In 1884 the first Masonic library building in the United States opened in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  The building was supposed to last one hundred years; however no one predicted the impact a building would have on the collections, which grew so quickly that the building housing them proved too small and crowded.  Thus, in 1952, the old library was demolished and the current marble building opened on the same site in 1955.

Today the Iowa Masonic Library and Museum is regarded as one of the best facilities in the world to perform Masonic research.  The library houses over 400,000 volumes of which most are rare Masonic books for serious researchers, while also housing books for the casual reader.  The library also collects materials dealing with non-Masonic topics.  The Iowa collection contains materials dealing with Iowa history, government, education, social history, religion, etc.  In addition, the library boasts several volumes on spirituality, religion, philosophy, history, literature, and biography.  Included are several special collections including Dr. Arthur W. Erskine Collection of original papers and materials in the field of X-ray technology, Joseph A. Walkes Collection of Prince Hall Masonry, and the Harvey Collection of Landscape Architecture.

The library building also contains several museum gallery spaces. The Library’s Masonic Gallery houses Masonic decorative arts, regalia, equipment, artifacts, medallions and jewels from around the world, a collection of Lincoln memorabilia, and an American Civil War battle flag. There is also a three-paneled painting entitled, The First Three Degrees of Freemasonry by Iowa artist Grant Wood, a member of Mount Hermon Lodge No. 263 of Cedar Rapids. The General Gallery houses thousands of artifacts dealing with general history.  From Cuneiform tablets to historic military items and pioneer collections. Other highlights include a full Japanese samurai armor, decorative arts, and wood carvings by local Czech folk artist, John J. Stodola. The Swab Room contains a collection of porcelains, statuettes, vases, jewelry and other fine art from around the world collected in the early 20th century.