Embedded Files
April 16, 2023, these files have been unavailable for several years. I am making them available again.
Index
These files are stored in Google Drive, to view them as a thumbnail image make sure you switch to GRID view, here's how >>>
Welcome to the World's LARGEST and oldest collection of Masonic clipart, graphics, logos, artwork, images, pictures, and thousands of text files with story's information and facts about freemasons anywhere on the Internet!
Near 9,000 Masonic files for Freemasons
Most of these files were made available by and are here in memory of Noble Preston Burner who put 10 years into collecting these files on a BBS (Bulletin Board System) that he ran in the basement of his home in Vienna Virginia. The Kena Computer Club and the founder of Hiram's Oasis, Preston E. Burner passed away on May 10, 2000.
Happy 35th birthday to Hiram's Oasis!! It was this month (November, 2022) in 1987 that Hiram's began and has been a source of Masonic light for all these years.
"By 1991, Preston's work had spread far beyond the American continent. Researchers in Australia shared the wealth of information he made available, by one of their number in California downloading papers and sending them home on floppy disks. He was a cyber-pioneer, greatly admired downunder, and we are saddened by his loss. Tony Pope South Australian Lodge of Research #216"
Over 4,000 Masonic related files, documents, facts, stories, speeches, and MORE!
Over 5,000 Masonic related logos, pictures and images.
Computer Mason Lapel Pin can be ordered. For information Here
Browse all files in this Hiram's Oasis. You will see a ZIP file and a Directory by the same name with all the files extracted from the ZIP file in that directory.
This page has been accessed Hit Counter Times since 09-09-97 counter reset 10-25-99
Last modified: April 16,2023 | Previous website Last modified: December 17, 2009 | Website since September 09, 1997
* This was believed to be the World's LARGEST and oldest collection of Masonic in the Internet when first published in 1987 through 2009, and is stilled assume to be today 2023.
History of Hiram's Oasis Bulletin Board Service (BBS)
From the basement of is home in Vienna Virginia, Preston had established an electronic Bulletin Board Service (BBS) called the Hiram’s Oasis. This BBS was to the best of our knowledge the first electronic bulletin board for Free Masons. Its purpose was the transmission and storage of messages and of articles for publication and from publication. Hiram’s Oasis was continuously running for over 10 years from November, 1987 through September 1997 at which time the information from the Hiram’s Oasis BBS was copied to the internet and made available on the Hiram’s Oasis website http://www.Kena.org/Hirams by the current club president Noble William J. Baumbach II.
The BBS was at first either a XT or 286 computer with one modem and phone line. You had to direct dial-in using your computer modem and only one user at a time could connect. Since this could require a long distant phone call for users most were local to Vienna Virginia, but being such a great source of Masonic information there were several regular users from other states and a few from other parts of the World.
The internet and its World Wide Web made the BBS obsolete and within a year or two of moving the information to the internet the BBS was taken off-line by Preston.
With a lot of time-consuming hard-work Preston was able to collect and organize over 4,000 Masonic related files during this 10 year period. Since moving those to the internet there has been over 20,000 page views and many thousands of files have been downloaded by internet users from around the World. Preston continued to provide Masonic information and files for the Hiram’s Oasis website up until his death on May 10, 2000. The Principal purpose of the Hiram’s Oasis website is to provide the exchange of Masonic information and for Masonic education.
REVISED 10-02-2001
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