Community Impact Report
Serving Those in Our Community
The Masonic Library and Museum of Pennsylvania promotes Masonic values by maintaining and preserving the Masonic Temple in Philadelphia and other Masonic monuments in Pennsylvania, operating a library and museum that preserves and showcases the collections of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, and conducting educational programs and activities.
The Masonic Library and Museum welcomes researchers and students to learn from its architecture, books and artifacts. It also supports other not-for-profit in the community.
As part of the 150th anniversary celebration of the completion of the Masonic Temple, staff conducted eight days of free tours of the National Historic Landmark, with over 2,200 total visitors (at a potential ticket value of $22,000).
Staff initiated a clothing drive to support the Masonic Temple’s 150-year neighbor, the Arch Street Church. Everyone who brought in donations received a free ticket for a guided tour at the Temple. We also aligned with St. John’s Hospice in support of their mission of feeding and serving the community’s homeless population.
In 2023, Santé Johnson, a federal hand embroiderer, worked with Mike McKee, Masonic Library and Museum executive director, to offer weekly embroidery sessions to staff and the community at large. Her students have displayed their embroidery work at the Masonic Temple.
“My main goal was to have a space for people to find value within the Masonic embroidery collection, while learning and bringing ideas from the past into the present and future,” Santé said. “Establishing a hand embroidery space at the Masonic Temple contributes to the well-being of the community by promoting cultural exchange and creativity.”
150th anniversary tours
Arch Street Church donations
Santé Johnson leads an embroidery class
Our Mission
To educate and enlighten Masons and the general public by presenting the Masonic Temple as the preeminent living, architectural representation of the values, ideals and culture of Freemasonry and a center of fraternal, social, cultural and business activities; curating and showcasing its collections to highlight the contributions of Freemasonry and Freemasons;
engaging diverse audiences through primary research concerning the values, ideals, history and culture of Freemasonry; and preserving important Masonic-related monuments in Pennsylvania
