Part 1: Jules Verne, The
Kensington Rune, and Washington Monument.
Cort
Lindahl May, 9, 2018.
The
discovery of the early map of the site of discovery of the Kensington Rune
revealed many concepts directly related to not only the Cryptic Rite but all of
Freemasonry. The Enochian overtones valued by members of the Wright family
include family members named Enoch, Solomon, Hiram, David, and other Old
Testament names that all seem to refer to a value this concept. Enochian and
Solomonic clues and hints are present in the nine layers of logs at the Oak
Island Money Pit and the entire story’s association with Philip Sidney’s
“Arcadia” published long before the Money Pit story was revealed to the public.
Along this path we have also noted how artists and authors, often part of
organized guilds or associations also seemed to have included the very same
imagery in some of their writing. Many of these artists and writers may have
also been Freemason’s or members of other similar organizations.
In overall
studies of the Kensington Rune some people have of late been associating
specific numbers seen in these mysteries with the Cryptic Rite of Masonry. Mr.
Paul Stewart was the first to notice this in association with numbers seen on
the stone and also in the famous Beale Ciphers. Given what we are about to
learn we may see that Mr. Stewart’s observations have some merit to them. Are
there any other instances where similar imagery and numbers are revealed? (See
Mr. Stewarts book “The Enigmatist Vol. I). Kensington Rune proponent Scott
Wolter has also recently espoused the fact that numbers mentioned in the story
on the rune involve Freemasonic concepts.
One of the
most famous stone markers in the United States of America is the Washington
Monument. This monument has many hidden overtones included in its dimensions
and form. The Washington Monument was obviously inspired by the obelisks of the
Egyptian culture. It is clear that western culture has a fascination with these
Egyptian stone monuments going all the way back to Rome. Eight of these
obelisks were imported to the City of Rome over time at great effort and
expense. Still another was moved to Constantinople (Istanbul) during the same
period. The Washington Monument is in part a veneration of the Greek, Egyptian,
and Roman cultures that also valued these monuments.
Amazingly
there are aspects of the Washington Monument’s construction that mirror the value
of the Terminius as well as the presence of important numbers seen on the
Kensington Rune as discussed earlier. Many people may not be aware of the fact
that the Washington Monument contains 22 “cornerstones” including 14 from
various Grand Lodges and 8 from individual lodges. These same three numbers
including 22, 14, and 8 are among the numbers said to have Masonic connections
not only on the Kensington Rune itself but on the earliest map of its discovery
site.
“The
Society solicited the Masons, the Odd Fellows, the Sons of Temperance, and
other fraternal orders as well. This action resulted in the donation of 22
Masonic memorial stones contributed by 14 Grand Lodges and 8 individual Lodges.”(Article
from Gary T. Scott, 32, K.C.C.H;
http://srjarchives.tripod.com/1997-06/Scott.htm : Shared with this author by Mr.
Jim Mueller).
Is this
occurrence of the same numbers in association with the Washington Monument and
the Kensington Rune a coincidence? The lower portion of the original Kensington
Rune map includes the names of the surveyors we have already looked into as
well as the name of Minnesota Surveyor General at the time Levi Nutting who all
may have been Freemason’s and had a value of this numerical scheme. This part
of the map is a rectangle separated into cells where information such as the
men’s names and date of their visit can be entered. This portion of the map
includes a pencil written number 14 just outside the upper left had corner of
this information block on the map. That is curious as this number is only
present on the map in the designation of Section 14 of the Solem Township where
the stone was eventually found. Why is this number marked there in pencil on
this particular map possibly as early as 1861?
The "14" written in pencil on the Solem Township map. Why?
It is
amazing that the story of the building of the Washington Monument includes the
very same series of numbers and even associates them with Termnini or
cornerstones in the Masonic tradition! Given what we have already learned about
these cryptic numbers it is likely not a coincidence that we have Oak Island,
The Kensington Rune, and now the Washington Monument displaying these tenets of
Masonry. Just the name of the Cryptic Rite infers there is a mystery at hand
that needs to be solved. Undoubtedly there are other similar stories and
mysteries out there such as the Ames Pyramid and Maryhill Stonehenge that also
include references to this series of numbers.
The
crossover to these numbers being suggested in the story of the Washington
Monument is even more amazing in that a similar monument was once planned at
the discovery site of the Kensington Rune. In 1928 there was an active movement
by local Freemason’s to include what would amount to as a half-sized Washington
Monument there marking the discovery site of the Kensington Rune! Other sources
state 1927 as the date this committee was formed. Is it possible that stones
and associated numbers would have been also incorporated into this more modern
Kensington Monument? Really their desire to build such a monument on the rune’s
site of discovery speaks to their value of the rune stone itself.
The early
history of Minnesota also shows us another odd connection between Minnesota and
the Washington Monument. Discussed earlier is the fact that a man named
Lawrence Taliaferro was an “Indian” land agent of the U.S. Government at Ft.
Snelling which would become Minneapolis. Taliaferro had come from the famous
family of Williamsburg Virginia that had owned Wythe House just north of the
Bruton Parish Church were an additional “vault mystery” is located. His
ancestor Robert Taliaferro is said to be who taught Thomas Jefferson the art of
architecture.
For a time,
Taliaferro was associated with an early settler in Minnesota named John Marsh.
John Marsh is directly related to George Perkins Marsh who helped to create the
final design of the Washington Monument we see today. Later John Marsh who had
been associated with Taliaferro moved to California and went on to play a very
large role in the Bear Flag Republic of California. John Marsh was instrumental
in making California the 31st State so it is interesting that he had
this association with the Washington Monument, Minnesota, Taliaferro and later
California.
The two
Marsh family members and Lawrence Taliaferro are related to George B. Wright
whose name appears as surveyor on the earliest Kensington Rune map. In turn all
these men were also related to Chico Founder John Bidwell who also played an
important roll along with John Marsh in the creation of the Great State of
California. This is an amazing group of people who are all directly descendant
of the first families of Hartford, Connecticut.
George
Perkins Marsh may have been the perfect person to have influenced the later
design of the Washington Monument. He was elected a member of the American
Antiquary Society in 1851. Marsh was fluent In Swedish and other European
languages. In relation to our studies here it may be no surprise that George
Perkins Marsh owned an extensive collection of rare and very early Scandinavian
literature. It is people like George Marsh that could have easily contributed
to the production of an artifact like the Kensington Rune in the late
nineteenth century.
It is
simply not true that people at this time could not have produced such a relic.
In addition, it would have been no problem for people like our geologist Winchell
and Marsh to have accomplished this. In fact, the Marsh and Wright families of
Vermont have many intermarriages and family relations linking them to George B.
Wright land surveyor of Solem Township, Douglas County, Minnesota.
Originally
the Washington Monument was designed to have a circular colonnade surrounding the
obelisk. As time went on construction was stalled during the Civil War. After
the war George Perkins Marsh was instrumental in the decision to leave out the
circular colonnade and go with the more minimalist look we see today. Marsh had
also studied Egyptian obelisks during his time as ambassador to the Ottoman
Empire and suggested the correct proportions for the structure based on his
observations.
Later the
obelisk at the site of the discovery of the Kensington Rune that was planned
was to include the circular colonnade that had been included in Mills’ design
of the Washington Monument. Somehow enthusiasm waned for the construction of
the Kensington Obelisk and it was never built. The Great Depression may have
been the largest reason this monument was never constructed. Proponents of the
monument there hoped that it would help to draw tourists to the area. This
obelisk would have marked the location of a “New Jerusalem” in early Minnesota
that likely had nothing to do with people having come there in 1362. This newer
obelisk in Kensington would have also aligned with the Newport Tower and Solem
Church in the same way the Washington Monument aligns with the U.S. Capitol and
Scottish Rite Temple of Washington D.C.
The era of
the discovery of the Kensington Rune’s creation and discovery does correlate
with the time the Washington Monument was finally finished and dedicated in
1895. This era was also a great era of scientific and cultural discovery
throughout the world that was recorded by practical observers like Alexander
Von Humboldt, Charles Darwin, J.D. Hooker, Asa Gray and others though these men
all happened to be part of the Linnean Society.
The
Linnean society was named for botanist Carl Linneaus and was dedicated to
recording nature and natural history. Earlier we discussed Linnean Society
member Pehr Kalm’s interview with La Verendrye about the strange stone that was
likely actually found by his sons and not him personally. Note that like many
people pertinent to many of these mysteries the La Verendrye’s were
accomplished cartographers and land surveyors. There is indeed a strange cadre
of individuals all involved in not only the Kensington stone but other similar
Enochian and Solomonic mysteries.
Amazingly
Alexander Von Humboldt may have been behind the Hollow Earth craze of the
nineteenth century. Von Humboldt speculated that the poles of the earth would
include large hollows. He theorized this in association with the mechanics of
the magnetosphere. Von Humboldt’s speculation eventually led to the Symmes
expedition to find the hollow at the North Pole. Though this expedition never
took place Symmes pointed to Von Humboldt’s theories as his reasoning behind
such an adventure. Von Humboldt later expressed regret that his theory had
caused so much undue speculation and hysteria.
It is
likely that Von Humboldt’s theory was at least partially responsible for some
of Jules Verne’s writing in the form of “A Journey to the Center of the Earth.”
Many people point to Verne’s “Around the World in 80 Days” as actually having
been inspired by Von Humboldt. Also interesting is the fact that at one point
Symmes himself was stationed in Minnesota as a military officer associated with
Lawrence Taliaferro.
Other
members of the Linnean Society included famous French explorers of the
nineteenth Century Arnaud and Antoine d’Abbadie. These men were associated with
the famous Cassini family for which the Cassini Space Probe was named. Antoine
was known to be friends with Francios Arago who is a famous cartographer and
member of the Paris Observatory and known for the brass “Arago” markers that
note the Paris Meridian as featured in the movie “The Da Vinci Code.” The d’Abbadie
family is famous for what is known of as the mystery of the Great Cyclic Cross
of Hendaye and Chateau Abbadia. The grounds of Chateau Abbadia include a
windrose that denotes compass directions just as at St. Peter’s Square of the
Vatican. Antoine and Arnaud had followed in the footsteps of famous Ethiopian
explorer James Bruce and had published all their findings as part of this
group. One of Arago’s close friends was famous author Jules Verne.
Jules Verne
was also a member of the French National Geographic Society that included
members of the Cassini and d’Abbadie family. Arago and Verne were friends and
associated with each other often. This is no surprise in that much of Verne’s
work in fiction included many real places in the world that he had discussed
with these men in detail. D’Abbadie and Verne actually served on appointed
committees of the Geographic Society so it is obvious that these two men were
also somewhat associated. Someone like Jules Verne would have been aware of the
work of Alexander Von Humboldt. It is interesting that the Von Humboldt estate
in Pottsdam includes motif copied from the Tower of the Winds of Athens.
Here we
see Jules Verne being associated with two famous names that are in turn
associated with famous landscape mysteries in Hendaye, Rennes le Chateau, and
Perillos France. Much of the background and lore of these places may have been
learned while the Cassini’s were producing their famous and very accurate map
of France over two generations of their family! The Cassini’s had established
both the Paris Observatory and the Paris Meridian. Later members would have a
direct correspondence with President Thomas Jefferson who shared their
enthusiasm for astronomy and land surveying. Many of these men as Verne were
also members of the Legion of Honor of France. Some of them may have even
descended from French members of the Society of the Cincinnati.
In fact,
it was Francios Arago who had surveyed the region near Rennes le Chateau that
even includes the Paris Meridian as part of its lore! It is possible that if
these men were aware of or had created landscape mysteries of their own then it
may be that Jules Verne was aware of such things.
It may also be possible that Verne included
some of these tenets or folklore into his writing as we will examine. The
Cassini’s may have added some overlay to the Rennes le Chateau mystery in order
to draw seekers there who then may have been able to discern a much older
mystery that also referenced the Temple Treasure in the Enochian style of later
Freemasonry. It is clear that a much older mystery involving the Temple
Treasure and Merovingian’s is present in the region surrounding Rennes le
Chateau. Had the Cassini’s added to this lore? Had the Kensington Rune and
Newport Tower been promoted as a Norse artifacts for similar reasons?
Many point
to Perillos near Narbonne France as having relations to both the Cassini’s and
Rennes le Chateau. Land surveyors are well springs of local history as this is
part of what they learn while dividing property and working in the landscape
among the people. Arago and the Cassini’s may have heard this folklore while
collecting surveying data for their famous and very accurate map of France.
This Verne
association may be interesting in that even the Kensington Rune mystery may
allude to the work of Jules Verne including the Enochian and Solomonic
overtones suggesting a lost stone and hidden chamber beneath the earth. At this
time Verne was a close associate of famous French author Alexandre Dumas (“The
Three Musketeers,” “The Man in the Iron Masque”) who claimed that Edgar Allan
Poe visited him in France when there is no record of this but Dumas’ letter to
an Italian Police official.
One of
Verne’s most famous works is “Journey to the Center of the Earth.” Verne was
even a contemporary of Minnesotan Ignatius Donnelly who wrote about Atlantis,
Norse myths, and speculated as to the true identity of Shakespeare being Sir
Francis Bacon. Both Verne and Donnelly wrote about Atlantis. Are there any
hints that may supply us associations between the work of Jules Verne and the
Kensington Rune Stone? Though Verne and Donnelly were contemporary authors it
may be that Donnelly was more influenced by Theosophy than the more practical
minded Verne. Both men also seemed to have a fascination with Norse mythology.
It is
possible the creation of the Kensington Rune was due in part to Jules Verne.
The plot of “Journey to the Center of the Earth” not only contains strikingly
similar references to Norse culture but may also infer the Masonic values of
underground vaults and cities that was later repeated at Mt. Shasta. These same
suggestions are there via the Kensington Rune’s cryptic numbers.
The first
four chapters of “Journey to the Center of the Earth” involves the professor
deciphering a runic script that shows him where the entrance to the hollow
earth is! In addition, the runic clues reveal that they must use a specific
date when the shadow of an adjacent mountain falls upon the exact spot where
the Hollow Earth entrance exists in Iceland. Verne even suggests this natural
gnomon as a way to find the entrance. In addition, as part of the saga the
cryptic passage composed of runes is simply on a separate piece of paper within
an ancient volume of the Heimskringla or chronicle of Norwegian Kings. The
discovery of such clues in ancient texts is even part of a mystery now popular
with regard to Oak Island presented by author Zena Halpern. It is sometimes
strange how the past telegraphs what may happen in the future. Or are these
techniques simply being repeated in a similar manner in the hopes the seeker
will recognize this and realize what is going on?
Does any
of this sound familiar in association with the Kensington Rune? A runic code is
deciphered that may lead one to an underground vault in the form of the hollow
earth. Coincidence? I’m sure proponents of the more ancient origins of the
Kensington stone will note that Verne wrote “A Journey to the Center of the
Earth” in 1864 long before the Kensington Rune was discovered by Olof Ohman in
1898. The saga of the Kensington Rune does resemble what was portrayed in this
work of fiction many years prior.
The Runic code included in Verne's "Journey to the Center of the Earth."
These
parallels to Masonic values seen in association to the Kensington Rune and
other Enochian stories may not be a coincidence as these concepts may have been
popular among Freemasons at that time in both France and the United States. “One
must emerge from the underworld to quest for the stone.”
Is it
possible that this reference to runes leading one to the underworld from
“Journey to the Center of the Earth” or in Masonic terms a nine-layered chamber
was then applied to the Norse overtones of the Kensington Rune? In turn was all
of this a byproduct of the Norwegian Romantic Nationalist movement that was
also active at this time? Norway had recently separated itself from Denmark and
Sweden as an independent country and were struggling to define a national
identity of their own.
As a
Minnesota resident and politician was Ignatius Donnelly aware of how this
imagery had been applied in that state? It does appear as if Donnelly,
Longfellow, and now Jules Verne were aware of these concepts and all had
produced writings that may apply to the creation of the Kensington Rune at some
point after 1861. This date may also match the age of the tree whose roots the
Kensington Rune was said to have been entangled in upon its discovery. None of
this is to say that these men personally executed a scam but their work may
have inspired others to use imagery from their writings.
No matter
the minute details as all of this information adds up to tell us that the
Kensington Rune is not an ancient artifact left in Minnesota by Norse explorers
in 1362. It appears that all of this information is pointing to the fact that
mid to late nineteenth century Freemason’s had placed the stone there or
someone who was trying to fool them with their own imagery had placed the stone
where it was found.
In this
case we may have to look beyond unproven and untested forensic geological
techniques to give us an accurate date for the Kensington Rune Stone. Any
arguments discussing the stones authenticity via the grammar and type of runes
present may also be brought to light by an examination of later runic schemes
such as the Larson papers and whatever Scandinavian literature was in the
personal possession of people like George Perkins Marsh, Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow, Ignatius Donnelly, Ole Bull and Carl Christian Rafn. In fact,
people during this era had all the resources at hand to have produced an
artifact that contained Masonic overtones that laymen may have mistaken for
being authentic. Later there also seems to be a breadth of political and
cultural reasons that someone may have done such a thing.
It is
clear that writers like Longfellow and Verne had an interest in history as they
portrayed many related concepts in their work. It may be that both men were
also Freemason’s who encoded some imagery from that organization into their
writing in the tradition of Philip Sidney Sir William Alexander, and Sir
Francis Bacon. All three men created works that included Rosicrucian imagery
that may link us to why someone would have placed a rune stone in rural Minnesota
at a time when both men were at the peak of their popularity as authors.
This at
the same time Norwegians like Ole Bull and Carl Rafn were promoting Norse
culture in America in the form of the Newport Tower even if it was simply
Arnold’s “stone built windmill.” It seems as if there were an elite group of
New England families equally associated with Freemasonry that helped to develop
ideas that are viewed as far beyond the mainstream of history today but were at
least considered as possibilities at their time of conjecture spanning the late
eighteenth and entire nineteenth century.
Part 2: The
Washington Monument of the Kensington Rune Stone and Ten Men.
Constant
Larson
Carl V.
Anderson
Dr. A.
Dair Haskell
Phillip J.
Noonan
John A.
Wedum
Gustav A.
Kortsch
Claus J.
Gunderson
J.O.
Shulind
Carl O.
Franzen
Thomas A.
Syvrud
Exactly
ten men.
The fact
that there were a group of Freemason’s that wanted to build a half scale
reproduction of the Washington Monument at the discovery site of the Kensington
Rune is very curious. In order to organize the building of this monument a
committee of ten men (red with blood?) was formed in 1928 composed of
influential local businessmen who also appeared to have been Freemasons. These
men held fund raising events that were said to have collected nearly 300,000.00
U.S. to attain their goal of the creation of this monument. It was hoped that
this effort would draw tourists to an otherwise quiet and rural area. It
appears that two of these men had some very amazing connections to characters
already discussed in the saga of the Kensington Rune here.
It is hard
to say how much these men were privy to whether the stone was authentic or not.
Their motivation seemed to be to promote the area to draw tourism and instill a
point of pride in the surrounding region. What may be exposed here is some of
their relationships with people that we have already discussed in relation to
the Norwegian Romantic Nationalist movement. What is about to be revealed is
very curious in light of everything we have already noted prior.
Local
Alexandria, Minnesota City Attorney Constant Larson had married Maude E.
Merrifield the daughter of influential Minneapolis businessman and early
settler James S. Merrifield. James and his wife had originally come from Maine.
Mr. Larson was an avid recorder of early Minnesota History and was an active
Freemason. Interestingly the Merrifield’s of Maine have some interesting family
and historical connections to the Battle of Bunker Hill as well as some
impressive intermarriages that link them to the Longfellow family of Maine and
Nova Scotia. This family relation also includes Lyon Merrifield who moved to
Northern Virginia just outside of Washington D.C. in 1865. Lyon’s first name
comes from his family’s relation to the Lyon family of Maine as well. This will
be important here coming up soon.
One famous
Merrifield family member named Francis Merrifield was known for him having
carried a copy of the King James Version into battle at Bunker Hill. This bible
is preserved at the Museum of the American Revolution.
Amazingly
the Merrifield’s are also related to another one of the ten benefactors or
committee members that had wished to build the Kensington Rune Monument at the
stone’s site of discovery. This connection comes via both family’s relation to
the Lyon family of Maine as well as the Haskell family of Maine. Both the
Haskell’s and Merrifield’s are related to the Lyon’s thus the name Lyon
Merrifield namesake of Merrifield Virginia. Merrifield Minnesota would also be
named for the same family. Mr. Larson’s marriage to Maude Merrifield would
connect him directly to some very impressive first families of New England and
beyond.
One of the
other ten men of the committee was named Doctor Dair Haskell. Mr. Haskell’s
involvement in the potential monument at what is today Rune Stone Park may be
one of the most revealing associations discussed here. Throughout this entire
saga we have seen many instances of the involvement of Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow in writing literature that may have helped to inspire the promotion
of both the Newport Tower and Kensington Rune Stone as being authentic Norse
artifacts. Longfellow’s “Song of Hiawatha” is even about Minnesota.
Amazingly
Mr. Haskell’s family also came from Maine and has a direct family relation to
the Longfellow families of Maine and Nova Scotia. The Nova Scotia branch of the
family moved back and forth between their property there and in Maine in the
years before and after the Revolutionary War. In previous work I have noted the
Longfellow family of Nova Scotia in relation to the famous Money Pit of Oak
Island.
At this
time two important intermarriages happened between the two families leading us
to the conclusion that Dair Haskell is directly related to the author of “The
Song of Hiawatha,” “The Skeleton in Armor,” and “The Saga of King Olaf.” This
relation may go a long way towards explaining why a prominent neighborhood of
Minneapolis is known of as “Longfellow” and also includes a copy of his home
near Boston known as Craigie House. Craigie House served as General
Washington’s headquarters during the Battle of Bunker Hill. This is also
interesting in light of Francis Merrifield having carried a King James Version
bible into battle at Bunker Hill.
Nearly all
of Longfellow’s books included introductions written by a man named Nathan
Haskell Dole. Mr. Dole’s Haskell name comes directly from his forebear
Wigglesworth Dole’s marriage to Elizabeth Haskell (yes Wigglesworth is his real
name). These people are the direct forebears of Dair Haskell member of the
Kensington Rune Stone committee and also related to committee member Constant
Larson via his Merrifield and Lyon relations. Dole seemed to be in the loop of
many literary movements in New England during the era of Longfellow and was
also close friends with Emerson, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Walt Whitman, Julia
Ward Howe, and Louise Chandler Moulton. Mr. Dole was a Harvard graduate that
also had written a great deal himself. Mr. Dole may also have been a member of
the Society of the Cincinnati.
The ten
men of the Kensington Rune Monument committee includes people directly related
to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow with some of them even coming from Washington
D.C. at that time. Lyon Merrifield was involved in many things in that era of
Washington D.C. and his wife was a native of that city. What does this mean in
relation to these men’s desire to build a scale replica of the Washington
Monument at the discovery site of the Kensington Rune? We already had noted the
possible involvement of John and George Perkins Marsh in this story. In many ways,
this entire scheme is reminiscent of how Anne Ellicott Bidwell and her husband
John Bidwell created a miniature of Washington D.C. in the form of the street
plan of Chico, California. Mrs. Bidwell was related to Andrew Ellicott the
surveyor who laid out the street plan and boundaries of Washington D.C. This
type of homage to Washington D.C. and American values seems to be somewhat of a
trend during that era.
This is a
really amazing connection to the entire story and how it may have been
contrived by these men in part due to their family heritage and membership in
the Freemasonic order. It seems that in this case their relations and
associations with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow may serve as evidence that these
two family relations of his may have been privy to whatever the truth of the
Kensington Rune Stone is. Most of this information does point to the Kensington
Rune Stone having been placed where it was found after 1861 if not later.
Perhaps the “3” in the date 1362 seen on the Kensington Rune actually somehow
is an “8?” Either way most of the information here seems to say that the
Kensington stone is not from the fourteenth century but was placed there later
as part of an initiation that was later mistaken for reality.
More coming soon. Thank you. -Cort
No comments:
Post a Comment