Unknown to most, except Mormons or Latter Day Saints, this quiet little town of Burlington,
Wisconsin is not what it seems. While some see  Burlington as Chocolate City, USA, home of Nestle's
Chocolate, other's know the hidden secrets that lie within the  unspoken name of , Voree, right
outside of Burlington. . The congregations of the Mormon Church speak of Voree as the 'promised
land' or 'The New Jerusalem'.  
Burlington and Voree are treasure chests filled with stories of the mystik .
They are the  home to the Mound Builders and an Israelite Tribe that was here to harvest the bounty
for King Solomon's Temple.
Yes - This could have been one of the very places of The Lost Mines of Solomon!
Mary Sutherland
MORMON HISTORY OF BURLINGTON AND THE VEILED TOWN OF VOREE

Gathering to Zion
The Mormons believe that the Burlington Area is the 'Promised Land' - The place that Jesus Christ will return to during the End Days. It is
one of the sacred places their people are to gather  during these times.
Could this be true?  In my years of investigation of this area, it does seem there is more truth in these statements than others may have
thought.

Burlington Wisconsin, if not the place of the gathering, definately is a place of mystery, mysticism and sacred sites , once inhabited by a
people wiped out of our history and memory. The true history of this area has been replaced with a fallacy.

The Strangites of the Burlington area are a  smaller group of people, also calling themselves Latter Day Saints, who have been in the
Burlington area continuously since 1835. These people are the remnant of James J. Strang's 1844-1856 settlement called the City of
Voree, on Burlington's west edge, that once numbered more than two thousand people. After their leader, James J. Strang was shot and
killed in 1856, the group almost vanished. Nevertheless, its colorful contribution to American culture is recognized in books, articles, and
newspaper stories appearing from the press every year since Strang's death.  Strang was shot on Beaver Island but went home to Voree
where he died and was buried at the old Voree Cemetery on Mormon Road. His remains was later reburied in the Burlington Cemetery.
City of Voree - Short History


The remainder splintered almost to extinction, and are holding public meetings in two places, one in Burlington Township and a newer
one in Lyons Township.

Although there is a Marker in Echo Park, The Latter Day Saints around Burlington object to its placement. It was placed there by the Utah
corporation giving information on the marker that they believe to be  false, misleading, and religiously biased.


WE BELIEVE IN THE GATHERING OF GOD'S PEOPLE TO ZION (Jerusalem in Israel and New Jerusalem in Jackson County, Missouri), or to
one of its stakes (historically Kirtland, Ohio; Far West, Missouri; Nauvoo, Illinois; and
VOREE, WISCONSIN ), or to the Islands of the Great
Lakes where God’s literal kingdom was established in 1850.

Voree has a special promise of peace and refuge, and in keeping with that prophecy there has never been persecution there. Instead of
gathering to stakes of Zion, other Mormons now put stakes among the gentiles, for convenience, and
NEVER MENTION GATHERING TO A
SACRED CITY
.. In the early church periodicals from Zion, Kirtland, Far West, and Nauvoo, gathering was emphasized over 1000 times,
whereas the endowment was mentioned only about 150 times.  The numbers are similarly proportioned in the scriptures.  Surely, it is
important to live in sacred places.

66 And it shall be called the New Jerusalem, a land of peace, a city of refuge, a place of safety for the saints of the Most High God.  
(D&C 45:66)

39 And whatsoever city thy servants shall enter, and the people of that city receive their testimony, let thy peace and thy salvation be upon
that city; that they may gather out of that city the righteous, that they may come forth to Zion, or to her stakes, the places of thine
appointment, with songs of everlasting joy.  (D&C 109:39)

6 And that the gathering together upon the land of Zion, and upon her stakes, may be for a defense, and for a refuge from the storm, and
from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth. (D&C 115:6)

10 For the day of my visitation cometh speedily, in an hour when ye think not of; and where shall be the safety of my people, and refuge for
those who shall be left of them?  (D&C 124:10)
"The Record of Rajah Manchou of Vorito."
(Facsimile of the Brass Plates). Voree, Wisconsin
Territory: 1845.19.6 cm. x 10.6 cm. Broadside.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO
         BRASS PLATES DISCOVERED
This earliest known imprint of the Mormons who followed James J. Strang is a rare facsimile of the brass plates, which in 1845 Strang
purportedly discovered buried in a hillside beneath the roots of a giant oak tree at Voree, Wisconsin Territory and which were lost at the
beginning of this century.
The area is now known as Morman Road in Burlington, Wisconsin.
On 1 September 1845, as the time drew near when Strang needed to perform his promise to his "faithful", he announced another
revelation so influential that he used it repeatedly in the columns of his papers, in the Voree Herald, January 1846; Zion's Reveille, 25
March and 1 April 1847; and Gospel Herald, 4 May 1848:
"The Angel of the Lord came unto me, James, on the first day of September, in the year eighteen hundred and forty-five, and the light
shined about him above the brightness of the sun, and he showed unto me the plates of the sealed record, and he gave into my hands
the Urim and Thummim. And out of the light came the voice of the Lord saying . . . Go to the place which the Angel of the presence shall
show thee, and there shalt thou dig for the record of my people in whose possession thou dwellest. Take with thee faithful witnesses . .
. And while I was yet in the Spirit, the Angel of the Lord took me away to the hill in the east of Walworth, against White River in Voree, and
there he showed unto me the record buried under an oak tree as large as the body of a large man; it was enclosed in an earthen
casement, and buried in the ground as deep as to a man's waist; and I beheld it as a man can see a light stone in clear water, for I saw
it by
Urim and Thummim; and I returned the Urim and Thummim to the Angel of the Lord, and he departed out of sight."
A unique teaching of Mormonism is the practice
of baptizing by proxy on behalf of the dead.
In every active Mormon Temple proxy baptisms
for the dead take place in which living Mormons
temporarily assume the names of dead people
to perform baptisms on their behalf.
OCCULTISM IN BURLINGTON , WISCONSIN
Magical or Occult Symbols

Taking a walking tour of Burlington, notice  the symbols displayed in the architecture of it's buildings...old and new alike. This sleepy
little town is alive in the Occult (hidden knowledge).

The founding fathers were quite aware of the meanings behind the symbols and through time the magical practices have been carried
on, knowingly or unknowingly, through symbology (practice of magic through symbols)

Burlington's symbolic heritage through Mormonism is quite obvious to one that studies such ancient knowledge. Even the Mormon
name hints at the  occult. Mormo is the King of the Ghouls or the living dead.


As you tour the symbolic sites you can observe the parallel they have with Freemasonry and Scottish rite free masonry. Even their old
temples and drawings are set up with reference to the Masonic temple. Their old newspaper was a direct reference to the occult.
Spiritually speaking, symbols have been employed to communicate hidden mystical messages. For practitioners of the occult, these
symbols are tools specifically used in wielding supernatural powers and in communicating their various doctrines. These symbols
can be many centuries old, yet their meanings  remain  the same. Although in this Age we may not 'know' the meanings, it in no way
negates their significance.  Manly P. Hall, one of the most influential occultist of the last century, wrote this of symbols, "They are
centers of a mighty force, figures pregnant with an awful power…" (Lectures on Ancient Philosophy, p. 356).
             The Language of Runes
Runes are letters used in the earliest Germanic and Nordic alphabets. It’s a modification of Roman or Greek characters and was
used from about the third century. Jack Tresidder, author of the Dictionary of Symbols, wrote, The linking of specific runes to the sun,
moon and other sky gods, and the art of funerary rune carvings, led to the belief that runes embodied supernatural powers  Â¾to
protect, to avenge and particularly to foretell the future. (p. 173).( Notice in your tour of Burlington the many runes linked to the Sun and
Moon .)

Expanding this idea further, The Complete Book of Amulets and Talismans reports, The runes of the Scandinavians were believed to
possess great magical qualities, and they were used commonly in the preparation of spells…. Some of the runic letters and signs
are so powerful, tradition warns the uninitiated against trying to perform any feat of magic with them.

From 1880 to 1910 (and during the Nazi era of the 1930’s and 40’s), an entire sub-culture of Germanic esoteric orders
emerged. Indeed, occultism flourished throughout much of the west during that time. Theosophy, Freemasonry,Mormonim,
Rosicrucianism, neo-templar orders, Hermetic orders, and a variety of other occult societies competed for membership and influence,
each claiming that to hold the secrets of the universe. Mysticism rose out of it's hotbed.The Occult Roots of Nazism (New York
University Press), describes List’s use of runes and their supernatural importance,

…[runes] were also used for their magical properties in divination, the casting of lots, invocations and the preparation of amulets and
charms. Thus each individual rune possessed its own name and symbolism over and above its phonetic and literary value…List
attributed a specific individual rune to each of Wotan’s verses, adding occult meaning and a summary motto of the spell. These
occult meanings and mottoes were supposed to represent the doctrine and maxims of the rediscovered religion of Wotanism. Typical
mottoes were: ‘Know yourself, then you know everything!’; ‘Embrace the universe in yourself, and you can master the
universe!’; ‘Do not fear Death, he cannot kill you!’; ‘Your life rests in God’s hand, trust him in yourself!’; â
€˜Marriage is the root of the Aryan race!’; and ‘Man is one with God!’
Today, runes are evident in New Age shops, occult books, movies, and television shows. J.R.R. Tolkien’s massive Lord of the
Rings trilogy contains numerous references to magical runes. Mr. Tolkien was, however, a very real expert on ancient Anglo-Saxon,
Germanic, and Nordic languages. Therefore, it’s no surprise that he incorporated runes and a variety other mythical elements into
his literature. The magical element is almost always connected with a part of nature or life.  Although personally I also believe in
Nature Religions but it is a matter of knowledge and respect for the runes. Nature is non-biased, non-discriminating. Runes can be
used for good or for the selfish purpose of an individual. The powers can be both used for good or evil and the power of the spell can
last indefinately..sometimes eternally.
Occult Symbols Explained

It is a well known fact that most of the early Mormon leadership were Masons. And that they had established 5 lodges in and around Nauvoo Illinois. It is plain to see they adopted the symbolism
from Freemasonry in the construction of the Nauvoo Temple.  ( In your tour, please notice the replica of the Navoo temple in down town Burlington.) But the symbolism used on the Salt Lake and
Nauvoo Temples and on other temples is older and has more meaning than even  Mormon congregations have been led to believe.

The Nauvoo Temple Vision

Even though there is no first-hand account of the actual vision that was given of the Nauvoo Temple, Joseph Smith recorded that he did indeed see one. While discussing some of the details of
the building with William Weeks, the temple architect, he stated, "I wish you to carry out my designs, I have seen in vision the splendid appearance of that building illuminated, and will have it built
according to the pattern shown me." (History of the Church 6: pp.196-197; Symbols in Stone, pp. 89,90.)

Now then, knowing that Joseph Smith had been, "raised to the sublime degree," in Freemasonry on March 16, 1842, it is no wonder that he was influenced by that organization. With that in mind,
look at the meanings behind the symbols as defined by, and accepted by Masonry.

"In Freemasonry, all the instructions in its mysteries are communicated in the form of symbols. Symbolism is therefore, the prevailing characteristic of these primitive Degrees."

"Egypt has always been considered as the birthplace of the mysteries. It was there that the ceremonies of initiation were first established. It was there that truth was first veiled in allegory, and the
dogmas of religion were first imparted under symbolic forms."

"To Egypt, therefore, the Freemasons have always looked with peculiar interest as the cradle of that mysterious science of symbolism whose peculiar modes of teaching alone, of all modern
institutions, have preserved to the present day."

"Each of the Pagan gods, had, besides the public and open, a secret worship paid to him, to which none were admitted but those who had been selected by preparatory ceremonies called
Initiation. This secret worship was termed the Mysteries."

"...both the Greeks and the Barbarians, perform[ed] their religious ceremonies with the observance of a festival, and that they are sometimes celebrated publicly, and sometimes in mysterious
privacy. Secret ceremonies which were practiced in honor of certain gods, and whose secret was known to the initiates alone, who were admitted only after long and painful trails, which it was
more than their life was worth to reveal."

"As to their origin...the first of which we have any account are those of Isis and Osiris in Egypt. "

"These Mysteries undoubtedly owed their origin to the desire to establish esoteric philosophy, in which should be withheld from popular approach those sublime truths which it was supposed
could only be entrusted to those who had been previously prepared for their reception. Doctor Mackey was disposed to accept Creuzer’s hypothesis on an ancient and highly instructed body
of priests, having their origin either in Egypt or in the East, from whom was derived religious, physical, and historical knowledge, under the veil of symbols."

(Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, pp. 1002, 1003; 316-317; 689. In later quotes referred to as E of F.)

"Every Masonic Lodge is a temple of religion: and its teachings are instruction in religion...This is the true religion revealed to the ancient patriarchs; which Masonry has taught for many centuries,
and which it will continue to teach as long as time endures." (Morals and Dogma, by Albert Pike, pp.213-214. Emphasis added.)

"Masonry, like all the religions, all the Mysteries, Hermeticism and Alchemy, conceals its secrets from all except the Adepts and Sages, or the elect, and uses false explanations and
misinterpretations of its symbols to mislead those who deserve only to be misled; to conceal the Truth, which it calls Light, from them and to draw them away from it. Truth is not for those who are
unworthy or unable to receive it, or would pervert it. So masonry jealously conceals its secrets, and intentionally leads conceited interpreters astray." (Morals and Dogma, by Albert Pike, pp.104-
105. Emphasis added.)

The Sun

"Astrology is... a science demanding the respect of the scholar, notwithstanding its designation as a black art, and, in a reflective sense, and an occult science;... This science was known to the
ancients as the divine art." (E of F, p. 110.)

"From that science many of our most significant emblems are borrowed. The Lodge itself is a representation of the world; it is adorned with the images of the sun, and moon and [stars]." (E of F,
p. 110.)

"Those Brethren who delight to trace our emblems to an astronomical origin, find in the compass a symbol of the sun, and circular pivot representing the body of the luminary, and the diverging
legs his rays." (E of F p. 236.)

"Hardly any of the symbols of Freemasonry are more important in their signification or more extensive in their application than the sun." "...the sun, too, as the regenerator or reviver of all things, is
the Phallic Worship, which made a prominent part of the Mysteries." (E of F, pp. 987, 989.)

"Obelisks were originally erected in honor of the sun god." That connection comes from Egyptian worship of the Phallus. "The phallus was a sculptured representation of the male organ of
generation. The worship of it is said to have originated in Egypt." Osiris, the sun god [male] was killed by Typhon and cut up into 14 pieces. When Isis, the moon goddess [wife to Osiris] heard
this, "searched and found all the parts of his body except his phallus. She buried all the parts and built a column [obelisk] as a symbol of his erected phallus, the missing part, and worshipped it."
(E of F, p. 727; 769; 778, 779.)

Baal

"Whenever the Israelites made one of their almost periodical deflections to idolatry, Baal seems to have been the favorite idol to whose worship they addicted themselves."

"In Tyre, Baal was the sun, and Ashtaroth, the moon. Baal-peor, the lord of priapism, was the sun represented as the generative principle of nature, and identical with the phallus of other
religions. Baal-gad was the lord of the multitude (of stars) that is, the sun as the chief of the heavenly host. In brief, Baal seems to have been wherever his cultus was active, a development of the
old sun worship." (E of F, p. 114.)

The Moon

"By the side of the male head is the Sun, and by that of the female head, the Moon. And the hand on the male side holds the Compass, and that on the female side, a Square." (Moral and Dogma,
pp. 850-851.)

"The moon in phases are symbols of the witch goddess Diana (Artemis), and used in black magic. Different phases of the moon have various meanings in witchcraft. All of which are displayed
around the temple." (Why is the Salt Lake Temple Decorated with Satanic Symbols? p.1; A History of Witchcraft, pp. 46-48, 158; What Witches Do, p. 93; A Dictionary of Symbols pp. 214-216.)

"As ...Osiris represented the sun... in Egyptian lore, Isis...represented... the Moon. But the truth is, that Osiris represented the male, active or generative, powers of nature; while Isis represented
its female, passive or prolific, powers." (E of F, pp. 678, 746.)

"The Druids of Britain and Gaul had a deep knowledge concerning the mysteries of Isis and worshiped her under the symbol of the moon. The moon was chosen for Isis because of its
domination over water. The Druids consider the sun to be the father and the moon the mother of all things." (Secret Teachings of All Ages, p. LXVIII.)

Cteis. Symbolized as the moon. "The female personification of the productive principle. It generally accompanied the Phallus...and as a symbol of the prolific powers of nature, and was
extensively venerated by the nations of antiquity." (E of F, p.257.)

"The Cteis was a circular and concave pedestal, or receptacle, on which the Phallus, or column [obelisk] rested. The union of these two, as the generative and producing principles of nature, in
one compound figure, was the most usual mode of representation. Here we find the origin of the point within a circle, a symbol which was first adopted by the old sun worshipers." (E of F, p. 769.)

Pentagrams

"In the architectural plans [of the Salt Lake Temple] it is clear that the upside-down stars that we now see were originally meant to look exactly like those on the Nauvoo Temple, with an elongated
point on the bottom." (Symbols in Stone, p. 155.)

"The Freemasons of the United States have, by tacit consent, referred to it (the pentagram) as a symbol of the Five Points of Fellowship. The outlines of the five pointed star are the same as those
of the pentalpha or Pythagoras." (E of F, p. 358.)

"The pentagrams and sunstones which adorned the Nauvoo Temple were a clear indication of what transpired in side. The occultic face of ancient Baal or Amon-Ra shone forth, interspersed
with inverted five pointed stars or ‘Goatshead star’ (below) associated for eons of time with all pagan and Satanic worship." (What’s Going On In There? p. 61.)


"In the science of magic the pentalpha is called the holy and Mysterious pentagram. ...the pentagram in the star of Magians; ...by virtue of the number five, it has great command over evil spirits
because of its five double triangles and its five acute angles within and its five obtuse angles without, so that this interior pentangle contains in it many great mysteries." (E of F, pp.762-763.)

"Egypt, a great center of learning and the birthplace of many arts and sciences, furnished an ideal environment for transcendental experimentation. False interpretations were given to the
emblems and figures of the Mysteries, and elaborate theologies were created to confuse the minds of their devotees. The masses, deprived of their birthright of understanding and groveling in
ignorance, eventually became the abject slaves of the spiritual impostors. Superstition universally prevailed and the black magicians completely dominated national affairs, with the result that
humanity still suffers from the sophistries of the priestcrafts of Egypt." (Secret Teachings of All Ages, p. CI. Emphasis added.)

"In symbolism, an inverted figure always signifies a perverted power. The average person does not even suspect the occult properties of emblematic pentacles. On this subject the great
Paracelsus has written: ‘No doubt many will scoff at the seals, their characters and their uses, which are described in these books. because is seems incredible to them that metals and
characters which are dead should have any power and effect.’

A good instance of this practice is found in the pentagram, or five-pointed star, made of five connected lines. This figure is the time-honored symbol of the magical arts.... The pentagram is used
extensively in black magic....The star may be broken at one point by not permitting the converging lines to touch; it may be inverted by having one point down and two up; or it may be distorted by
having the points of varying lengths. When used in black magic, the pentagram is called the "sign of the cloven hoof," or the footprint of the Devil. The star with two points upward is also called the
"Goat of Mendes*," because the inverted star is the same shape as a goat’s head. When the upright star turns and upper point falls to the bottom, it signifies the fall of the Morning Star."
(Secret Teachings of All Ages, p. CIV. Emphasis added.)

*Baphomet, The Goat of Mendes.

"Baphomet was indeed a common medieval form of the word Mahomet and that not only meant a false prophet but a demon." (E of F, p. 124.)

All-Seeing Eye

In addition to this one on the West end of the Temple there is another one on the East end and in the Garden Room of the Temple. In early Mormon writings the "all seeing eye," and "the all
searching eye," are referred to. (Journal of Discourses, vol. 2, pp. 32; 84.)

The All-Seeing Eye is, "An important symbol of the Supreme Being, borrowed by the Freemasons from the nations of antiquity. On the same principle, the Egyptians represented Osiris, their chief
deity, by the symbol of an open eye, and placed the hieroglyphic of him in all their temples." (E of F, pp. 52, 53.)

Point Within a Circle

The "points" were never finished on the Salt Lake Temple, but are shown on the original drawings. They are prominently displayed on the Portland Oregon Temple around the foundation stones.

"This is a symbol of great interest and importance, and brings us into close connection with the early symbolism of the solar orb and the universe, which was predominant in the ancient sun-
worship. But...this was not always its symbolic signification, we may collect from the true history of its connection with the phallus of the Ancient Mysteries. The phallus was among the Egyptians
the symbol of fecundity, expressed by the male generative principle. It was communicated from the Rites of Osiris to the religious festivals of Greece. Among the Asiatics the same emblem,
under the name of lingam, was, in connection with the female principle, worshiped as the symbols of the Great Father and Mother, or producing causes of the human race, after their destruction
by the deluge."

"‘On this subject...it was believed in India, that, at the general deluge, everything was involved in the common destruction except the male and female principles, or organs of generation, which
were destined to produce a new race, and to re-people the earth when the waters had subsided from its surface. The female principle, symbolized by the moon, assumed the form of a lunette or
crescent; while the male principle symbolized by the sun, assuming the form of the lingam, placed himself erect in the center of the lunette, like the mast of a ship. The two principles, in this
united form, floated on the surface of the waters during the period of their prevalence on the earth; and thus became the progenitors of a new race of men.’ Here, then, was the first outline of
the point within a circle, representing the principle of fecundity, and doubtless the symbol, connected with a different history, that, namely, of Osiris, was transmitted by the Indian philosophers to
Egypt, and to the other nations, who derived, as is elsewhere shown, all their rites from the East."

The Bee
The hieroglyphic symbol of the King of Lower Egypt, the fertile region of the Delta was the bee.Ê The role of the bee is to extract the essence of the living flower, an organic receptor of the Suns
life-giving force often expressing it's Phi nature in the number of its petals. Having transformed the nectar of the pentagonal flower into Honey, the bee then stores this golden substance in the
form of Hexagonal shaped honeycomb. The King in his role of the Bee, like the Taoist Masters of Inner Alchemy, has the ability to harness the Life force within himself and transform it into the
Solar essence often referred to in Taoist texts as the "Golden Nectar".
Navoo Temple
  Masonic Symbols and the LDS Temple
Sandra Tanner

In the Spring of 2002 the LDS Church completed its reconstruction of the Nauvoo Temple in Illinois. It was originally built in the 1840's but was destroyed after the Mormons abandoned the town.
Due to the publicity and photos regarding this new temple many people have asked about the symbols on the building.

To understand the symbols one must first know something of Joseph Smith's involvement with Freemasonry. Joseph's brother, Hyrum, had been a Mason since the 1820's. Many other members
of the LDS church, like Brigham Young, were Masons before they joined Mormonism. LDS historian Reed Durham observed:

"By 1840, John Cook Bennett, a former active leader in Masonry had arrived in Commerce [Nauvoo] and rapidly exerted his persuasive leadership in all facets of the Church, including Mormon
Masonry. ... Joseph and Sidney [Rigdon] were inducted into formal Masonry...on the same day..." ("Is There No Help for the Widow's Son?" by Dr. Reed C. Durham, Jr., as printed in Joseph Smith
and Masonry: No Help for the Widow's Son, Martin Pub. Co., Nauvoo, Ill., 1980, p. 17.)

Reed Durham further commented:

"I have attempted thus far to demonstrate that Masonic influences upon Joseph in the early Church history, preceding his formal membership in Masonry, were significant....In fact, I believe that
there are few significant developments in the Church, that occurred after March 15, 1842, which did not have some Masonic interdependence." (Joseph Smith and Masonry: No Help for the Widow's
Son, p.17)

The History of the Church records Smith's entrance into the Masonic lodge in 1842:

"Tuesday, 15.—I officiated as grand chaplain at the installation of the Nauvoo Lodge of Free Masons, at the Grove near the Temple. Grand Master Jonas, of Columbus, being present, a large
number of people assembled on the occasion. The day was exceedingly fine; all things were done in order, and universal satisfaction was manifested. In the evening I received the first degree in
Free Masonry in the Nauvoo Lodge, assembled in my general business office." (History of the Church, by Joseph Smith, Deseret Book, 1978, Vol.4, Ch.32, p.550-1)

The next day Smith recorded:

"Wednesday, March 16.—I was with the Masonic Lodge and rose to the sublime degree." (History of the Church, Vol.4, Ch.32, p.552)

The Mormon involvement in Freemasonry reached its heights during the early 1840's in Nauvoo. In the Encyclopedia of Mormonism we read:

"The introduction of Freemasonry in NAUVOO had both political and religious implications....Eventually nearly 1,500 LDS men became associated with Illinois Freemasonry, including many
members of the Church's governing priesthood bodies—this at a time when the total number of non-LDS Masons in Illinois lodges barely reached 150." (Encyclopedia of Mormonism, vol.2, p.527)

The Salt Lake Tribune (May 4, 2002, p.C3) printed a picture of the original Nauvoo temple weather vane, which shows the Masonic symbol of the compass and square above the angel. Reporter
Peggy Stack wrote:

"Every detail of the historic Nauvoo Temple was reconstructed [in the new Nauvoo temple] meticulously with one exception: the flying angel weather vane that graced the top of the 19th century
Mormon edifice.

"In its place is the gold-leafed Angel Moroni, first used on the Salt Lake Temple,...

"Some speculate that the horizontal angel, with its compass and square, may be too closely associated with Masonic rituals for modern Mormons." (Salt Lake Tribune, May 4, 2002, p.C3)


(Look in above picture of weather vane)
[Original architect's drawing of the Nauvoo Temple weather vane.
Notice the compass and square above the angel.]

Reed Durham observed:

"There is absolutely no question in my mind that the Mormon ceremony which came to be known as the Endowment, introduced by Joseph Smith to Mormon Masons initially, just a little over one
month after he became a Mason, had an immediate inspiration from Masonry....


(See picture above)
[Architect's drawing of the stars for the Nauvoo Temple.]

"It is also obvious that the Nauvoo Temple architecture was in part, at least Masonically influenced. Indeed, it appears that there was an intentional attempt to utilize Masonic symbols and motifs.
The sun stones, and the moon and star stones, were examples. An additional example was the angel used on the weather vane on the top of the Temple. [Above the angel] is a beautiful compass
and square, in the typical Masonic fashion." (Joseph Smith and Masonry: No Help for the Widow's Son, p.18)


(see picture above)
[The compass and square as used in Masonry.]

Additional details of the Nauvoo temple symbols and pictures of the building are in the Deseret News 2001-2002 Church Almanac (see pp.120-141). On page 135 of the Almanac is a photograph
of one of the original sunstones that were placed at the top of the columns around the outside of the temple. A photo of a sunstone is also in Fawn Brodie's book, No Man Knows My History, p.298
(b).


(see picture above)
[One of the original sunstones from the Nauvoo Temple.]

The Nauvoo sunstone, with its human face, is similar to the Masonic depictions of the sun. Below is an illustration from the Masonic book, The Craft and Its Symbols, p.75:


(see above picture)

Masonic symbols have been pictured and discussed in a number of books. Albert Pike, in his book, Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, discusses the
various Masonic symbols and their meaning.

In the book The Craft and Its Symbols: Opening the Door to Masonic Symbolism, by Allen E. Roberts, p.11, is a drawing of the Masonic apron presented to President George Washington by
Lafayette The symbols on the apron, which were later used by the Mormons, include a beehive, all-seeing eye, compass and square, and the sun, moon and stars.


(see above picture)

The Masonic Monitor, in 1820, had an illustration of the symbols of Freemasonry. This drawing is very similar to Washington's apron.


(see above picture)

Many Masonic symbols (the sun, moon, stars, all-seeing eye, beehive, hand grip, and the beehive) were also placed on the Salt Lake Temple.


(see above picture)
[Symbols on the front of the Salt Lake Temple.]

One of the more familiar symbols of Mormonism is the beehive. Examples of pioneer use of the hive can be seen on Brigham Young's home (known as the Beehive House) in Salt Lake City.


(see above picture)
[Top of Beehive House]


(see above picture)
[Beehive House with Eagle Gate next to it.]

The beehive is also displayed on the doorknobs of the Salt Lake temple.


(see above picture)
[One of the brass doorknobs in the
Salt Lake Temple, displaying the beehive.]

However, most people are not aware that the beehive was a symbol of Masonry years before Joseph Smith started his church. Masonic historian Allen E. Roberts explains:

"The Bee Hive, Masonically, is an emblem of Industry....When and why the hive of the bee entered Freemasonry as a symbol no one knows....In the book, The Early Masonic Catechisms, the bee in
Masonry is mentioned as early as 1724..." (The Craft and Its Symbols, by Allen E. Roberts, Macoy Pub., 1974, p.73)

While many people are aware of the symbols used on the Salt Lake temple, they were also used on other LDS buildings in Utah (see "Where Are All The All-Seeing Eyes?", Sunstone Magazine, vol.
10, no.5, May 1985).

LDS researcher Michael Homer discussed the Mormon use of Masonic symbols:

"Even after the turn of the century and the abandonment of polygamy, the same comparison [to Masonry] was made. The First Presidency stated in a message on October 15, 1911, that '[b]ecause
of their Masonic characters, the ceremonies of the temple are sacred and not for the public.'

"Mormon use of Masonic symbols has also been publicly acknowledged. Mormons were hardly discreet in their depictions of symbols long associated with Freemasonry...including the square, the
compass, the sun, moon, and stars, the beehive, the all-seeing eye, ritualistic hand grips, two interlaced triangles forming a six-pointed star...and a number of other Masonic symbols on
endowment houses, temples, cooperatives, grave markers, tabernacles, church meetinghouses, newspaper mastheads, hotels, residences, money, logos, and seals." ("Similarity of Priesthood in
Masonry": The Relationship between Freemasonry and Mormonism, by Michael W. Homer, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, vol.27, no.3, Fall 1994, p.73)

In addition to these symbols, the LDS Church continues to use the up-side-down, five pointed star. The newly completed Nauvoo Temple has numerous windows using it. For pictures see (off-site):

http://magazine.byu.edu/byumagpic.tpl?picnum=47.2-spr02
http://www.nauvootemple.com/images/20011027_2.jpg

The inverted star was also used on the Salt Lake temple above the front doors and is also used in Masonry.

Since the LDS Church rejects the use of the cross as a religious symbol, one is left to wonder why they would adopt symbols used by the Masons and Satanists?

When trying to explain the similarities between Mormonism and Masonry, one LDS author wrote:

"Masons who visit the Temple Block in Salt Lake City are impressed by what they call the Masonic emblems displayed on the outside of the Mormon Temple.

"Yes, the 'Masonic emblems' are displayed on the walls of the Temple—the sun, moon and stars, 'Holiness to the Lord,' the two right hands clasped in fellowship, the All-seeing eye, Alpha and
Omega, and the beehive. Masonic writers tell us that the Mormon Temple ritual and their own are slightly similar in some respects.

"Without any apologies we frankly admit that there may be some truth in these statements." (Mormonism and Masonry, Introduction, by E. Cecil McGavin, Bookcraft,1956 )

Later in the same book, Mr. McGavin stated:

"In the diary of Benjamin F. Johnson, an intimate friend and associate of Joseph Smith, it is recorded that 'Joseph told me that Freemasonry was the apostate endowment, as sectarian religion
was the apostate religion.' Elder Heber C. Kimball, who had been a Mason for many years, related that after Joseph Smith became a Mason, he explained to his brethren that Masonry had been
taken from the priesthood." (Mormonism and Masonry, p.199)

The problem with Mr. McGavin's position is that neither the Masonic or Mormon rituals can be shown to date to King Solomon's temple. In fact, most historians place the beginning of Freemasonry
in the 1700's. LDS author Michael Homer wrote:

"Prior to 1860 most Masonic writers accepted the legends of Freemasonry with claimed that it originated in antiquity. Although these claims were challenged by most anti-Masonic writers in the
United States,...most Masonic writers refused to discount these claims until 'a school of English investigators' began to evaluate lodge minutes, ancient rituals, and municipal records. Eventually
this movement...debunked the notion that the rituals practiced in Speculative Freemasonry originated before the sixteenth century. Gould and others argued that the best evidence indicated that
Operative Freemasonry originated with trade guilds in the Middle Ages and that the development of Speculative Freemasonry, with ceremonies and rituals similar to those practiced today, began in
the seventeenth century....the rituals of Freemasonry have never been static, but have evolved both in time and place. For example, only post-1760 rituals included separate obligations for degrees
in conjunction with signs, penalties, tokens, and words, the form found in most subsequent rituals and the same format followed in the Mormon temple endowment." ("Similarity of Priesthood in
Masonry," Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, vol.27, no.3, Fall 1994,  pp.103-104)

Since Freemasonry dates to the 1700's and Joseph Smith was a Mason before he introduced the LDS temple rituals and built the Nauvoo temple, one is forced to conclude that the similarities
between the two groups are due to Smith borrowing elements from Masonry.
Beehive
Sun Stone
Temple
Craft and Stars
Pentagram
Ritual Circle
Ritual
Triangle
Mormon
Weathervane
White River is where the Mormons of the Vohee
Area did their baptizing for the dead. You can
locate the area by standing at the Bridge in
Burlington and looking to the South.

This River and the Fox River are the two rivers
flowing through Burlington. It then was ideal to
use in travel because the Fox River's currents
flowed into town and the White River's currents
flowed our of town, north.

The Mormon practice of proxy baptism or
'baptising the dead' is a well known ritual
described in a lot of books. At the beginning of
this practice they were looking for their ancestors
with the aim of baptising them, but later they
began to baptise everyone - Catholics, Muslims,
Jewish, or Orthodox.

They believe that you can find out the name of
everyone who has been born on the planet and
then baptize them even though they are dead.
They do this by going through all the birth records,
spending thousands of collective hours .
They even have built temples for this purpose.
This includes: babies being born who don't even
live long enough to be named. Or, whole
populations wiped out in euthanasia or famine
sweeping through continents killing millions.

The genealogical work and baptism for the dead
is very important to the Mormons. They feel that
the  Mormons go to 'Paradise', while
non-Mormons go to Spirit Prison. Mormons in
Paradise continue their missionary work and
preach the message of Mormonism to those in
Spirit Prison. Those who accept, are able to
progress on to Paradise, but only after a living
person is baptised for them, by proxy.
"The greatest responsibility in this world that God
has laid upon us is to seek after our dead."
(Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 2, p. 146). Joseph
Smith
In Mormonism, there is an obsession with the
dead. This is reflected in both the temple rituals
and the genealogical work each Mormon is
expected to engage in to redeem their ancestors.
Not only do Mormons seek after their dead, the
dead also seek after them: Wilford Woodruff, the
fourth president of the Church, stated the
following:
"The dead will be after you, they will seek after you
as they have after us in St. George [temple]. They
called upon us, knowing that we held the keys
and power to redeem them. I will here say before
closing, that two weeks before I left St. George,
the spirits of the dead gathered around me,
wanting to know why we did not redeem them."
(Journal of Discourses, vol. 19, p. 229).
In Mormon folk lore, it is common to hear stories
about the dead coming to the living, and 'spirit
beings' being seen in the temples. Stories such
as auras and lights around speakers and
melodic music, are circulated.
THE VISION OF STRANG - THE TEMPLE SIGHTING
If Prophet Strang did have a revelation of a temple manifesting itself over Voree, we may have some physical evidence to support this
claim. While on Mormon Road photographing one night, we managed to capture the temple manifesting in another dimension in the
general area that Strang found the Plates.
Click Here to see photos

A Vision of Voree, given on 6-18-1844.
1. On the eighteenth day of June, eighteen hundred and forty-four, James J. Strang was in the Spirit, and he was in the grove above the
stone quarry on White River, and he had a vision; and behold, he was carried away in the Spirit to the top of the hill in the west border
of Racine, and Gardner's prairie was to the north, and the White River marshes to the south, and he saw in the vision; and the lands
round about were covered with many houses and gardens, and there were streets, and shops, and people; even a city of many
inhabitants. And the city was built of stone, and there were few houses of brick and less of wood, and the gardens were many; and a
few houses were very great, and their inhabitants many.
2. There was a change in the vision, and the people with lively pace and smiling countenances thronged the streets and passed by.
3. There was another change, and they were all assembled in a vast hall, and James J. Strang, surrounded by wise men and
counsellors and priests and eloquent orators, arose and taught the people; and the Spirit of prophecy witnesseth unto him, so shall it
be; and the vision ended, and he was strengthened but his faith was weak.
Directions to Voree from Burlington
Take Highway 36 south out of Burlington about one
mile, turn right on Mormon Road or take Highway
11 west out of Burlington, turning left on Mormon
Road.
Trivia:
Moses Smith and  a man named William Whiting  
made the first claim. Back then a claim was staked by
carving your initials and the date in a tree. The spot
Smith and Whiting claimed is where the Standard
Press building now stands.
Trivia:

Voree was large too, and new land record studies indicate that Voree's land development was on the east of modern Burlington as well as on
the west. Recently discovered court records at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, are giving new insight into the United and Associated
Order at Voree. Faithful members consecrated their surplus property into the order, then they received anything they needed for their support.
Historic landmarks remaining at Voree today include hand hewn quarry stone houses, and other houses built with a strikingly beautiful cobble
stone architecture from New York's Erie Canal district. Also in the area are the one hundred and fifty year old Cemetery of the Saints, and a
historic temple building site. There is religious significance in the place in a grove of enormous oak trees, where in 1845 Strang brought a group
of witnesses to dig up  an ancient engraved brass record.
Mormonism in Burlington Wisconsin
Strangite Mormons in voree Wisconsin
Exploring the Unknown   with
Brad and Mary Sutherland
Brad and Mary
Sutherland
248 Carver Street
Winslow, Illinois 61089
815 367 1006
Allow me to Introduce Myself ...
.
Click Here
After reading the following pages
on this Amazing Race
of Mound Builders-   your life and
perception of the past will never
be the same!
Mary Sutherland
CLICK HERE
The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One
cannot help but be in awe when one contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the
marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this
mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.” Albert Einstein
Portals...Gateways to the Multi-Dimensional Worlds
19.99  120 pages
Full Color





Portals- Gateways to the Multi-Dimensional Worlds
Believe in the Magic Series

In reading my book, ‘Portals- Gateways to the Multi-Dimensional
Worlds’ and my series ‘Believe in the Magic’, I assure you, that you will
not be disappointed. Quite the opposite; this book and upcoming series
offer to the reader a unique understanding of ‘All that Is!’

Spread throughout its pages, are photos my husband Brad and I have
taken through the years of the invisible worlds, filled with multiple
selves, faeries, trolls, UFOs, angels and more.
UPDATE ON THE BURLINGTON TUNNELS
Hi, Mary --
I served as the Acting City Engineer of the City of Burlington for a few years in the 1990s.  Our family never resided in the City, but we have always loved and enjoyed the community and the people;
they always made us feel right at home!  My cartoon creation, Morsel the Moose, was featured during the 1993 or '94 Chocolate City Festival, and he appeared along with his cohorts in the
Chamber's newsletter.

Some of the sealed entrances, those under the downtown Burlington businesses that lead toward the street, are the remnants of what once were vaults constructed under the public sidewalks.  It's
my understanding that merchandise would have previously been delivered to the business through lifts installed in the public sidewalks, then lowered to these subterranean areas.  As I recall, the
City adopted a policy sometime in the late 1980s or early 1990s that required openings to these be closed, at least when circumstances such as reconstruction of the building warranted.  I believe
the reason behind this was that the vaults were actually in the public right-of-way, not part of the private property on which the buildings were constructed.

After e-mailing I found the audio file of the interview about some of the tunnels and note there was talk of these in the vicinity of Kane and State Streets.  It was related to me that these were
passages of the Underground Railroad, Burlington being very abolitionist in philosophy around the time of the Civil War, the tunnels providing sanctuary and safe haven for slaves escaping to
freedom in the North.  Now there may be some other explanation, some other use, but that's what was shared with me.  We did not reconstruct any of the streets in that area during my tenure, so I
have no personal experience of actually viewing same.

It was interesting reading about the Mormons and Voree.  
Sometime around when I was first nominated for appointment by then Mayor Steven David, a couple of members of the Church of Latter
Day Saints approached me in confidence to ask for my view of their beliefs and specifically to request that I not press for development that would destroy or erode Voree as they believed Jesus
Christ was going to return to that site some day.
 I gave them my word that I would not.  I never did.  Their beliefs, while different from mine, deserve as much respect as another's.  I am a Christian,
as is my family.

I enjoyed very much your website!

"Chummy"
Chris Koceja
East Troy