Masons bless new Dover High School
![David Collins of the Grand Lodge of NH Free and Accepted Masons pours wine over the ceremonial stone during the cornerstone dedication ceremony for the new Dover High School Friday evening. Most Worshipful Master John E. Lobdell, left, watches over the procedure.[Deb Cram/Fosters.com]](/gcdn/authoring/2018/09/21/NFDD/ghows-FD-7667ffcc-c3ff-34bc-e053-0100007ff244-c854ac81.jpeg?width=660&height=449&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
DOVER — The new Dover High School was blessed by the Freemasons in a cornerstone laying ceremony Friday night.
The ceremony at the school's courtyard was led by Grandmaster John E. Lobdell of the New Hampshire Grand Lodge. He is a 1977 Dover High School graduate. It was held before Friday's homecoming football game.
The masons symbolically squared, leveled and plumbed the cornerstone, culminating with the grand master proclaiming the foundation stone is “well-formed, true and trusty.” The masons blessed the stone with corn, wine and oil.
Traditionally, the cornerstone laying ceremony includes the actual laying of the cornerstone on the northeast side of the building. The one at the high school was done ceremoniously.
Masons have held cornerstone ceremonies for centuries, including at the U.S. Capitol Building, where George Washington laid the cornerstone. This month, the mason’s celebrated the 225th anniversary of that event. On the Seacoast, the Masonic cornerstone ceremony has been a tradition for buildings for hundreds of years.
