During my trip out to Erie in February 2020, I noticed an old railroad obviously no longer in use. The tracks had sunk down into the ground, now leading to a pool of standing water. As my friend and I walked along the wall to pass underneath the bridge, we had noticed some strange looking carvings on the walls. The carvings looked familiar, but it wasn’t until we were on our way back that we realized what they could be. I say could, because it’s still not 100% clear to either of us, but we continue to research it. If you have any info, please comment on this article, or reach out to me at johnny@oddworldstudio.com

Interestingly enough, we had stumbled upon what is either a collection of real hoboglyphs, or very old Masonic marks. While some symbols look like they could mean “Carpenter’s Company” or “St. Mary’s Church” in relation to symbols seen on a list of Mason’s marks, others don’t seem to match up. Seeing as how it sits next to a railroad brings in the possibility that it may be hoboglyphs rather than Mason marks. Again, I’d love the input from anyone more knowledgeable studying anything like this.

Masonic Symbols/Graffiti?

Two of the most notable groups in history to go great lengths in keeping their operations and secrets out of the public eye were the Masons (or Freemasons), and Odd Fellows. The Masons’ history dates back to as early as the 15th century, right around the time of the formation of European stoneworker fraternities. The Odd Fellows were a fraternity of men of various occupations. Their group emerged in England a bit later, during the late-18th century.

Both Masonic and Odd Fellow lodges grew greatly in numbers in the United States between the 18th and 19th centuries. One big difference between Freemason’s marks and hoboglyphs is that much more is known about hoboglyphs, where mason’s marks still remain unknown in further meaning past their use as a sort of signature. Each Freemason who takes the degree of Mark Master Mason is required to create his own mark for use as a unique signature, rather than using a common mark used by other Freemasons.

There have been theories as to why these marks were used. One theory is that the marks were used for practical reasons simply as a signature. This helped keep track of which mason had worked on what, and kept an organized account of his work for payment. Another theory is that many marks (especially the ones that were recreated between many freemasons) were messages placed so as to not be lost to future generations. Still though, nobody has been able to 100% decipher their meanings, if any. I’m sure a society as secretive as they are would not make it easy, or even possible for outsiders to figure out if this is the case.

While some of the marks found on these stones line up well with Masonic marks, it’s still interesting that they would be on these stones, as these mason’s marks seem to be more often found on stones in larger, and more notable public structures.

What I’m wondering is, if these do happen to be Masonic marks, could they date back to the 1800s, rather than the early 1900s?

I’ll be updating this with more information on the Freemasons (or as much as I can get by digging around), as well as these symbols later. One thing I’ll be looking into is the home I grew up in for a large part of my life. The home was built by Freemasons, and used as a lodge/gathering place in the early 1900s, and some interesting stone work remains. My mother grew up in the home, and remembers her father covering up Masonic symbols originally where the fireplace is now. I will include any info I find about the home or land within my update as well. I’m hoping I can find some interesting things to share with you here!

Now a bit about hoboglyphs:

Hoboglyphs were used as a way for hobos to communicate to one another, letting others know important things along railway stops. Some symbols would mean it was safe to camp, while others would tell them it was a good place to beg for money, make up a beggar story, or even ask for work. Other symbols would tell them to stay away, or get out as fast as they could, as it was not a safe place to stay or sleep for any number of reasons ranging from police that would quickly throw them in jail, to simply a bad neighborhood.

The symbols on this railway most likely date back to the earlier 1900s, as most hoboglyphs you will find are from the early 20th century up through the Great Depression. It was at this time when hobos were most common across the United States. Hobos played a very important part in our country’s history, which often gets overlooked.

Hobos were people often forced out of their homes because of no available work, especially during the Great Depression. Though the name may get tossed around with the word “bum,” hobos were very different. With each now town they arrived in, they would almost always look for work. They would either work for a few months, pack up and move on to the next town, or sometimes stay for over a year in one place. I’ve heard that they would use the term “barnacle” for anyone who stuck to one job for over a year.

Hobos took many jobs that nobody else wanted to take, but were still often shunned by other people in town. Because of this, they had decided to develop a code to be used between other hobos to direct each other to water, food, work, or away from dangerous situations.

Symbols had been implemented not only for secrecy between the community, but also because many hobos could not read. Symbols were changed up over time, most likely to keep a bit more secrecy away from the general public so they wouldn’t become wise to certain symbols. These symbols can still be found along many of the old railways across the United States.

Today, the hobo subculture has decreased greatly in size, mostly due to its connection with the American railway system. Today you can’t simply hop on a train as easily as you could back then. Still, it’s estimated that there is a decently large number of people still living the hobo lifestyle across the US, but of course a bit more tailored to the modern lifestyle of today.

After doing more research on both sets of symbols, I’m definitely leaning more toward Freemason marks, but I’m still not certain. Again, if you have any info to pass along, please do!