Travis Simpkins: "Templars in America" by Tim Wallace-Murphy and Marilyn Hopkins

Templars in America

From the Crusades to the New World

by Tim Wallace-Murphy

and Marilyn Hopkins

Barnes & Noble, 2006

Notes by Travis Simpkins

Despite its somewhat misleading title, Templars in America: From the Crusades to the New World by Tim Wallace-Murphy and Marilyn Hopkins is one of the most masterfully written books on the topic of Pre-Columbian exploration of North America, with a particular focus on the 1396 voyage of Prince Henry St. Clair.

Contrary to what students are taught in school, America was not "discovered" by Christopher Columbus in 1492, but rather has seen seafaring visitors from many lands dating back to ancient times. Even prior to Prince Henry's late-14th Century voyage, evidence indicates possible early exploration and trade with North America by the Egyptians, Phoenicians, Africans, Romans, St. Brendan, Prince Madoc and the Vikings.

The bulk of the text centers on Prince Henry St. Clair's family background and the adoption of Templar ideals which inspired him to seek out and create a settlement in the new World based upon the principles of tolerance and freedom. Chapters are dedicated to Prince Henry's gentle relations with the native Mi'qmaq tribe he encountered. The most fascinating parts, for me, dealt with the tangible aspects of the voyage: namely the Westford Knight, the Westford Boat Stone and the Newport Tower, a wondrous structure which is analyzed in both architectural and scientific terms.

The remainder of the book contains often-groundbreaking research and wonderful ideas which should be read and interpreted firsthand. This tome, along with all his other works, attests to Tim Wallace-Murphy's understanding and masterful interpretation of the Western Esoteric Tradition's core principles and how such Templar and Masonic philosophies tie into our shared history.