Terre Haute Masonic Temple: An Indoor Guide to its History

(1 review)

Terre Haute, Indiana audio tour: Terre Haute Masonic Temple: An Indoor Guide to its History

This is an indoor tour

Terre Haute, Indiana

The United States

$5.99

Access all 15 locations offline with the VoiceMap app

Buy for a Group

Reviews

About the Tour

Dive into the history of Terre Haute’s Freemasonry from its early days at Fort William Henry Harrison to the present on this in-depth indoor tour around the Terre Haute Masonic Temple.

Learn about the Temple, its history, the journey that led to its opening, and the details about who owns and utilizes it today as you walk from room to room. Along the way, you’ll hear about each room’s roles, and I’ll teach you how to spot some of the prominent symbols of Freemasonry. I’ll introduce you to some of the characters who started the lodges and have guided them through the years. There’s even a brief cameo by Terre Haute legend Stiffy Green!

On this tour you’ll get a chance to:

See historic furniture and design styles
Explore a building designed by a renowned Midwestern architect and listed in the National Register of Historic Places
Find out where the homes of local notables John Heinl, Senator Daniel Vorhees, William Wood Parsons, and Frank Prox were once located
Learn how Freemasonry migrated to and grew in Vigo County
View Terre Haute’s best collection of historic Masonic literature
Learn about the history and foundation of the Order of the Eastern Star

Join me on this walk around the Terre Haute Masonic Temple where the history, architecture and symbolism of Freemasonry are explored. Allow at least an hour to explore the building and get the most out of the tour.

Tour Producer

Jordan Bayles

1 tour

Jordan is a native "Hautian" and has been a member of various community organizations including Terre Haute Lodge No. 19, Free & Accepted Masons. He holds an Associates Degree in Culinary Arts from the Culinary Institute of America, in Hyde Park, New York, as well as a Bachelors Degree in Business Management from Western Governors University. Though not formally educated as such, he is a passionate student of history and loves to research and share information on historical topics.

Jordan produces tours on behalf of Terre Haute Lodge No. 19, Free & Accepted Masons.

Preview Location

Location 6

Second Floor

The Blue Lodge is the basis of all Freemasonry; Freemasonry in its largest scope including organizations such as the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, the Ancient Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, known colloquially as the Shrine, which operates a system of specialized C... The Blue Lodge is the basis of all Freemasonry; Freemasonry in its largest scope including organizations such as the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, the Ancient Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, known colloquially as the Shrine, which operates a system of specialized Children's hospitals, as well as the York Rite which is on the third floor, and other many other organizations. The Masonic Lodge that we know today draws a direct lineage to the ancient stonemasons guilds of the middle ages and the first Grand Lodge of Freemasons was formed in London on June 24, 1717 after the rebuilding of Saint Paul's Cathedral after the Great Fire of London. Freemasonry moved quickly to North America by way of British, Scottish, and French immigration to the new world, and eventually the Grand Lodge of Indiana was formed at the Schofield House in Madison, Indiana on January 13, 1818. The Grand Lodge of Indiana was formed of a committee of nine lodges, namely Vincennes Lodge at Vincennes, Union Lodge at Madison, Blazing Star Lodge at Charlestown, Lawrenceburg Lodge at Lawrenceburg, Pisgah Lodge at Corydon, Rising Sun Lodge at Rising Sun, Vevay Lodge at Vevay, Salem Lodge at Salem, and Brookville-Harmony Lodge at Brookville. With the exception of the last two, who waited to surrender the charters of their previous Grand Lodges, the new Indiana Lodges were numbered in that order, one through nine, corresponding to their original Charter dates.

The Blue Lodge focuses on teaching lessons of morality veiled in allegory, and seeks to make good men better. The degrees of Freemasonry utilize the implements, and knowledge that was held secret by the ancient stonemasons and their guilds to impart specific lessons. To join a Masonic Lodge a man must first express a desire to do so, obtain the recommendations of two members of the Lodge, be investigated by a minimum of three additional members of the Lodge, and be found worthy by a unanimous vote of the Lodge.

The Lodge rooms on this floor were designed to be completely independent of the others. Each has its own ante-rooms and is provided with toilet facilities accessible through the various lounging rooms. The ante-rooms contain ample closet space for the various lodges and chapter. Additionally, the rooms were outfitted with enclosed projection rooms from which magic lantern projectors were used to display imagery during the conferral of the Masonic Degrees.

Now, turn left and walk across the landing to the North Lodge Room and Lounge. Select the next track when you get there. Read More

View locations and route

How VoiceMap Works

Focus on your surroundings, not the screen

The VoiceMap app uses GPS to play audio automatically, at the right time and place, so you can focus on your surroundings, not the screen.

Follow a route with turn-by-turn-directions

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a fixed starting point. That lets us give turn-by-turn directions and use context to tell a better story.

Resume playback to go at your own pace

If you'd like to stop for a drink or go into a museum, end your tour then use the Resume feature to pick up exactly where you left off.

Listen as many times as you like

You can listen to your tours as often as you like using both the VoiceMap app and website.

Take virtual tours anywhere, like a podcast

Select Virtual mode in the VoiceMap app to listen to tours like a podcast - at home or in transit.

Buy for less on voicemap.me and sync

Once you've purchased a tour, it's added to your VoiceMap library. To access it in the app, just sign in using the same account.

Do tours without paying for data

Tours work offline, so you don't have to pay roaming fees. Just download them over WiFi before you get started.

Major Landmarks

Terre Haute Masonic Temple

Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
224 N 8th St, Terre Haute, IN 47807, USA
Total distance

0m
Final location
236-228 N 8th St, Terre Haute, IN 47807, USA
Distance back to start location

62.69m

Directions to Starting Point

The tour begins in front of the Terre Haute Masonic Temple at 224 North 8th Street in Terre Haute, Indiana. Free parking is available on 8th, Eagle, and Larry Bird Streets where indicated, as well as in the Temple parking lot off of Eagle Street Monday through Friday after 4pm, and on weekends. Paid parking can be found in the parking garage one block south of the Temple on 8th Street (entrance on Cherry Street), or in the Indiana State University metered parking lot opposite the alley from the Temple (entrance on Larry Bird Avenue).

Show Directions

Gift vouchers

Buy tours for friends and family who delight in discovery

Buy Now

Buy for a group

Get 15% to 50% off when you buy for a group

Buy Now

License this tour

Adapt this tour to use your brand and suit your guests

Find out more

Tips

Places to stop along the way

Other great attractions in the downtown area include the Vigo County Historical Museum at 929 Wabash Avenue, the Sheldon Swope Art Museum at 25 South 7th Street, and a self guided tour of the Indiana State University campus including the historic Condit House (currently used as the University President's home), Normal Hall (the original ISU Library), Federal Hall (formerly a Federal courthouse), and Fairbanks Hall (the original Emiline Fairbanks Library of the City of Terre Haute). For a beverage or bite to eat before or after the tour, check out Federal Coffee & Fine Foods at 683 Wabash Avenue.

Best time of day

Tuesdays and Thursdays 9am-2pm, other times by appointment.

Precautions

The temple is very safe.

Get The App

Download tours to use them offline

Listen hands-free with GPS playback

Get turn-by-turn directions

Scan the QR Code

“This app has become my go-to app for audio tours. I pretty much use it for every trip and it works wonderfully. I highly recommend VoiceMap for travelers to truly experience cities.”

App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”

Google Play Store

Questions and Reviews

5 / 5

1 Ratings

Display:

Sort by:

Relevant

Recent

Loading…

Loading...