This unique Masonic plaque is probably the work of ornamental painter David Morrill, who was born in New Hampshire, moved to Vermont, and served as a soldier during the War of 1812. In addition to painting carriages and sleighs, Morrill’s account books reveal that he also decorated signs, chairs, cradles, chimney pieces, and floorcloths.

The plaque displays a combination of dimensional symbols against a patriotic background mimicking the American flag in the form of a shield. The all-seeing eye, symbolizing watchfulness, and the central “G,” signifying God, geometry, or both, are pervasive Masonic icons. The blue canton includes a ladder with three rungs and the initials “CHF,” representing charity, hope, and faith. An ark and anchor signifying “a well-grounded hope and a well-spent life” play against the red-and-white stripes. The sign also includes a sword pointing to a heart, symbolizing that “justice will sooner or later overtake us.”

Morrill is listed as a member of Orange Mark Lodge No. 14 in 1825. After his death in 1878, he was remembered in a published history of Norwich, Vermont, as “a firm believer in the mystic order, [who] governed his daily life by the square and rule.”