History buffs have a rare opportunity to get an in-depth look at the Masonic Hall in Franklin, when the building opens to visitors for a tour.
The tour is hosted by the Historic Franklin Masonic Hall Foundation and will allow participants to enter spaces usually closed to the public. Handouts about historic properties like this are of great interest, and tour organizers can use flyer printing to create them.
The hall is the oldest public building of three stories in Franklin, and one of the few Gothic Revival structures in the state. It was completed in 1826 and has been continuously occupied since that time by Hiram Lodge 7 Masons, the oldest Masonic group in Tennessee to be in continuous occupation of a property.
The hall is not only one of the oldest buildings in Tennessee; it's also one of the country's oldest Masonic Halls, and a valuable national resource. Many of its original features are still intact, including the foundation as well as plaster, paint, bricks, windows, nails, flooring, doors, and hinges. An important part of the Foundation's mission is to raise funds to maintain the building and restore it to its original condition.
The tour is set for February 22, starts at 10.00 am, and is expected to last about two hours. The cost is $20 per person, and the building is on Second Avenue South.