Freemasonry, sometimes referred to as simply Masonry, is a centuries-old and worldwide fraternal organization with a focus on charity and morality.

While Freemasonry has independent and sovereign bodies called Grand Lodges to govern over groups within geographical areas, there is no body that governs Freemasonry as a whole. A Grand Lodge provides warrants or charters to local community based units of Freemasonry, called Lodges.

Worthington was the center of Masonry for the central Ohio area in the early years of the nineteenth century. New England Lodge, with its original charter from the Grand Lodge of Connecticut dated 1803, is the oldest lodge in continuous existence in Ohio. This building, erected in 1820, is the oldest Masonic Temple west of the Allegheny mountains.

The building continues to house the Grand Lodge of Ohio and the Masonic Museum, which was dedicated in 1956.