State Library of Pennsylvania - Benjamin Franklin

Sketch of Benjamin Franklin's career as a mason that was written for the celebration of Franklin's bicentennial. Includes facsimiles from original manuscript sources and lengthy quotations from published accounts and documents relating to Franklin's involvement with freemasonry. The text, however, does point out that "for some reason, Franklin in his writings and correspondence is singularly silent upon the subject of Freemasonry .... There is not a word about his Masonic life to be found in his Autobiography, or in any of his other letters that have come down to us; almost every other subject is touched upon in his voluminous correspondence except such as relate to the Craft." (page 105) Includes detailed account of a Masonic memorial service held for Franklin at his grave on 19 April 1906.