With some of the best speakers on the various aspects of freemasonry (both masonic themselves and non-masonic) 2009 saw such varied subjects as Military Lodge histories and Masons Marks, Lodge jewels and the growth of Prince Hall Masonry I am sure the 2011 conference will not be a disapointment and with the wonderfully historic location of Washington Dc and Alexandria on the conference doorstep I kinda excited.
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY
The George Washington Masonic Memorial, Alexandria, Virginia.
Public ANNOUNCEMENT
The International Conference on the History of Freemasonry (ICHF) promoted by Supersonic Events Ltd. is pleased to announce The George Washington Masonic Memorial, Alexandria, Virginia, will host the event in 26 -30 MAY 2011.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
By holding a biennial conference open to the public, the main purpose of the ICHF is:
• to promote Freemasonry as a subject for academic study.
• to present and debate relevant contributions in this area of research.
• to create a forum for interactions between researchers, experts and a wider audience.
• to encourage individuals to take an interest and participate in an active exchange of knowledge in the area.
The ICHF is a non-profit making, privately owned event and brand, sponsored by Supersonic Events Ltd. with no formal affiliation to any masonic or academic body. On each occasion a leading academic is appointed to convene a specialist committee responsible for the selection of suitable presentations. Any surplus generated by the ICHF will go to support young researchers and academics pursuing research in the topic and other relevent masonic projects.
The first conference was held in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 2007 and was judged so successful, as to merit a second conference. ICHF was again held in Edinburgh in May 2009 primarily because this was the 250th anniversary of the birth of Brother Robert Burns, thus allowing ICHF not only to celebrate Burns but also Freemasonry in all its diversity. However, the ICHF was never envisaged to remain in one place for all time.
It was planned that ICHF would travel to different Masonic venues around the world. This would enable people in the host country and those nearby easier access to the conference and allow participants to visit new sites and cities.
The conference will be additionally attractive as several cultural and social events will be associated with the event. Both 2007 and 2009 conferences were held immediately after a major cultural event – the Young Musicians Of The Year Awards. This linkage between Freemasonry and culture, in this instance supporting the young rising stars of classical music, is an important aspect of ICHF. We are planning another major cultural event for ICHF 2011. In addition to the cultural dimension the social aspect ought not to be ignored. It has been seen that Gala Dinners, usually held on the Saturday night of the conference, have been very successful with delegates and often their wives attending.
The opportunity has also been taken to hold a special Masonic event specifically for the Freemasons who are in attendance at the conference. In 2009 this took the form of a special meeting when a candidate was initiated into The Lodge of Edinburgh (Mary’s Chapel), No.1. This was an international Masonic gathering of the highest quality and attended by Freemasons from every continent. It is anticipated that another ‘one off’ Masonic event will be held the day after the conference closes in 2011.
Please also be aware that there are numerous opportunities to visit other nearby sites and museums of Washington DC, including George Washington’s Mount Vernon.
A timetable is in the course of preparation and will be made available in the near future.
Please do keep watching for further news about ICHF at the GWMM in 2011. Below are several web sites that you might wish to bookmark for future reference.
The George Washington Masonic Memorial web site:
www.gwmemorial.org
The ICHF web site:
www.ichfonline.org
The Grand Lodge of Scotland news pages:
www.grandlodgescotland.com
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