Haunted Chambers: The Lives of Early Women Freemasons

by Karen Kidd

These women aren't supposed to have existed. But they did. "Haunted Chambers", for the first time ever, presents not only the most complete list of early women Freemasons but also as much detail about their lives as can still be found. Here are their stories, long suppressed, ignored and marginalized. They include medieval women stone cutters; so-called "adoptive" women Freemasons; an aristocrat; a countess; an early New Brunswick settler; a war hero; a writer of women's rights; an immigrant Irish girl; the famed sculptress of Abraham Lincoln's statue in the US Capitol Rotunda and many whose names are now lost. Some will find this book a challenge. Some would rather it never had been written, let alone published. "Haunted Chambers" is highly recommended to anyone who wants the actual history of these early women Freemasons and aren't afraid to read it.

274 pages, Paperback

First published March 30, 2009

Reviews

[JHM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-researched book about women who were initiated into Freemasony before the existence of Co-Masonry and Femalecraft Masonry.

I kept wanting to know more about these women's stories, but the author makes it clear that the challenge of such work is the dearth of detailed records.