‘New Canaan There & Then’ is sponsored by Brown Harris Stevens Realtors Bettina Hegel, Joanne Santulli, Dawn Sterner and Pam Stutz.
On the face of a dollar bill, there appears to be a pyramid with an eye at the top. Is this an illuminati, some other mysterious mythological symbol, or just an odd design? The truth is that this symbol comes from a brotherhood founded to promote self-improvement and a better world through the application of moral values, intellectual development, and mutual respect.
They are the Freemasons, the world’s largest extant fraternity with deep ties to New Canaan.
In 1733, a Great Lodge was established in Boston, marking the start of Freemasonry in New England. At the 1825 annual communication of the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free & Accepted Masons of Connecticut, charters were granted to five new Lodges, including Harmony Lodge of New Canaan. Samuel Carter Jr. was appointed the first Master, John Seeley, the first Senior Warden, and Eliphalet Weed the first Junior Warden. The first recorded meeting was held soon after. They met in what is now the Susan Schmeichel Gallery, upstairs in the Town Hall that is part of the New Canaan Museum & Historical Society’s campus. They rented the space for $15 a year.
The Freemasons became a prominent part of Colonial and post-Revolutionary War life. At the time of the establishment of Harmony Lodge, there were 26 Grand Lodges governing more than 3,000 constituent lodges with a membership of 150,000 brethren in the United States.
What attracted the masses to the order was their strong “civil religion” rooted in Enlightenment philosophy; they sought free enterprise, freedom, and believed in the limitation of the national state. These Republican virtues, deeply rooted in the founding principles of this country, led many to believe the Freemasons played a role in crafting the Constitution – a belief reinforced by the fact that many of their members, including George Washington, were prominent in politics and held in high regard.
Sadly, the organization’s history is also tainted by scandal. Shortly after the Harmony Lodge was established, William Morgan, who may not have actually been a Mason but convinced many that he was, disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Morgan had threatened to publish a book that would reveal the secrets of the brotherhood, but then vanished. Opponents of the Masonry used this scandal to propel anti-masonry hysteria, including putting forth an anti-Mason Presidential candidate, and nearly destroyed the order, including Harmony Lodge. From then on, meetings were held less and less frequently and in the mid-1800s there appears to be no records of meetings for 27 years.
The Freemasons of Harmony Lodge survived, thrived, established their current Lodge on Main Street, and celebrated their 200th anniversary on May 31, 2025, under the big tent on the lawn of the New Canaan Museum & Historical Society. Harmony Lodge remains a gathering place for charitable and civic groups, and the Masons remain committed to the goal of helping the community. And their symbol, featured prominently on the one-dollar bill, reminds us of their contribution to New Canaan and the country.