse as the community in which they find themselves. “We have Jewish members, Muslim members, Christian members and some members who don’t identify with one specific religion,” he says, “and our teachings come from many sources including the Bible, the Koran, the Torah and the Bhagavad Gita.”
One of the main tenets of Masonry is charity and service to the community. The charities are selected annually by the membership after a committee, charged with searching out community groups with the greatest need, makes their recommendations. “We allocate a certain amount of money each year to either donate to local charities or to host fundraisers for needy groups within the Beaverton Tualatin valley area. “We are also planning an appreciation dinner for firefighters when it’s safe to do it,” he says, “One year we did a big drive for the food bank.”
Men who are interested in membership are invited down to the lodge to share a meal at 6 pm on the first Thursday of the month. Whether they are interested in joining or renting the facilities, Bronson says he welcomes anyone with questions to call or email him. Bronson can be reached by leaving a message at the lodge at 503-644-3882 or by emailing him at Hunter@WidowsSonsOregon.org.