Masonic Tombstones and Masonic Secrets: Dora C. Jett's Minor Sketches of Major Folk

Freemasonry carries its secrets beyond death. Masonic funeral ceremonies, the placing of the apron and sprig of acacia in the coffin, and internment rites at burial are part of Craft’s rituals. The carvings on tombstones of Masonic cemeteries are a source of esoteric engravings and guide to evolving initiations and degrees. For the historian, a great value is the evidence they provide of past associations between the brethren behind the doors of the lodge. The old Masonic Burial Ground in Fredricksburg, Virginia, is a museum of patriots, and Jett’s long out of print book is a valuable footnote to early American history as well as to the lives connected in one way or another by the secret fraternity. Fortunately the cemetery still is properly maintained and this volume can serve as a guide.