The history of Freemasonry begins with stonemasons during the Middle Ages. That's when the guilds established a series of handshakes, passwords, and other secret symbols to protect their trade secrets and prove their credentials. From there, many of these early Masons organized themselves into Masonic “lodges” to take care of one another and their families in case of injury or death.

By the 17th century, these lodges had transformed from groups of literal stonemasons into what's called “Speculative” Masons. Members of these lodges, called Freemasons, gathered to learn a series of moral teachings.

In 1717, four of these lodges came together in London to form the first “grand lodge” in the world. Masons eventually formed grand lodges in Ireland and Scotland, then the rest of Europe. Before long, Masons had established lodges all around the world.

The Masonic square and compass is the most common symbol in Masonry, used to represent Freemasons and Masonic lodges around the world. The square and compass are two of the tools that ancient stonemasons used to work stone. But to modern Freemasons, they’re symbols for building character. The letter “G” at the center stands for geometry, the basis for stonemasonry—and, symbolically, modern Freemasonry.