The Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library, formerly known as the National Heritage Museum and the Museum of Our National Heritage, is a museum located in

Lexington, Massachusetts Lexington is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is 10 miles (16 km) from Downtown Boston. The population was 34,454 as of the 2020 census. The area was originally inhabited by Native Americans, and was firs ...

. Its emphasis is on American history and

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, and it contains the Van Gorden-Williams Library & Archives, a Masonic research library. The museum was founded in 1975, to correspond with the start of the

Bicentennial of the United States The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to historical events leading up to the creation of the United States of America as an independent republic. It was a central event ...

and is funded by the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite, an appendant body of Freemasonry. The same building houses their headquarters, it having moved in 2013 from another two buildings on the properties (a 1905-built mansion and an adjoining newer build that now houses a community center). The museum features general interest galleries with changing exhibits about fraternal organizations such as the Masons, American history and culture, and Lexington's role in the American Revolution.

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* History museums in Massachusetts Museums in Middlesex County, Massachusetts Masonic museums in the United States Libraries in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Lexington, Massachusetts Masonic buildings in Massachusetts Museums established in 1975 1975 establishments in Massachusetts {{Massachusetts-museum-stub