The Square, the compass and the Constitution
Standing on Main Street in Central City is easy to be surrounded by history. Across the street sits the famed Teller House, once one of the grand hotels of the Rocky Mountains. Nearby stands the Central City Opera House, a symbol of culture that emerged from the rough-and-tumble days of Colorado’s gold rush.
On the second floor of the Masonic building, where the Weekly Register-Call continues to publish Colorado’s oldest newspaper, the past seems very much alive. It was here, amid the excitement of Colorado’s mining boom, that Freemasonry helped shape both a mountain community and a future state.
As America celebrates its 250th anniversary and Colorado marks 150 years of statehood, it is worth remembering the role the Freemasons played in both stories.
The origins of Freemasonry stretch back centuries to the stonemason guilds of England and Scotland. By the early 1700s, the organization had evolved into a fraternity dedicated to brotherhood, morality, charity, education and civic responsibility. The movement quickly spread throughout the American colonies.
One of its most famous members was George Washington.
Washington joined a Masonic lodge in Virginia as a young man and remained connected to the fraternity throughout his life. In 1793, while serving as the nation’s first president, he participated in the laying of the cornerstone of the United States Capitol while wearing Masonic regalia. The ceremony symbolized the close relationship between the ideals of the young republic and the principles of Freemasonry.
Those same principles would travel west with the pioneers, prospectors and entrepreneurs who built America.
When gold was discovered in Gregory Gulch in 1859, thousands of fortune seekers poured into what would become Gilpin County. Among them were many Freemasons. Long before Colorado achieved statehood, Masonic lodges were being organized in the mining camps of the Rocky Mountains.
The miners faced uncertain conditions. Claims could be won or lost overnight. Winters were harsh, transportation was primitive, and law enforcement was often limited. In such circumstances, Masonic lodges provided stability, fellowship and a common code of conduct.
The fraternity’s influence extended well beyond the lodge room. Masons helped establish civic institutions, charitable organizations and community leadership in the growing settlements of the Colorado Territory.
No individual better represents that connection than Henry Moore Teller.
Teller arrived in Central City in 1861 and quickly became one of the territory’s most influential citizens. A lawyer by profession, he built a successful practice and became deeply involved in both Colorado politics and Colorado Masonry.
He served as Grand Master of Colorado Masons during the territorial era and helped guide the organization during its formative years. His leadership within the fraternity mirrored his growing influence in public life.
Teller would later become one of Colorado’s first United States senators following Colorado’s admission to the Union in 1876. He eventually served as Secretary of the Interior and became one of the most powerful western voices in national politics.
Today, his name remains prominently displayed on the historic Teller House in Central City, a reminder of the remarkable individuals who helped transform a mining camp into a state.
One of the most remarkable reminders of that history can be found inside the historic Masonic Lodge in Central City.
On the third floor hangs a magnificent portrait of George Washington, standing nearly eight feet tall in an ornate gold frame. The painting has been described as one of the finest portraits of Washington anywhere in the nation.
It is a striking sight. Here, in a former gold-mining camp tucked high in the Colorado mountains, hangs a towering image of the nation’s first president and one of Freemasonry’s most famous members.
The portrait serves as a bridge between the founding of America and the settlement of the American West. It connects Washington’s generation with the miners, merchants, lawyers and community leaders who built Colorado.
The story of Freemasonry in Colorado can still be found throughout the mountain communities. Historic lodges remain active in Central City, Georgetown and Nederland. Their buildings stand as reminders of a period when miners, merchants, lawyers and civic leaders gathered to support one another and strengthen their communities.
Some local stories tell of lodge meetings where miners discussed discoveries and prospects behind guarded doors. Whether every tale has grown larger with time is impossible to know. What remains certain is that trust, fellowship and mutual support were valuable commodities in Colorado’s early mining camps.
The square and compass became symbols not only of fraternity but also of community building.
As America marks its 250th birthday and Colorado celebrates 150 years of statehood, we often focus on famous battles, political leaders and historic dates. Those events deserve recognition.
Yet history was also shaped by organizations that brought people together, encouraged public service and helped create strong communities.
Some of those men marched with George Washington during the birth of a nation. Others climbed into Gregory Gulch seeking gold and opportunity. Many wore the square and compass of Freemasonry.
Their legacy remains visible today on Main Street in Central City, where the story of America and the story of Colorado continue to meet.