Missouri Masonic Museum & Library

10/29/2026

Throughout October we've explored a small part of the story connecting Freemasonry, Noah M. Givan, and the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. From the Temple of Fraternity and its Masonic register to membership documents, stamps, souvenir spoons and coins, these surviving artifacts offer glimpses into an extraordinary moment in Missouri history.

Although the World's Fair closed more than a century ago these pieces of its history remain preserved in the Missouri Masonic Museum collection.
The Missouri Masonic Museum is free and open weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Image credit: General view of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition at St. Louis, photographed from the top of Festival Hall, c. 1904. Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.

10/27/2026

A Minute in Freemasonry: Noah Givan and the 1904 World's Fair

From serving as Grand Master of Missouri to helping establish the Temple of Fraternity at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, Noah Givan played an important role in Missouri's Masonic history.

In this month's Minute in Masonry, discover more about his life, contributions to the Masonic Home of Missouri, and his lasting legacy.

Learn more about Givan and other notable Freemasons at the Missouri Masonic Museum & Library!

Free admission | Weekdays, 9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

10/22/2026

History in the palm of your hand.

This coin commemorates the Temple of Fraternity at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. The building is depicted across its face surrounded by the words “World's Fair St. Louis” and “Temple of Fraternity.”

Souvenir coins and medals were among the many objects created to commemorate the Louisiana Purchase Exposition and its remarkable collection of buildings and attractions.

Artifacts like this help preserve the memory of a building that once welcomed members of fraternal organizations from across the country.

See this and other artifacts from the 1904 World's Fair at the Missouri Masonic Museum today, admission is free.

Visit our website https://museum.mohome.org/

10/20/2026

Even the Temple of Fraternity had its own World's Fair stamps.

These stamps depict the Temple of Fraternity at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition. Printed in different colors they feature the imposing building that served as a gathering place for participating fraternal organizations during the fair.

More than a century later these small surviving pieces of ephemera help illustrate just how extensively the buildings and attractions of the World's Fair were commemorated.

These stamps are preserved in the Missouri Masonic Museum collection.

Visit our website https://museum.mohome.org/

10/15/2026

A souvenir from the 1904 World's Fair!

Visitors to world's fairs could bring home keepsakes commemorating the spectacular buildings and attractions they had seen. These souvenir spoons feature an image of the Temple of Fraternity which was one of many buildings constructed for the exposition in St. Louis.

Small objects like these offer a different glimpse into the World's Fair not only through its grand buildings and organizations, but through the keepsakes that helped preserve memories of the event long after it ended.

These spoons are part of the collection at the Missouri Masonic Museum.

Visit us weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is free!

Visit our website https://museum.mohome.org/

10/13/2026

More than 120 years later, this register still bears the names of Freemasons who came to St. Louis during the 1904 World's Fair.

The register recorded visitors to the Masonic headquarters at the fair.
Its pages preserve names alongside details including jurisdiction, address, lodge, chapter, rank and local address which created a remarkable record of the Masons who passed through.

The register is preserved in the Missouri Masonic Museum collection. It provides a tangible connection to the people who experienced the World's Fair more than a century ago.

The Missouri Masonic Museum is free and open weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Visit our website https://museum.mohome.org/

10/08/2026

A piece of World's Fair history preserved on paper.

This membership certificate from the World's Fair Fraternal Building Association features an illustration of the Temple of Fraternity which was built for the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis.

The certificate also provides a glimpse into the organization behind the Temple. Among the officers listed is Noah M. Givan, President, connecting this artifact directly to the Missouri Freemason whose story we're following throughout October.

Documents like this help preserve the history behind places that no longer stand and the people and organizations connected to them.
Visit the Missouri Masonic Museum to discover more artifacts from the 1904 World's Fair and Missouri's Masonic history.

Visit our website https://museum.mohome.org/

10/06/2026

Meet Noah M. Givan, a Missouri Freemason whose story connects Freemasonry with one of the biggest events in Missouri history: the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.

Givan served as president of the World's Fair Fraternal Building Association. The organization was associated with the Temple of Fraternity at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition.

He also served as the first president of the Masonic Home of Missouri, which was established in 1886.

Visit our website https://museum.mohome.org/ today!

10/01/2026

Officially known as the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair brought millions of visitors to the city and featured exhibitions, architecture, technology, entertainment, and organizations from across the country and around the world.

Among its many buildings stood the Temple of Fraternity which provided a gathering place for participating fraternal organizations, including Freemasons.

Throughout October we'll be sharing artifacts from the Missouri Masonic Museum collection that tell the story of Freemasonry's connection to the 1904 World's Fair.
Follow along as we travel back to St. Louis in 1904!

Image: Festival Hall and Cascades, Louisiana Purchase Exposition, St. Louis, U.S.A., 1904. Courtesy of the Library of Congress."

Find more information at https://www.loc.gov/resource/ppmsca.44792/?st=image

Visit our website https://museum.mohome.org/

1 print : chromolithograph ; sheet 92 x 122 cm. or less.

09/29/2026

This month of September we have taken a closer look at some of the ceremonial items and traditions of Freemasonry from Masonic aprons and trowels to jewels and medals to swords.

We conclude our ceremonial artifacts journey with a video "A Minute in Freemasonry: Symbols & Traditions".

You can discover more by visiting the Missouri Masonic Museum or exploring our online collection: https://museum.mohome.org/collection/

These are just a few of the many objects in our collection.
Admission is free! We're open weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.