There’s a mystique about Freemasonry.Lodge members wear black coats, feathered hats and aprons adorned with symbols that stand for their beliefs and show their rank. They carry swords. They give each other secret recognition signals and meet in a space resembling King Solomon’s throne room.

“I’ve been asked time and time again if we’re a secret society. The answer is, emphatically no,” said Freemason Darrell Stubblefield.

“The only thing that is secret is a certain friendly gesture, a token, or word whereby one Mason may know another in the dark as well as the light,” he said.

Stubblefield’s eyes light up when talking about being a Freemason. He has been a member for about seven years. He belongs to the Reedsport Aurora Lodge No. 59 and the 29 Palms Oasis of Mara Lodge in Southern California, as well as the Scottish Rite in Palm Springs.

“The only regret I have is not becoming a Freemason 20 years sooner,” the 47-year-old Coos Bay resident said.

Freemasonry has a lodge in every country and every U.S. state. It is the largest fraternal organization in the world — and the oldest.

The first grand lodge was founded in England in 1717, but no one knows for sure when the society began. Freemasonry may have stemmed from the Knights Templar, a military order that existed from about 1100 through 1300.

Its heritage was derived from the organized guilds or unions of stone masons. They constructed cathedrals and structures throughout Europe during the Middle Ages, according to the Grand Lodge of Oregon’s Web site, http://www.masonic-oregon.com. The term “free” came from the fact that they were allowed to travel freely from country to country, unlike other classes of people.

The stone masons became so rich and revered that they eventually conflicted with the Catholics, who controlled the government at the time. At the same time, the masons loaned money to other governments, including to King Philip of France.

“Secrecy — part of it has to do with tradition,” Stubblefield said. “You’ve got King Philip ticked off at you. You’ve got the pope ticked off at you. In the days of yore, it’s about survival, nothing to do with anything elicit.”

Some of the Freemasons were banished and ended up in the Americas.

“The rest of them were put to the seas with no king or country,” Stubblefield said. “They became privateers, i.e. pirates, or so the legend goes.”

Being a stone mason was dangerous. Occasionally a mason would be killed on the job and his fellow workers would take care of his widow and children. The tradition of looking after each other continues today.

“The camaraderie is incredible,” Stubblefield said. “If I’m out of sight for a while, there’s somebody knocking on my door.”

Freemasonry is built upon three doctrines — brotherly love, relief or charity and truth. To become a Freemason, a man must be at least 18 years old, of good moral character, come well-recommended, be willing to follow the principles of the Freemasonry “craft,” and believe in a supreme being and life after death, according to a brochure. It is not a religion, but the “G” in the organization’s symbol stands for God.

“For me, it’s an affirmation of my faith, not a conflict of my faith,” Stubblefield said.

The compass symbol represents the instrument used by the masons to square a building. It now symbolizes how a Freemason squares his actions toward all mankind, Stubblefield said.

Past Freemasons have included George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Paul Revere. The founding principles of the U.S. government were based upon Freemasonry doctrines, Stubblefield said.

Members rise from the first degree through the third degree as they learn lessons in virtue. Once they reach the third degree they are considered master masons and can explore other branches of Masonry, such as Scottish Rite, York Rite and Shrine.

“Freemasonry is a moral science taught by degrees,” Stubblefield said. “We use signs, symbols, allegory or parables to teach moral lessons.”

Freemasons pay dues, meet monthly and hold a variety of club functions. Community service and charitable works are basic Masonic activities. The best known is the world’s largest single charitable institution, the Shriners Hospitals for Children and Shriners Burn Institutes, located throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The Coos Bay lodge also presents an annual scholarship to a Marshfield High School student, said past master of Blanco Lodge No. 48.

Recently while walking around the Coos Bay lodge, built in 1955 on the corner of Market and Fourth streets, Beecher proudly pointed to rows of photos of past masters with names including Hall, Elrod, Tower and Golden, for whom streets in Coos Bay were named.

Upstairs is a large lodge room, painted blue, designed to resemble King Solomon’s throne room. Solomon’s temple is an adopted symbol of the organization “because it was the most stable and the most magnificent structure that ever existed,” the organization proclaims. Along each wall are rows of carved myrtlewood chairs. In the center of each of the walls there are thrones, some with pillars on the sides, all made of myrtlewood. Masons, including the worshipful master, deacons and a junior and senior warden, are designated to sit there.

Beecher said his father was a member of the Niagara River Lodge in Niagara Falls, N.Y., and his great-grandfather was with the Falkirk Lodge in Scotland. But his two sons, in their 30s, have not shown interest.

“They’re very busy,” he said.

Stubblefield, who comes from a long history of Freemasons, including his grandfather who was a Freemason in Tacoma, Wash., said he thinks organizations such as Freemasonry are needed more than ever today.

“Society’s values in general have changed,” Stubblefield said. “Eventually, if things continue to deteriorate, the very values that made up our country, that allow us to live the way we do, will evaporate with it.”

Area Freemason lodges

Coos Bay — Blanco Lodge No. 48, 295 N. Fourth St., secretary Cary Pugh, 269-5258 or cary.pugh@charter.net

Coos Bay — Scottish Rite Temple, Newmark St., 888-4640.

North Bend — North Bend Lodge No. 140, 2002 Union St., secretary Charles Reinas, 347-2331 or cjreinas@yahoo.com

Reedsport — Aurora Lodge No. 59, 626 Winchester Ave., secretary Carl Umland, 997-9044

Coquille — Chadwich Lodge No. 68, 241 N. Alder, secretary Eugene Clark, 396-3967

Myrtle Point — Myrtle Point Lodge No. 78, 529 Maple St., secretary Dan Ross, 572-5137

Bandon — Bandon Lodge No. 130, 108 Second St., secretary Richard Clarke, 347-7701

Brookings — Sidney Croft Lodge No. 206, 416 Azalea Park Road, secretary John O’Hara, (541) 412-0741

For men only?

Freemasonry is a men’s-only fraternal organization. However, there are several related organizations a Mason’s family members can join.

In those groups for adults, both men and women can join, but women typically hold the offices. These include, among others, the Order of the Eastern Star, Order of the Amaranth and Ladies Oriental Shrine.

Masonic youth groups include the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls, the International Order of Job’s Daughters for Girls, the International Order of Job’s Daughters for young women and the Order of DeMolay for young men.

To find out more about one of these groups in the area, call Mark Beecher at 290-0694.

Other fraternal organizations in the area

Coos Bay

Eagles Lodge, 568 S. Second St., 267-6613.

Elks BPOE No. 1160, 265 Central Ave., 266-7320.

Coquille

Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 2196, 581 N. Alder St., 396-4456.

Elks BPOE No. 1935, 54942 Maple Heights Road, 572-1935.

Reedsport

Fraternal Order of Eagles 2595, 510 Greenwood Ave., (541) 271-4141.

Moose Lodge, (541) 271-3216.

Gold Beach

Moose Lodge of Gold Beach, 315 Leith Road, (541) 247-2618.

Brookings

BPO Elks Lodge No. 1934, 800 Elk Drive, Brookings, 469-2169.