How did Morgan’s disappearance make Genesee County famous?
Monument to Capt William Morgan in Batavia, NY. The inscription reads: “Sacred to the memory of Wm. Morgan, a native of Virginia, a Capt. in the War of 1812, a respectable citizen of Batavia, and a martyr to the freedom of writing, printing and speaking the truth. He was abducted from near this spot in the year 1826, by Freemasons and murdered for revealing the secrets of their order.” Number three on the Holland Land Office Museum’s countdown of the “25 Things That Made Genesee County Famous” is no longer a secret. But the fate of William Morgan still remains a mystery. The Daily News | Jan 31, 2009 Morgan was a Batavian who was allegedly kidnapped and murdered by Free Masons in September 1826 after he began to write a book disclosing the secrets of the society. Museum Director Patrick Weissend shares the story of the disappearance of William Morgan: “Morgan was a bricklayer who wanted to become a member of the Masonic Fraternity. When a Masonic lodge opened in Batavia, Morgan applied
