The Pakenham Mystery

The Pakenham Mystery

A record of two letters in the Minutes of May 6, 1892 provides fodder for the imagination. The first is a letter from the Secretary of Mississippi Lodge to M. W. G. M. John Ross Robertson:

     Most Worshipful Sir & Bro.

Enclosed I send you an impress of an inscription taken from a rock on a farm in the township of Pakenham, about eight miles from here. The rock is situated on a knoll in what at one time was a swamp about two (2) miles from the Mississippi River, and half a mile from a tributary of that swamp. This inscription has recently become known to a few members of the craft, and eight of us visited the spot yesterday for the purpose if possible of ascertaining its purport, but we failed in our endeavours; consequently we concluded that the next best thing to do would be to take an exact impression of it and forward the same to you, knowing your superior knowledge of Masonry might lead to some solution of its meaning. Having examined the inscription closely with a magnifying glass, we are perfectly satisfied that the work is of very ancient date.
If any thing is to be done in this connection it will be necessary to take immediate action through fear of the inscription being discovered and probably defaced by the uninitiated. If you consider the matter of sufficient importance to induce you to visit the place, I need hardly add that it will afford the members of Mississippi Lodge No. 147 very great pleasure to accompany you there. Should you conclude to come down please wire by what train, and if not, kindly write your views concerning the matter.

I have the honor to be, Most Worshipful Sir, Yours fraternally, Robt. Pollock, Secy Mississippi Lodge No. 147 G.R.C.

To which the Grand Master replied as follows:
     Toronto May 4, 1892

     Dear Sir & Bro:-

I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 30th April, received during my absence from Toronto. I have examined the transcript, which you have sent me. It is evidently an inscription of very modern date, and may have been placed during the past ten years on this particular rock. There was no Masonry nor knowledge of Masonry any where in the Township of Pakenham prior to 1820, in fact, I think the nearest Lodge to Pakenham would be either the one at Burritt's Rapids or that at Richmond. These marks have probably been placed on the rock for the purpose of misleading by giving the idea that there was some antiquity connected with it. It is not the first time that such things have been done by those who desire to manufacture antiquity.

     I am obliged to you, however, for the information.

     Yours fraternally, (signed) J. Ross Robertson, G. M.

Modern scandals pale by comparison! Apart from the obvious intrigue of the matter, and assuming it is a hoax, one has to ask why anyone would fabricate such evidence. And further, one has to question what the Grand Master meant when he said it is not the first time such things have been done. The current strength of the membership of Mississippi Lodge from the Township of Pakenham may in fact be founded upon something as ancient as King Arthur's sword with its hidden mysteries buried in rock!

To the astonishment of this writer, the minutes of April 2, 1926 disclosed a revisitation of the intrigue of this particular matter. Following is an excerpt taken from those minutes:

Bro. (S.D.) R. A. Jamieson reported that he had investigated a matter which our (Masonic Historian of Halifax, N.S.) had been making extensive inquiries about respecting a stone which had been reported to have been discovered near Almonte & had found that a report of such was in the archives in a copy of the Gazzett (sic) edited by a McErwin about 30 years ago which stated that such had been found on a farm owned by Fred Forseith. Bro. Jamieson stated that he hoped to get a copy of the report if possible from the (archives). The stone refferred (sic) to is supposed to be a relic of Masonary (sic) with a square & compass engraved thereon.

It appears that Bro. Jamieson had no idea that a report of the very matter was contained in the historic minute books of the Lodge!

The matter resurfaced on April 1, 1927:

Bro. (J.W.) Jamieson spoke of a stone which is said to have been found on a Mr. Forsythe Farm which had on it a square & compass & Bro. Jamieson stated that he had been out to the said farm & inquired & that Mr. Forsythe the Farmer stated himself that he believed that such a stone had been found & that records which were published in the Almonte Gazzett which were in the archives of the Gazzette & which Bro. Jamieson still hoped to get would give more light on the subject. Bro. D. B. Taylor mentioned the fact that a stone had been found on Forsythe's farm which was the reason that (J. W.) Bro. Jamieson remarked.