High Twelve International is an association of Master Masons who meet, usually over lunch, for an hour of Masonic fellowship outside the formal ceremonies of the lodge. Founded in Sioux City, Iowa, in 1921, it has no degrees and no initiation. It is best described as a lunch club with a purpose, and it supports the Craft lodges, the Masonic youth orders and a scholarship fund for future public servants. Its local units are called clubs and its members are known as “High Twelvians”.
The organisation’s leadership puts its aim simply: to “make better Men and Masons, do good in the World, and help our Children of all ages become productive and strong members of society.”
Why “High Twelve”?
The name comes from an old Masonic tradition. As Mackey’s Encyclopedia of Freemasonry explains, the legendary history of the Craft holds that at noon, “high twelve”, the workmen on King Solomon’s Temple were called from labour to refreshment, and they returned to work an hour later. Lodges still use the phrase when they pause for refreshment. Since a High Twelve club exists to give Masons exactly that kind of break, many clubs, though not all, meet at midday. The emblem carries the theme: a clock at twelve beneath the square and compasses, framed by three maxims, to talk little, to hear much and to reflect upon truth.
Origins
High Twelve was the idea of E. C. “Wallie” Wolcott, a former minister who was then General Secretary of the YMCA in Sioux City. He and eight business associates, all Master Masons, began meeting for friendship and conversation, and on 17 May 1921 they chartered the first club, Founders Club No. 1. (One later account gives the date as 21 May 1921 and the club’s original name as the International High Twelve Club.) The idea spread to other cities, and clubs in the same state joined together in state associations, with High Twelve International as the governing body over them all. Its own historians have written book-length histories of the organisation from 1920 to 1960 and from 1920 to 1976.
Membership and meetings
Only Master Masons may join High Twelve, but anyone is welcome at its meetings. Clubs often invite wives and friends, and some encourage members to bring along men they think would make good Masons. A typical meeting is held at a restaurant. It keeps business brief, leaves plenty of time for fellowship over a meal, and usually includes a guest speaker on almost any subject. There is no degree work, and High Twelve International’s resources for clubs include the Pledge of Allegiance and a toast to the flag. High Twelve International does publish a short ritual book and suggested installation ceremonies for clubs installing their officers, but the atmosphere is deliberately casual.
A Master Mason who lives where there is no club can join the International President’s Club, set up for scattered members and for members of clubs that have closed. Annual dues are modest ($20 a year at the time of writing).
Service to the Craft
High Twelve is not a lodge and confers nothing, but it sees itself as a social extension of the Masonic experience and as “Masonry in action” in the towns where its clubs meet. It urges its members to be active in their own lodges and communities, offers the Craft lodges whatever practical help they most need, and requires its clubs to keep strictly to the Masonic law of their jurisdiction. Its stated commitments include lasting friendships, support for public schools, constructive community work, and the principles of good government founded on the rights of the individual.
Youth, education and the Wolcott Foundation
High Twelve’s two charitable priorities are youth and education. Clubs give strong support to the Masonic youth orders, DeMolay, the Order of the Rainbow for Girls and Job’s Daughters, as well as to patriotic events. Their own charity, named after the founder, is the Wolcott Foundation, which funds scholarships at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., for students preparing for careers in government and public service. Since July 2025 donations to the Foundation have been made directly to the university.
High Twelve today
Clubs are found across the United States and in a few other countries. Published membership figures vary widely and suggest that, like many fraternal bodies, High Twelve is smaller than it once was. One Masonic centre’s page speaks of more than 300 clubs and 25,000 members, a 2012 account gave about 9,000 members in some 250 clubs, and the Grand Lodge of Florida’s summary gives over 5,000 members in more than 170 clubs. Its promotional film, Get That “High Twelve Glow”, was narrated by the actor Ernest Borgnine, and today it keeps members in touch through a monthly e-newsletter.
Learn more or join
For more information, or if you would like to join, please visit:
– https://www.high12.org/page-1428107 (High Twelve International)
– https://www.grandlodgefl.com/glf-orders/high-twelve/
– http://www.midnightfreemasons.org/2012/04/what-is-high-twelve-international_05.html
– https://www.marshalltownmasonic.org/masonic-bodies/high-twelve-club/
– https://www.rajahshrine.org/shriner-s-information/links/fellowship-high-twelve
– https://mounthiramlodge.org/high-twelve-international
– https://www.facebook.com/HighTwelveClubsofKansas/
Sources:
High Twelve International, home page, resources and “History of HTI”: high12.org
Albert G. Mackey, An Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, revised edition, entry “Refreshment” (high twelve)
“What is High Twelve International?”, Midnight Freemasons, April 2012
Mount Hiram Lodge, “High Twelve International”, and Marshalltown Masonic Center, “High Twelve Club”
Credit (original 2022 page): Grand Lodge of Florida, “High Twelve”