A brother Georgia Freemason died on Friday.I never met him. I'd never even heard of him. I'm sorry I didn't know him. It sounds like he was an interesting man.
Bro. David Barrett, 69, was well-known by thousands of metro Atlanta school children as "Soldier Man."
Called a "walking Civil War history lesson," Bro. Barrett spoke at elementary and middle schools throughout the area, and taught at the Gwinnett History Museum's Civil War Camp.
"He was interested in teaching them about the common life of the soldier," said his wife, Brenda Barrett. "He portrayed both sides. Lots of times he would do a Confederate soldier, then switch right over and do federal."
Bro. Barrett was a retired plumber. He was a member of Clarkston Masonic Lodge No. 492.
For the past 25 years, he had taken part in numerous Civil War re-enactments.
And now, just as we all will one day become, he is one of The Passersby on the road home.
Image: Bro. David Barrett
Masons | David Barrett | American Civil War | Freemasonry | Grand Lodge of Georgia | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com
May he rest in peace. This departed brother does sound like someone whom I would have enjoyed meeting.
ReplyDeleteLouisiana recently chartered a Civil War Reenactment Lodge, but, I haven't had a chance to visit. They acted as a Civil War Color Guard dressed in Union and Confederate uniforms at one of our Grand Lodge Sessions.
We also have a yearly festival in St. Francisville reenacting a famous cease-fire by Civil War Masons hailing from the Union and the Confederacy. These brothers at war put aside their differences and buried one of their own. The festival is called "The Day the War Stopped". If you have an interest in Freemasonry or Civil War History, this celebration is worth seeing. Here's a link:
http://tinyurl.com/4nfavu
St. Francisville in West Feliciana Parish also is worth seeing as a tourist because it has an unusual geomorphology compared to the rest of the State of Louisiana--it is hilly. It is also the home of the famous "Rosedown Plantation" which is considered a prime example of an antebellum plantation home. I've gone on cycling tours in the Parish and that is a lot of fun.
http://tinyurl.com/3wxcao