George Roskruge & S. Barry Casey Masonic Memorial Library & Museum
Preserving the rich history of Arizona Freemasonry
Sharing the Rich History of Arizona Freemasonry
​ The Arizona Grand Lodge library is focused on making the history of Arizona Freemasonry accessible to Masons across the State of Arizona and educating the public on how Freemasonry helped shaped the State of Arizona and continues to be an important part of our communities today. The following programs are available to highlight our history:
-
Grand Lodge Proceedings - the proceedings for the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Arizona are available online for anyone to view. They are hosted at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in the Masonic Digital Archives. These proceedings go back to 1882 and contain stories, speeches and photos up to and including present day. Click here to view the proceedings.
-
Proceedings for your Lodge - if you are in need of proceedings volumes for your own Lodge Library, we have extras from most recent years and a few of the older ones.
-
Suggested Reading List - looking for a resource to share with Seekers or newly made masons? Check our Reading list below that outlines suggested readings for Seekers, New Masons and Experienced Masons alike!
-
Donations - whatever you or your lodge have to donate, we will accept and find a good home for it. It may stay in our library or if we already have the same book we will make it available to other Masonic libraries. We accept books of any kind and often sell those non-masonic or esoteric books that don't quite fit . We also appreciate monetary donations.
-
Masonry in the 48th State - over the next year we will be sharing highlights of our history through a storytelling podcast called "Masonry in the 48th State: The history of Arizona Freemasonry". All episodes will be listed here.
-
Research - We have several copies of most of the historic Masonic texts you will see quoted in research papers and education. And with over 900 books we are sure to have some pretty interesting texts for whatever you are researching. Make an appointment to visit by emailing rcmasoniclibrary@gmail.com or watch our Facebook Calendar for dates.
-
Grand Masters Photos - Photos of our Grandmasters are hanging on the walls of the library and we are working on getting a photo of EVERY Grand Master.
-
150th Anniversary - in 2032 we will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Grand Lodge of Arizona. In preparation for that celebration we are hard at work documenting our history and creating unique ways to share it with the craft. If you have an idea, don't hesitate to reach out to us!
-
Stay tuned for our BUY A BOOK program which will help us expand the educational volumes we can make available to you.
​​
About Us
To preserve History and Promote Education
​ The first mention of the Arizona Grand Lodge Library occurred in the Secretaries report from the 1883 Grand Communications proceedings. In the report, the Secretary lists the annual minutes received from other Grand Lodges that have been added to the Grand Lodge Library. Minutes received include those of Colon and Cuba, District of Columbia and 12 US states. The library would later go on to be organized as a 501(c)3 nonprofit foundation and named "The George Roskruge & S Barry Casey Masonic Memorial Library & Museum Foundation" in 2001.
Today, the Grand Lodge Library is located in the 100 year old Phoenix Masonic Temple in downtown Phoenix. We have over 900 books dedicated to a variety of topics including a collection of Arizona Grand Lodge proceedings going back to our formation in 1882. We also have an excellent collection of historical artifacts related to Arizona Freemasonry and the early days of Arizona as a territory and state.
Our Mission is to increase the availability, effectiveness & visibility of the Roskruge/Casey Library and to preserve the history of Arizona Freemasonry. The Library is completely staffed by volunteers and is open by appointment. To schedule an appointment, sent an email to rcmasoniclibrary@gmail.com
Masonry in the 48th State
Masonry in the 48th State: The History of Arizona Masonry.
Listen to a series of podcasts enacting historic moments from the proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Arizona
View our Collection
With over 900 volumes in our library - it is one of the biggest Masonic Libraries in the state. Â We are in the process of reviewing our collection and creating a "Guidance Plan" for our how we want to grow our collection. If you have ideas - don't hesitate to share them with us!
Museum Collection
Arizona Freemasonry has a rich history that stretches back into the territorial days of Arizona. The Arizona Masonic library is lucky enough to have a collection of documents related to the early days of FreeMasonry. Our goal is to share those with Masons and other masonic libraries across the state - and create a true Brotherly partnership. Contact us today to find out how your library can work with us!
