I have a story.Its about a masonic boys home in guthrie oklahoma.There are 2 different stories to this.And there is no record of it because the town was constantlybeing interviewed about this home and they hated their privacy being invaded so i assume they got ride of the records because it was a sad sad thing done to these orphans in the story i'm about to tell you.The reason i know the story is bacause my grandmothers house was built in the 1930 during the depression and world war 2.The house was built in 1922.this home was the very first state capital of guthrie before the childrens home was built.This home was originally an home for the aged. But in 1927 the aged was seperated from the children.There was this head matron that use to punish these 6 year old boys and one day she had beat one to death and buried him in the basement later that day she was asked what happened to the boy she had told them that she had punished him and that he had probley ranaway because of being punished.Four months later she was questioned again because the boy had remained missing she recanted same story.Three years later she had beat another boy to death and buried him in the basement as well.She told the same story as the first boy she had beat to death.Then it was investigated again and another three years went by.The plumbing in the basement was need of repair so they plumber needed in the basement to do some major repairs.So during the night the matron had to dig up the bodies and remove them to a new location.During this the janitorial manager was wondering why she was going to the basement so he checked it out and caught her digging up the bodies to remove them so he called the sheriff and reported this so while the sheriff was on his way she went into a rage and killed 3 more boys before commiting suicide her self.There is no record to this because they have got rid of it some how but i have found a few matrons that was between the begging until the officially closed in 1978.There is a list of childrens name an there are quit a few kids that were accounted for.I also know that during the summer the used to run the furnance and the were investigated by the town people because it would be so hot when the ran the furnance so they were caught burning children in the furnance.I think most of themk could of been black or indian when the actuall started taking these kids in after the second world war.Because when they first opened it was only white children.I do think that after 1933 things started becoming more sinster when they started excepting indians and black kids.Because i have researched back then and they were a member of the kkk and the masons also practice rituals and so forth.The freemasons them selves had fled this place in the 1960 no reason known.I think that they finally let loose what ever had soured the land way before they even resided there.The indians had told them it was soured land.It could be because just before the depression that they had worked the ground so hard thats why they called it the dust bowl.But know it is a historical part of history.I remember that when my mom and sis was staying with my grandmother in 1984 that i would be out in my grandmothers flower bed looking at her flowers or weeding it for her i would here the bell chime usually 5pm everynight.I had told my grandmother this and she told me to quiet telling stories that i did not.Because the place had been closed down in 1978.One night she heard it to but did not say anything about it.I guess even though i was a teen i guess she didn't want to tell me.But she only told me that it was closed down in 1978.But now its privately owned and the owner had been doing repairs on it him self until he got creeped out just being in there.So he hired help to do that work instead.Don't know if they finished it but they had used a special solvent to clean the outside of it and it looks brand new.They also had replaced all the windows as well.I would like to see this for my self but i live in fla.now.

Wow, that's quite a story. There are so many stories of this type that it's hard to say what's true and what's not. I expect that many of these sorts of stories are base in part on real occurences that, through time, expand beyond recognition into myth.

I don't really know much about Freemasons, though I do know that they have been villified through movies and such that suggest nasty rituals that have no real factual basis. I would be easy to learn more about them using a google search, I'm sure there are many websites that have great info on their history and beliefs.

The Freemasons are primarily a fraternal organization, concentrating on religious beliefs and philanthropic efforts. (The Shriners you see in parades driving funny little cars and wearing a fez actually do a lot more -- these guys bust their rears raising money to build hospitals and such. The Shriner's Burn Institute is one of the finest in the country.) Many of our nation's founding fathers, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and others were Masons.

My father, his father, his grandfather and so on were Masons. I had an invitation to join the Rainbow Girls when I was 12, but my mother discouraged me because some of the girls had a reputation for being "fast."

I'm not going to say some of the rituals, ceremonies and such these guys practice aren't flaky -- they are. However, they've gotten a reputation for being much more far out and omnipotent than they actually are. Whenever you have a "secret" society, you have people outside of it who are going to be fearful -- it's human nature. These guys are not Satanists, or anything remotely like that. They are obsessed with symbolism and have a lot of mystical beliefs; but, for the most part, these are a bunch of harmless old men. These guys are also supposed to have pretty strict requirements on the morality of their members. I've known of several philandering husbands who have been turned down for membership.

My mother was not wild about the Masons, but for a very different reason -- in the old days, they did not allow minorities, and Catholics to join. Keep in mind, this was the 1950's, my mother was way before her time. Most organizations back then did not allow minorities to join.

Affiliated with the Klan? No way. Some members of the Masonic Lodge may have been members of the Klan, just as some Klansmen may be in the local garden club. The groups are in no way, shape or form affiliated. If I'm not mistaken, the Reverend Jesse Jackson is now a member of the Masons.

As for the particular Masonic home you speak of Treneay, if I'm not mistaken, I have read about the place before. However, I'm afraid the story about the child-murdering matron is for the most part a fabrication; more than likely invented by some local who was suspicious of the Masonic Lodge (or couldn't get in).

I don't doubt that abuse went on there -- any home for children in those days did not have a lot of government control and screening the help was unheard of. It is entirely possible that some children were abused and that some lost their lives. Previous eras have not been very protective of the rights of children, and ideas of discipline have changed greatly. I believe it is also correct that the place primarily became a home for orphaned Native American Children.

Haunted? I don't doubt it. Anytime you have a place where that many people come and go, you have a cornucopia of human emotions and experiences. Deaths happen, tragedies happen; it is entirely plausible that the place witnessed events that are soaked up and contains one or more resident ghosts.

Check out the local library the next time you go back to visit. If the alleged bloodbath took place, it would have been in the papers. Even small towns can't entirely erase an event like that. If you don't find the information, chalk it up to being a legend. These type of tales have a tendency to get wilder and wilder after a few decades. The place could very well be haunted, but I would take some of the wild stories with a grain of salt.

[ March 14, 2005, 10:50 AM: Message edited by: Carrie ]

First of all, I want to say that both Renee and Carrie make good points...

Treneay, I believe what you have here is an urban legend that has been built upon and built upon - even skewed, to make it more spine-tingling - over the generations. I know that since you heard it from your grandmother that it's easy to believe as the absolute truth, but the fact is, she herself may not even know the true facts of the case, although bits of the story may be based in truth.

I've seen this same urban legend around the web; the "facts" are just a bit different than what you've outlined in your story. Unfortunately, until someone researches it - extensively - and can come up with actual documented proof of these claims, stories like this must be dismissed as fiction - an urban legend.

Kell

I have to agree with you Ladies. I don't doubt that some terrible things did take place there. But, the first thing that popped into my mine upon reading was....Urban Legend. It fits the criteria for one too perfectly.

I also don't doubt that it's haunted. I agree with Carrie, any institution like that, with people coming and going and just having that much pent up emotion is bound to have left something behind.

I definitely think that if something of that magnitude had happened there, there would definitely be some kind of information on it still available. I'm with Kell on this one....until there is definite proof that these events took place...I'd chalk it up to a good old fashion Urban Legend.

You will never guess what this masonic home has turned in to.I have just received notice yesterday that it is called the dominion house.You can go to my site and click on the dominion house link and take a tour.It it only info and its adrress as well.They host weddings and other gatherings here.That will be only way i guess some one could tour this place.My site is tdawny.bravehost.com.Go there and click on link to hauntings then once your there click on the dominion house link.What i have learned so far is that this place has had different building burn thru out the years.!was in 1913 and it was the old commisionary building it was their power plant and also used for industrial training.Then in 1935 it burned down.I am assuming that this was also referred to as castle on the hill.It has the same street college ave.Then in the early 1980 the east and west wings of the dormitory had burned.I'm doing more research as to what may have caused these fires.So visit my sight and take a gander and let me know in my forum what you think.Also sighn my quest book and leave a link if you have a web link or site.