To my profound disappointment, in the course of reporting on this story, I concluded that the Freemasons do not run the country. They are too amiable and understaffed to handle the power. As much as I'd like to live in a world where the strings were pulled by men in aprons and top hats, I've realized this is not the world we live in.

"If the Freemasons could control the country, we could control ourselves and our lodges a lot better than we [do]. We've got enough problems organizing ourselves," said Simon LaPlace, editor of the publication Connecticut Freemasons.

The state's Freemason population is not composed of high-end businessmen or political leaders. The ones I spoke with were friendly guys who were amused by the Mason's reputation.

"We're mostly working-class folk. It's not an elitist organization anymore. People who are interested in community work who are sort of advocating good works — we're a moral society, that's what we're about," said David Edman, of Friendship No. 33 in Southington.

The Freemasons were established in Connecticut in 1789. There are reportedly between 16,000 and 20,000 current Freemasons in the state — far more than I expected. However, the all-male fraternity has seen a steady decline of members both in the state and nationwide, for over half a century. In America, Masonry's popularity peaked in the '50s.

"There was a bump after World War II," said Edman. "From the '60s on, our average age has been increasing and our membership has been declining in numbers. We're bottoming out."

Starting in the '60s, people under the age of 30 began viewing the Masons as uncool.

"I think people think it's hokey. It's not like moral conduct is something that people consider to be very interesting or exciting," Edman said. "People are very involved with their jobs, and what little time they have left they devote to their families."

To garner interest, over 30 of the state's 93 Masonic lodges are opening their doors to the public on Oct. 27. Lodges, and Masonry, are predicated on secret-keeping; lodges have no windows, and the ceremonies held inside them have long been a matter of speculation.

"Freemasonry has a long tradition of being the quiet society. We don't ever recruit, and we have had a steady decline in membership," Edman said. "We decided that it was time to open it up and show the public there aren't that many secrets to our whole society."

The secrets the Masons still have will be closely guarded.

"For many years, masonry has been regarded as secret. And that's created a mystery," LaPlace said. "We have secrets that we vow not to reveal, and if I told you what they were, you'd say 'what's the big deal?'"

Oddly, the Freemasons have benefited from conspiracies in recent years. The Masons groups factored into the popular novel and film The Da Vinci Code, which Edman said, "didn't hurt" membership. While the Catholic society Opus Dei is the villain of the plot, the Knights Templar, and by extension the Masons, are peripheral heroes.

"There is a fairly well-substantiated connection between the Knights Templar and the ancient Freemasons," Edman said. Like the Freemasons, the Knights Templar — who were an order of knights who took monastic-like vows and fought in crusades — play a large role in conspiracy theories. Ultimately they were suppressed by the Church, although the rumors of their secret treasures and continued existence have persisted.

While ancient documents can directly affect Freemasons, the fraternity is also planted in the present, with a surprisingly robust online presence.

"There are probably about 50 Masonic blogs. They're not all active. There are maybe a dozen of us that keep our blogs actively maintained," Freemason Tom Accuosti said. In addition to being the District Grand Lecturer for the Hartford-area district, Accuosti writes the blog The Tao of Masonry.

Accuosti's blog is written in a lighthearted, jokey manner — he calls himself the "Exalted Keeper of the Secrets of Freemasonarianism" and "Crop Circle Planning & Zoning Commissioner." Other Connecticut Mason blogs, including Movable Jewel, written by an officer in Middletown and New Haven Mason Charles Tirrell's Masonic Renaissance, take the order more seriously.

I said it seemed odd that Freemasons, an order noted for its secrecy, would have so many members writing blogs, which are often like online confessionals.

"The whole secretive thing — how do I put this? — we have this reputation for being secretive, but that's really old school," Accuosti said. "When you get right down to it, there's not much to be secretive about."

He added that many members are more conservative and believe the secrets should be kept under wraps. Accuosti noted that the effort to keep secrets can be futile in the information age.

"There are any number of anti-mason Web sites that publish rituals and things. A lot of times they get it wrong," Accuosti said.

Now, some Central Connecticut lodges are attracting large numbers of young men. "That's the surprising thing. In Friendship lodge, we had something between 15 and 20 new members," Accuosti said. "Most of them are under 30. In fact, the officers in our lodge are mostly under 30."

Who are these young men joining the Masons?

"It's interesting. A lot of the younger guys who are joining now are gamers. A lot of them are very computer literate, computer savvy guys," Accuosti said. "The same guys who attend [Renaissance] Fairs and take part in live-action role-playing games."

I said, as delicately as possible, that this new generation of Freemasons he described sounded like nerds. Accuosti clarified, they're not just nerds; they're nerds that are suspicious of big government.

"For some reason, there's a geek influence there. I haven't been able to figure that out," Accuosti said. "Politically, a lot of people, whether they're registered with the party or not, tend to be Libertarian."

Visit ctfreemasons.net for more information on the Mason's open house.

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