The collection consists of photocopies [and digital images] of materials removed from the cornerstone of Rockingham Union Lodge No. 27 located at 114 South Main Street, Harrisonburg, on November 28th 2006. The Rockingham Union Lodge No. 27 A.F. & A.M. Collection consists of photocopies of items from an 8"x10"x6"copper plated box removed from the cornerstone of the Masonic Temple at 114 S. Main Street in Harrisonburg, Virginia on November 28, 2006. The Documents series includes photocopies of handwritten or typed lists of items to have been included in the cornerstone in 1860 and 1905, as well as a program, lists of officers, Lodge members, members of the Ladies Masonic Association, and the text of a speech written and presented by noted Harrisonburg judge John Paul. The Ephemera series contains photocopies of items that Lodge members deemed interesting to include in the cornerstone: coins and currency, blank membership forms, a calendar, and other items of interest. The Oversize Items series primarily consists of several pieced photocopies of newspapers from 1860, 1905, and 1906, some of which are quite rare. The issues of the Virginia Citizen, Valley Democrat, Spirit of the Valley, and Harrisonburg Free Press may be the only extant issues for those dates. The September 6, 1905 editions of the Harrisonburg Daily News were found on top of the copper box in the cornerstone, as the box was sealed on September 5th. The series also includes pieced photocopies of a remarkable 20"x37" broadside advertising the laying of the 1860 cornerstone. A link to an online scan of the broadside is available on the library finding aid link below.
