Harry C. Trexler Masonic Library

In 1928, General Harry C. Trexler presented a collection of Masonic books to the Masonic Temple Association as a beginning of a research library on Freemasonry. That same year Trexler paid for library shelving, and in 1929, he underwrote the hiring of a librarian to catalog the books. The library was formally presented in April of 1930. Upon the death of General Trexler in November of 1933, his will provided for the maintenance and expansion of the library.

The minutes of the Trexler Masonic Library Board of Trustees in 1960 includes a brief history of the library that was related by Daniel W Hamm, then the librarian. Brother Hamm noted that 1960 was a 24th year of the founding of the library. He gave the following history:

Mr. George Roberts of Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania decided to dispose of his Masonic library of 2,500 volumes. He offered it to Mr. Rice of Bethlehem, a second-hand dealer. He did not purchase it because he felt it was too big of a proposition for him to handle. Dr. John Baer Stout, always in quest of material relating to Pennsylvania Folklore, frequently stopped in at Mr. Rice’s place of business. Mr. Rice told Mr. Stout about Roberts’ library and Mr. Stout, in turn, took up the matter with General Trexler. The outcome of it was that General Trexler requested Charles R. Roberts, Alfred Louis, and Mr. Hamm to examine the library and report to him as the condition of the books, and whether they were worth the price asked for. The committee of three performed its duty and made a favorable report. It was then that General Trexler unfolded his plan of establishing a Masonic Research Center for Masons of the Lehigh Valley. Masons should be grateful to the founder for his great dream and should exert every effort possible to bring it to full fruition.

Today, the Harry C. Trexler Masonic Library is a 501(c)(3) charitable, educational organization with approximately 7,000 titles of masonic and related subjects. The collection includes anti-Masonic books and pamphlets that originally were procured by Harry C. Trexler. Also in the collection are original 1723 and 1738 Constitutions of Freemasonry, the 1756 Ahiman Rezon and many additional rare books and documents.

Excerpt from General Trexler’s Masonic Legacy, by Charles S. Canning, 2004

Search Our Catalog

To search our catalog, log onto https://trexlerlib.librarika.com and click “search catalog.”

Become a Member

To check out books, you need to be a member of the 10th Masonic District, and a member of the Harry C. Trexler Masonic Library.

To become a member:

Log into https://librarika.com

Click on “Sign-up”

Fill out and submit the “Register Account” form

Click “Done” in the “Email Verification Link”

Go to your email inbox, and click on “Verify Your Account” from Librarika

Click on the link in the Librarika email

After the Librarian verifies your request, you can check out books by visiting the Library during its

hours of operation.

HOURS OF OPERATION

The Library is open one hour before the stated meetings of the Blue Lodges that meet in the Allentown Masonic Temple. Our Library Director is Kristopher S. Yoder. He can be reached at:

harryctrexlermasoniclibrary@gmail.com