Order of Free Gardeners' Apron - Pick of the Month at the Grand Lodge of Iowa

Masonic Library & Museum Association - MLMA

An International Organization of Librarians, Archivists, Curators, & Directors

Order of Free Gardeners’ Apron

Pictured above is an Order of Free Gardeners’ Apron that was acquired by the Iowa Masonic Library and Museum in 2003. We are unsure of the date, but the owner had it in the family. It had belonged to the owner’s grandmother who was from Lancashire, England. She had been born in 1858 and it pre-dates that period.

From what is understood of the Order, it originated in Scotland in 1716. The Order conferred three degrees, Apprentice Gardener, Journeyman Gardener, and Master Gardener. This apron was given to the candidate during the conferral of the Apprentice degree. The letters P, G, H, and E are the initials for the four heads that the river flowing through the Garden of Eden that separate into, “Pison,” “Gihon,” “Hiddekel,” and “Euphrates.” The crown is a symbol used in the Journeyman degree. It has five points, which allude to the five human senses. The three pillars probably allude to Adam, Noah, and Solomon.

Be sure to visit the Museum and Library of the Grand Lodge of Iowa at:

http://showcase.netins.net/web/iowamasons/library.html