The Grand Orient of the United States of America : A Modern Masonic Experiment ?
ilar to Baron von Hund ’ s ‘ unseen Masters ’ that supposedly gave guidance to the Baron in the creation of the Strict Observance .
The governing structure of GOUSA had also firmly taken shape by this time ; there was an Executive Board and a Council of the Order , both presiding over the organisation , the five members of the Executive Board being elected by the Council of the Order . A new lodge had been constituted , named Lodge Emeth No . 8 , and the organisation began to look to the future with an air of positivity and confidence ; it had a Charter from the GOdF and was steadily growing . The organisation also had a headquarters with the Halcyon building , and this became the location for the installation of the Grand Master every September .
Halcyon Lodge and the Court Case with the Grand Lodge of Ohio
Halcyon was indeed a fine coup for UGLA / GOUSA , and the building made an excellent headquarters for the organization giving GOUSA a central powerbase . The Halcyon building was an exceptional piece of Real Estate ; it sat within the cultural district of Cleveland , situated in an area filled with local businesses , law firms , coffee shops and art centres . Ken Miller was the Worshipful Master of Halcyon when it declared itself independent from the Grand Lodge of Ohio , and the lodge entered into a long and costly court case with the Grand Lodge . Peavy recalled that the Halcyon members were extremely ‘ passionate ’ in their goals , with
41 the likes of Tom Coste , Todd Warmington , Chris and Joel Michalek being particularly pro-active within the GOUSA machine . Chris Michalek spoke of the isolation that Halcyon experienced during the property dispute and how the lodge drifted into the sphere of Jeff Peace :
‘ Halcyon was besieged from the Grand Lodge threats to pull their Charter . I found Jeff online via the United Grand Lodge of America website , called the number on the website and spoke to Jeff .’
Peace initially thought the call was a hoax , as at the time UGLA had also became besieged with threats and online trolls , though after some research , Peace began to talk to Chris Michalek and they joined forces . The Michalek brothers became the head strategists at Halcyon , and after a lengthy and bitter court case , one that cost the lodge around $ 300,000 , Halcyon proved that the Grand Lodge had no case and the ownership of the building was secured by the lodge .
The Grand Masters of UGLA and GOUSA
During the years that they were in operation , there were five Grand Masters of GOUSA :
Aaron Peavy ( 2006-2008 ) Peavy ’ s term took place , on the whole , when the organization was termed the United Grand Lodge of America , though recognition by the GOdF was discussed and acted upon during his period in office .