Page 37 - MFM Jan Feb 2024

World War II saw Ben Harada of Havre in combat in Germany with the U.S. Army. But what did that mean
when his fellow Japanese-Americans were in internment camps?
Ben’s story is part of a new exhibit called “Justi ce in Montana” at the Grand Lodge of Montana Museum and
Library, which shares and preserves our Masonic heritage and history. Ben’s son Jeff went on to become
Grand Master.

The museum is on the site of a former placer mining claim near Last Chance Gulch. The cornerstone
was laid in 1936. Since then, the museum has become a vital repository of our history, a
source of pride for Montana Masons, and an att racti on for history buff s.

Lewis Apron:
The most famous piece in our collecti on , the Masonic Apron of
Meriwether Lewis, recognizes the fi rst Masons in what became Montana.

Olaf C. Seltzer Mural:
The museum space is crowned by this artist’s deception of the fi rst
recorded Masonic meeting in Montana, a 1862 gathering on Mullan Pass.

Holocaust Inmate Uniform:
Freemasons and politi cal prisoners like Josef Plaszaj, Polish
prisoner #88383 at KL Sachsenhausen, wore a red triangle.
Josef survived, but as many as 200,000 Masons did not.

Anderson’s Constitutions:
A 1723 guidebook to Masonic history, changes, and regulations
shows the continuity from colonial days to today - 300 years!

White House Stone:
During renovati ons of the White House during President Harry
Truman’s term, stones with a Mason’s mark were salvaged from
interior walls and send to every American Grand Lodge.

The preservation and protection of our heritage is
only possible because of donors - of objects and
fi nancial gifts.

Montana Freemason Page 37 Jan/Feb 2024 Volume 100 No.1