The Masonic Temple

Man, in the 60's, I grew up in a little saltbox 2 bedroom cottage on a 40 by 100 foot piece of property behind the Masonic Temple, A/K/A, Suffolk County Whaling Museum in Sag Harbor. The Masons met on Monday nights, once a month on the second floor of the Masonic Temple. As a matter of fact, as far as I know, they still do. The women's Eastern Star group, met on Thursday nights, once a month. I think this organization ceases to exist in Sag Harbor anymore. The museum, which operated from mid-May to Mid-September was located on the first floor. This building was once the home of Mrs. Russell Sage and built in the 1800's. There was one burglary there in the fall of 1963, where the robbers parked in front of my house one night about 7pm and broke into the museum and stole several rifles. The police later caught the two men. In the 50's and 60's the property was very well kept up. By the 1980's the large rear yard was no longer being mowed and grew knee high. I also noticed the front yard was becoming increasing cluttered with school bells, time capsules, sculptures and other uninteresting things. As decades passed, the building itself fell into disrepair and still is. The building was taken over by new management in the late 1990's and improved. I was inside last summer and although it is ok, I think it could use a complete modernization. The outside has become very rundown. It urgently needs several hundred thousand dollars in funds for repairs. Sad to see this happen. A building like this needs huge sums of money to be maintained. I hope things will work out!
The museum and grounds in it's glory days, 1960.