Kevin Sharrar, Master of Cornerstone Lodge No. 90, announced that on July 29, 2016, Cornerstone Lodge No. 90 with the assistance of the Masonic Grand Lodge of Colorado will lay a cornerstone at the new residence hall unit on the Lamar Community College campus in Lamar, Colorado, at 10:00am.  This event is open to the public and sponsored by Cornerstone Lodge No. 90, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.  The new residence hall unit is located at 2401 S. Main Street, just north of the current Todd-Burch Residence Hall on the LCC campus.  It is understood that members of the Lamar City Council, the LCC Foundation, and the associated Masonic Ladies organizations will attend the ceremony.

A time capsule will be installed behind the cornerstone.  The capsule will contain a history of the Masonic Lodge as well as history of the new residence hall unit, and other items as provided by the members of the two organizations.  It is the custom to seal the time capsule for 100 years.

The public is invited and encouraged to attend this ancient ceremony.  The laying of cornerstones for public buildings has long been a standing traditional practice of Freemasons.  Perhaps one of the most noteworthy examples of this was the laying of the cornerstone of the United States Capitol building in 1793 by George Washington who officiated as master.  A number of local buildings have Masonic Cornerstones including LCC’s own Bowman Building, the Lamar City Complex, and the Lamar Community Building, among others.  The Cornerstone of the Colorado State building was laid by the Freemasons in 1890 and rededicated in 1990.

Freemasonry arrived in Colorado with early miners.  Today in Colorado, there are about 1500 Freemasons who belong to one of the 134 Lodges scattered throughout the state.  The Masonic Fraternity is worldwide.  In the United States alone, there are about 3.4 million Freemasons.