Saint John 'secret society' opens doors for rare glimpse

For a secret society, the Masons aren't much of a secret. The organization has been implicated inconspiracy theories, featured in Dan Brown's best-sellingThe Da Vinci Codeandparodied on The Simpsons.(Who could forget the catchy Stonecutter's anthem, We Do?)

For more than a century, the Masons have also included in their membership a who's who of politicians, celebrities, and powerful menrangingfrom Sir John A. Macdonald andJohn Diefenbaker toTim Horton, Mozart, and John Wayne, as well as numerous notable New Brunswickers.

This year, the Masonic Grand Lodge of New Brunswick marked 150 years in Saint John.

The sprawling templeon Germain Street, completedin 1881, housesgrand meeting rooms, antique furnishings, and a wealth ofsymbolism incorporated into its design. It's one of the oldest Masonic lodges in Atlantic Canada but since the rules of freemasonry prohibit solicitingnew members, andpublic events are rare, what's inside has remained a mystery to non-members.

Mason Doug Mayes remembers walking through the temple doors the first time.

"I was a little worried when I first showed up," Mayes said. "But when I saw a member of the clergy going in with a collar around his neck, I thought, it can't be that bad.

"We're just regular people. We eat, we socialize, we drink wine."

In honour of the Grand Lodge of New Brunswick's 150th anniversary,CBC reporterJulia Wright went inside thelittle-seen interior of Saint John's Masonic Temple and took these photos.