Master Mason Certificate, 1827

A1978_039_001DS1.jpg

Master Mason Certificate, 1827
Issued to John Gurney (1785-1855), Freeport Lodge, No. 23, Freeport, Maine
Engraved by William B. Annin (1791-1839) and George Girdler Smith (1795-1878), Boston, Massachusetts
Museum Purchase, A78/039/1

Engravers William Annin and George Girdler Smith, both Masons, designed this certificate in the early 1820s. In addition to the signature of the holder at the margin on the left, it bears signatures of the officers of Gurney’s lodge and that of the Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Maine, representing the governing body of Freemasonry in the state.