By Sean Sullivan

“It’s a well-kept secret that everybody knows,” said Ed Sloper, leading the way up into rarefied levels of the building.

The two most dominant structures of Natick’s downtown district stand like sheer cliffs, staring at one another across a narrow chasm below. 

At ground level, Main Street runs between them like a river that had patiently eroded its path.

Inhabiting the spaces at street level are familiar stores and businesses. Five Crows on the west side, a shop that specializes in local, handmade goods. Its neighbor and longtime Natick staple, Debsan, has been coloring and decorating homes and businesses for decades with its wallpaper and paint offerings.

Across Main Street, Middlesex Savings Bank facilitates commerce as it’s done for nearly two centuries. Its east side neighbor is The Hive, a relative newcomer that serves as an incubator for small local businesses.

But compared to one obscure organization and tenant in the building, all of them have arrived on the scene fairly recently.

That longtime resident is a lodge of Freemasons.

The order of Freemasons is said to be the oldest secular fraternal organization in the world, dating back to medieval times.

“It’s non-sectarian,” said Sloper, who’s been a Freemason for most of his life, “but you have to believe in a supreme being.”

That said, discussions of politics and religion are forbidden at meetings, according to rules and tradition. That’s a custom or bit of wisdom that’s been vindicated throughout history the world over. One need only attend a Thanksgiving dinner to appreciate the perils of those divisive topics of discourse.

As part of its Christmas party last year, said Sloper, 14 families gathered together to celebrate.

“They’re supposed to support each other if they need anything,” said Sloper, who’s been a member of the lodge for 52 years.

Sloper puts membership at around 135 for the Meridian Lodge in Natick. He serves as District Deputy Grandmaster for the organization. As a fraternal society, membership in the group is limited to men.

Charter for the lodge in Natick is said to have been granted by none other than Paul Revere himself in 1797. Revere became a member of the Freemasons in 1760, and went on to lead the organization in Massachusetts as its Grandmaster.

One of the “Sons of Liberty,” Revere is said to have made many connections with fellow revolutionaries through his involvement in the Freemason organization.

At least 14 U.S. presidents are said to have been members of the semi-secret society.

The Meridian Lodge is sight to behold. Its grand room where meetings are held is a cavernous space, featuring high ceilings and walls adorned with intriguing frescoes.

The artwork was painted mostly in the 1930s and 1940s, said Sloper. “All have something to do with Freemasonry.”

Adjacent rooms and offices give the impression of a floor plan that’s been more of an improvisation than a plan. Understandable, given the building’s age and original architecture.

Unlike the businesses below at street level, the lodge and its Freemasons aren’t much in the business of marketing the work that they do. These days, said Sloper, the lodge’s efforts come mostly in the form of philanthropy.

Funding for the Freemason comes largely from endowments and fundraising. The Meridian Lodge gives out three scholarships per year, and participated in local charitable events. 

Worldwide, said Sloper, the collective organizations donate about $2 million to causes each day.

“It’s a pretty good organization.”