In 1888, Brother Emery Packard of Brockton, Massachusetts send a parcel to then-numbered Kilwinning Crosse No. 237. In this parcel, Brother Packard included a note with a tin box in which were found the original jewels of the lodge. The letter expanded on the journey Kilwinning’s jewels had experienced being stolen by Union troops during the Civil War and later returned in good faith. In 2005, at the 250 year anniversary of the lodge, Paul Revere Lodge and Kilwinning Crosse again exchanged pleasantries in honor of an event that embodied the care and affection two bodies of “strangers” can share through their fraternity. Details of this story can be found in the page titled “Jewels: Theft and Brotherly Love” in the menu on the top of your screen.
Sources:
Hillman, James Noah. Kilwinning Crosse Lodge Number 2-237, A.F. & A.M., the Second Oldest Chartered Lodge in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Richmond, Virginia: Grand Lodge of Virginia, 1955.