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Gold Baton Made from Wood on the Henry Price Estate
ca. 1858
Maker not marked
USA: Massachusetts, Boston (probably)
Wood, paint, silk, leather
overall: 20-1/2"long x 1-1/2"dia.
Loaned by the Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts
GL2004.5154

Wooden baton with carved ends painted gold. Each end has a round finial. The center is covered with light brown leather. Pleated blue silk is stitched around the baton at both sides of the leather section. A label with a red border is pasted to the center section and has a typed notation, "About 1858."


Around 1858, Grand Master John T. Heard (1809-1880) commissioned this baton, crafted out of wood from a pear tree that founding Grand Master Henry Price (1697-1780) had transplanted to his home in Townsend, Massachusetts. The Grand Marshal, one of the Grand Lodge officers, wields a baton as a ceremonial tool to lead processions and parades. For further information, see Newell, Aimee, et.al., "Curiosities of the Craft: Treasures from the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts Collection", 2013, p. 60-61.