By T.S. Akers
Daniel M. Hailey
(Courtesy of the Oklahoma Historical Society)
(Courtesy of the Oklahoma Historical Society)
Visitors to the Grand Lodge of Oklahoma building or the Scottish Rite Temple in Guthrie are met by an assortment of wonders. The same can be said of the McAlester Scottish Rite Temple, which leads one to believe that these three major collecting institutions have gathered up all of the Masonic treasures related to Oklahoma that exist. The diligent curator knows this is by no means true, as un-discovered treasures can still be found in the most unlikely corners of the country. This was just the case recently when a gold and silver dealer in Florida came into possession of an amazing collection relating to Oklahoma Freemasonry.
There are a
few family names in Southeastern Oklahoma that really resonate with those that
call Little Dixie home. McAlester, Busby,
and Albert are as much household names as Pete’s Place, Isle of Capri, and
Roseanna’s. One of those old names that
has remained memorialized is Hailey, Daniel Morris Hailey in particular. In fact, just a short drive east from
McAlester on Highway 270 leads one to Hailey’s very own town, Haileyville.
Daniel
Morris Hailey was born on February 9, 1841, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.[i] When war erupted in April of 1861, Hailey
enlisted in the Confederate Army the next month.[ii] He was mustered into service with Company A of
the 8th Louisiana Infantry, known as the Creole Guards.[iii] The 8th Louisiana was assigned to
Hay’s Brigade of Early’s Division in the Army of Northern Virginia. Hailey’s corps commander was Thomas J.
“Stonewall” Jackson.[iv]
The 8th Louisiana would see
action at engagements that included the First Battle of Bull Run and
Rappahannock Station.[v]
In February
of 1863, Hailey was appointed a Hospital Steward; he had studied medicine prior
to the war. That November, he was
wounded and captured at Rappahannock Station.[vi] Hailey was received at the Old Capitol Prison
of Washington, DC, and later exchanged at City Point, Virginia, in 1864.[vii] He returned to his unit and was ultimately
wounded four times.[viii]
Hailey very narrowly avoided Sherman’s
notorious “March to the Sea” while returning to Louisiana on furlough after
again being wounded, this time at Hatcher’s Run in October of 1864.[ix] Hailey would be actively involved in the
United Confederate Veterans later in life, serving as Major General in command
of the Oklahoma Division.[x]
Rather than
returning to Baton Rouge at the end of the Civil War, Hailey made his way to
Fort Smith, Arkansas. Once there, he
applied for a position teaching school in the Choctaw Nation.[xi] While residing in the home of R.S. McCarty at
Scullyville (Oak Lodge), Hailey fell in love with and married McCarty’s
daughter Helen in 1868.[xii] The young couple first took up residence near
present day Canadian, where Hailey practiced medicine.[xiii] They then moved to Perryville in 1871, where
Hailey continued to practice medicine in addition to operating a small
store. The completion of the MKT
Railroad through the Indian Territory in 1872 would see many take up residence
in the new city of McAlester, Hailey included.
In McAlester, Hailey opened the first drug store in the Choctaw Nation,
engaged in coal mining with J.J. McAlester, and served as editor of the short
lived “Star-Vindicator” newspaper operated by Granville McPherson.[xiv]
It was in
McAlester that Hailey petitioned for the degrees of Freemasonry, being
initiated an Entered Apprentice in McAlester Lodge No. 9 on June 15, 1877. He was passed to the degree of Fellowcraft on
July 12 and raised to the degree of Master Mason on September 10.[xv]
Hailey was
then exalted to the degree of Holy Royal Arch in Indian Chapter No. 1 of
McAlester on May 15, 1878. He would
serve as High Priest of Indian Chapter in 1897 and 1898.[xvi] Hailey was elected Grand High Priest of Royal
Arch Masons of Indian Territory in 1908.[xvii] One of the pieces comprising the newly
acquired Daniel M. Hailey Collection is his Past Grand High Priest jewel. The jewel is of a style that was presented to
many early Grand High Priests, including other notable Masons such as Joseph S.
Murrow. The jewel features the
breastplate of judgement surrounded by a wreath, indicating the rank of Grand
High Priest.
Hailey was dubbed and created a Knight of the Temple in Coeur de Leon Commandery No. 17 of Parsons, Kansas, on October 5, 1886.[xviii] It was in Coeur de Leon Commandery that Joseph S. Murrow, affectionately called the Father of Freemasonry in Oklahoma, received the orders of Templary in 1880.[xix] Hailey ultimately served as Commander of McAlester Commandery No. 3 in 1895 and became Grand Commander of Knights Templar of Indian Territory in 1902.[xx]
Past Grand High Priest Jewel of Daniel M. Hailey
(From the collections of the McAlester Scottish Rite)
(From the collections of the McAlester Scottish Rite)
Hailey was dubbed and created a Knight of the Temple in Coeur de Leon Commandery No. 17 of Parsons, Kansas, on October 5, 1886.[xviii] It was in Coeur de Leon Commandery that Joseph S. Murrow, affectionately called the Father of Freemasonry in Oklahoma, received the orders of Templary in 1880.[xix] Hailey ultimately served as Commander of McAlester Commandery No. 3 in 1895 and became Grand Commander of Knights Templar of Indian Territory in 1902.[xx]
The degrees
of Cryptic Masonry arrived in Indian Territory in 1883 at Atoka with the
chartering of Oklahoma Council No. 1.
This council held jurisdiction over all of Indian Territory until 1894
when Muskogee Council No. 2 and Union Council No. 3 at McAlester were
chartered.[xxi]
It was in Oklahoma Council No. 1 at
Atoka that Hailey received the degrees of Royal and Select Master on June 20,
1888.[xxii] Hailey would serve as Grand Illustrious Master
of Royal and Select Masters of Indian Territory in 1901.[xxiii] Another piece comprising the Daniel M. Hailey
Collection is his Past Grand Illustrious Master jewel. The jewel features the secret vault and nine
arches central to the ritual of Cryptic Masonry.
The degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry were communicated to Hailey by Robert W. Hill at Muskogee on October 26, 1889. Hill was at that time serving as Deputy of the Supreme Council. Hailey was elected a Knight Commander of the Court of Honor in 1897 and coroneted a 33rd Degree on October 24, 1899.[xxiv] Hailey himself was made Deputy of the Supreme Council in 1913, ultimately becoming Sovereign Grand Inspector General of the Scottish Rite in Oklahoma.[xxv]
Past Grand Illustrious Master Jewel of Daniel M. Hailey
(From the collections of the McAlester Scottish Rite)
(From the collections of the McAlester Scottish Rite)
The degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry were communicated to Hailey by Robert W. Hill at Muskogee on October 26, 1889. Hill was at that time serving as Deputy of the Supreme Council. Hailey was elected a Knight Commander of the Court of Honor in 1897 and coroneted a 33rd Degree on October 24, 1899.[xxiv] Hailey himself was made Deputy of the Supreme Council in 1913, ultimately becoming Sovereign Grand Inspector General of the Scottish Rite in Oklahoma.[xxv]
Hailey left
a lot of marks on Southeastern Oklahoma and had a hand in a great many
enterprises. In addition to operating
stores and practicing medicine, he helped organize the South McAlester and
Eufaula Telephone Company. Hailey served
as a bank vice president for many years.
He was one of the driving forces behind the establishment of the
Confederate Home in Ardmore, serving on the board of trustees. Hailey was also a member of the board of
trustees of the Carnegie Library of McAlester.[xxvi] His most profitable endeavor was probably the
Hailey Coal and Mining Company, which operated some of the largest coal mines
in Pittsburg County.[xxvii]
It was coal
mining that led Hailey to purchase a tract of land and establish the company
town of Haileyville in 1898.[xxviii] Of course a town associated with a prominent
Freemason would come to have a Masonic Lodge.
Haileyville Lodge No. 245 was chartered on August 10, 1904.[xxix] The Brethren of Haileyville Lodge presented
Hailey with a beautiful sterling silver Past Master’s jewel, which is now part
of the Daniel M. Hailey Collection. The
jewel features the Worshipful Master’s square, quadrant, and a blazing sun in
gold tone.
One of the last Masonic offices that Hailey held was that of Grand Patron of the Order of the Eastern Star in Oklahoma in 1916.[xxx] It was during the Fall Reunion of the McAlester Scottish Rite Valley in 1919 that Hailey passed from this world to the next at his home on October 14, just six days before the biennial meeting of the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite in Washington, DC.[xxxi] Oklahoma had lost its third Sovereign Grand Inspector General of the Scottish Rite, but he left behind quite a legacy. Hailey was honored one last time when a DeMolay chapter was established in McAlester. The chapter was chartered on August 17, 1922, and styled Daniel M. Hailey Chapter.[xxxii]
Past Master Jewel of Daniel M. Hailey
(From the collections of the McAlester Scottish Rite)
(From the collections of the McAlester Scottish Rite)
One of the last Masonic offices that Hailey held was that of Grand Patron of the Order of the Eastern Star in Oklahoma in 1916.[xxx] It was during the Fall Reunion of the McAlester Scottish Rite Valley in 1919 that Hailey passed from this world to the next at his home on October 14, just six days before the biennial meeting of the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite in Washington, DC.[xxxi] Oklahoma had lost its third Sovereign Grand Inspector General of the Scottish Rite, but he left behind quite a legacy. Hailey was honored one last time when a DeMolay chapter was established in McAlester. The chapter was chartered on August 17, 1922, and styled Daniel M. Hailey Chapter.[xxxii]
[i] Robert L. Williams, “Dr. Daniel Morris
Hailey: 1841-1919,” Chronicles of
Oklahoma 18, no. 3 (1940): 215-218.
[ii] “Gen. D.M. Hailey, U.C.V.,” Confederate Veteran 28 (1920): 26-27.
[iii] N. Wayne Cosby, “8th Louisiana: Company A ‘The
Creole Guards,” Hardtack Journal,
accessed June 21, 2016, https://sites.google.com/site/hardtackjournal/home/8th-louisiana/company-a.
[iv] Daniel M. Hailey, Confederate Veterans of the State of Oklahoma (United Confederate
Veterans, Oklahoma Division, 1913), 21.
[v] “Gen. D.M. Hailey, U.C.V.,” 26-27.
[vi] Williams, 215-218.
[vii] Hailey, 21.
[viii] Williams, 215-218.
[ix] “Gen. D.M. Hailey, U.C.V.,” 26-27.
[x] Hailey, 21.
[xi] Williams, 215-218.
[xii] Ibid., 215-218.
[xiii] Robert G. Davis, The Honored Men of Oklahoma Scottish Rite Masonry (Oklahoma Lodge
of Research, 1997), 32.
[xiv] Williams, 215-218.
[xv] Davis, 34.
[xvi] Ibid., 34.
[xvii] Kenneth S. Adams, William A. Hensley, and
Norman E. Angel, History of the Grand
Chapter of the Royal Arch Masons of Oklahoma (Grand Chapter of Royal Arch
Masons of Oklahoma, 1964), 102.
[xviii] Davis, 34.
[xix] Raymond L. Holcomb, Father Murrow: The Life and Times of Joseph Samuel Murrow, Baptist
Missionary, Confederate Indian Agent, Indian Educator, and the Father of
Freemasonry in Indian Territory (Atoka County Historical Society, 1994),
105.
[xx] Davis, 34.
[xxi] Charles E. Creager, A History of the Cryptic Rite of Freemasonry in Oklahoma (Muskogee,
Oklahoma: Hoffman-Speed, 1925).
[xxii] Davis, 34.
[xxiii] "Grand Council of Cryptic Masons of
Oklahoma: Past Grand Illustrious Masters," Oklahoma York Rite, accessed June 21, 2016, http://okyorkrite.org/council/GrandIM.aspx.
[xxiv] Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of
Freemasonry, Transactions of the Supreme
Council of the 33rd and Last Degree for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United
States of America (Washington, DC: House of the Temple, 1917), 84-86.
[xxv] Davis, 35.
[xxvi] Williams, 215-218.
[xxvii] Davis, 33.
[xxviii] Stephanie L. Shafer, "Haileyville,"
Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and
Culture, accessed June 21, 2016, http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=HA001.
[xxix] Masonic
Centennial Lodges (Oklahoma Lodge of Research, 1974), 207.
[xxx] Davis, 35.
[xxxi] Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of
Freemasonry, 84-86.
[xxxii] Ron Minshall, e-mail message to author, April
12, 2016.
