By T.S. Akers
Grand Master Henry L. Muldrow
Throughout the history of Freemasonry, there have been a handful of men who have left an indelible mark on the Fraternity in Oklahoma. Within our halls, there are names that are instantly recognizable throughout our jurisdiction. Men like Joseph S. Murrow, Harper S. Cunningham, and William Busby are either well known across the state or in their specific corners of influence. However, there is another name that should number among those men. In 1951 Charles Evans, former University of Tulsa president, said the following of this Oklahoma Mason, “One recognized in him that he would make a bold and ardent friend, or a dauntless, unyielding enemy.”[1] In Henry L. Muldrow, Freemasonry found just the bold and ardent friend it needed in Oklahoma.
Known as
“Hal,” Henry Lowndes Muldrow was born in Paducah, Kentucky, on October 12,
1872. His father was Major Robert Muldrow, a graduate of the first class of
Mississippi State University who served in the state legislature as a young man
representing Oktibbeha County before joining the Confederacy with Wirt Adams’
Mississippi Cavalry. Hal’s mother was Annie Oliver, the daughter of Simeon C.
Oliver, former Governor of the State of Mississippi. Hal’s father died a year after
he was born and at the age of eleven, he and his mother returned to Oktibbeha
County, Mississippi. Hal went on to attend Mississippi A&M and then George
Washington University where he earned a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1894.[2]
Shortly
after graduation, Muldrow came to the Indian Territory with the U.S. Geological
Survey where he assisted in establishing section lines in the Choctaw Nation.
He went with the U.S. Geological Survey to Alaska in 1898 as a topographer for
a party surveying the height of what was then known as Mount McKinley.[3]
Muldrow returned to the Indian Territory and married Mary Daisy Fisher on April
12, 1899, at Tishomingo.[4]
Miss Fisher was the daughter of David Osborn Fisher, a citizen of the Choctaw
Nation and an adopted citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, who served in various tribal
positions of importance as well as operating a mercantile.[5]
It was while
with the U.S. Geological Survey in 1896 that Muldrow took the degrees of
Freemasonry in South McAlester Lodge No. 81 (now No. 96). He was initiated an
Entered Apprentice on April 3, passed to the degree of Fellowcraft on May 1,
and raised to the degree of Master Mason on June 26.[6]
After returning from Alaska and marrying, Muldrow established his residence in
Tishomingo where he practiced law. He also pursued real estate interests and
engaged in the buying and selling of cotton and gravel. When the Chicago, Rock
Island, and Pacific Railway built a branch line from Haileyville through
Tishomingo to Ardmore in 1901, Muldrow became the townsite agent.[7]
He demitted from South McAlester Lodge No. 81 in 1902 and affiliated with
Tishomingo Lodge No. 77 (now No. 91).[8]
In
Tishomingo, Muldrow really began to devote himself to Freemasonry. He was
elected Worshipful Master of Tishomingo Lodge for the year 1903 and would not
vacate the East until the end of 1905. During this period, Muldrow was elected
Junior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of Indian Territory. He proceeded
through the progressive officer line, becoming Grand Master of Indian Territory
in 1908.[9]
A member of the Scottish Rite at McAlester, having received those degrees in
1902 at Washington, D.C., Muldrow was coroneted a 33rd Degree at the
age of thirty-seven in 1909. He was a charter member of Tishomingo Chapter No.
40, R.A.M. (chartered April 12, 1904), and a charter member of Tishomingo
Council No. 9, R. & S.M. (chartered April 19, 1905). Muldrow was knighted
in Ardmore Commandery No. 9, K.T. in 1904.[10]
With
statehood for Oklahoma arriving in November of 1907, the state then had two
grand lodges for the Twin Territories operating within its borders. A fair
portion of Muldrow’s 1908 term as Grand Master of Indian Territory was devoted
to the issue of uniting the two jurisdictions. On February 9, 1909, the Grand
Lodge of Indian Territory assembled as her own entity for the final time at
McAlester. There, Muldrow delivered the following remarks on what was to come:
… the new Grand Lodge of the State of
Oklahoma, which under all human probability will be organized tomorrow, will
not be any greater, any prouder, any more willing and anxious to do that for
which it is organized than this one but with the majority of my brethren I
believe that the best interest of all is better served by the union of the two
Grand Lodges now within this State and I rejoice that the union will but unite
noble-hearted men in closer communication in the Great Brotherhood.[11]
The next
day, representatives of the Grand Lodge of Indian Territory travelled by train
to Guthrie for the special convention to form the new Grand Lodge of the State
of Oklahoma. When his grand lodge was formed in 1874, Muldrow was but a
toddler. Alive then, but not present that day, was Joseph S. Murrow, the
“Father of Freemasonry in Oklahoma.” Murrow became the second Grand Master of
Indian Territory in 1877. At the age of seventy-four, Murrow would assume
another important role, this time as secretary of the convention to form the
new grand lodge.[12]
As the day concluded, the Craft united as one grand body chose Henry L. Muldrow
as the first Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of the State of Oklahoma.[13]
Past Grand Master Jewel of Henry L. Muldrow, c. 1910
(From the collections of the McAlester Scottish Rite)
While
Muldrow’s first term in the Grand East as the last Grand Master of Indian
Territory was occupied with some very serious administrative duties, he found
his second term in the Grand East as the first Grand Master of the State of
Oklahoma to be equally as well occupied. One major task of combining two grand
jurisdictions was establishing a uniform ritual for the degrees. This task fell
to a committee comprised of Grand Lecturer David D. Hoag, William M. Anderson,
and William A. McBride.[14]
During a Special Communication held over the course of two days at McAlester,
beginning on February 8, 1910, the three degrees of Ancient Craft Masonry for
the jurisdiction of the State of Oklahoma were conferred upon a series of
candidates and adopted as the ritualistic work.[15]
One man assisting with the degree conferrals was Joseph S. Murrow. He would
himself be tasked with preparing a Masonic monitor for the new grand lodge, the
written ritualistic work.[16]
With the assistance of William M. Anderson, “The Murrow Masonic Monitor” was
completed and remains in use today.
Muldrow’s
most important administrative task surrounded the Masonic Children’s Home. In
1888 the Grand Lodge of Indian Territory had resolved to “raise funds therefor
and secure legal title to a suitable body of land on which to erect a Masonic
Orphanage.”[17]
By 1907, temporary accommodations had been secured for the Masonic orphanage at
the Murrow Indian Orphans’ Home in Atoka.[18]
It was discovered in 1909 that the old Cheyenne and Arapaho Indian School
Reservation at Darlington, four miles west of El Reno, was being offered to the
city of El Reno for the appraised value of $73,288.41. Muldrow convinced the
city of El Reno to relinquish its option to purchase the 634 acres and secured
access for the Masonic orphans to the city high school. Muldrow’s work required
visits to Washington, D.C., in order to help usher a bill through Congress allowing
the Fraternity to purchase the property. With the sponsorship of Representative
Dick T. Morgan and Senator Robert L. Owen (a Brother Mason), the bill made it
out of committee, but not without help. Thanks to Brother J.H. Shephard of
South McAlester Lodge No. 96, who was assistant to the Attorney General of the
United States, the bill received the approval of the Department of Interior and
did not become stalled in committee. The bill, which required three separate
payments for the property, was passed by Congress in January of 1910.[19]
Darlington would house the Masonic Home until it moved to Guthrie in 1922.
To help with
the mission of Oklahoma A&M at Stillwater, a series of subsidiary schools
were established at Tishomingo, Lawton, and Warner. Muldrow was made president
of the college located at Tishomingo, but he did not remain in that city for much
longer. He moved to Norman in 1914 and soon went to work for the Minnesota
Mutual Life Insurance Company, remaining in their employ for forty years. In
Norman, Muldrow began to serve on the Board of Education. Active in Democratic
politics, he also managed two gubernatorial campaigns, which resulted in his
appointment to the Board of Regents for the University of Oklahoma.[20]
Muldrow’s
tenure on the Board of Regents saw him advocate for the Regents to not become
involved with the powers and prerogatives of the university president. He also
demanded that the Regents resist the overreach of elected officials in meddling
with the business of the university, the campus was often susceptible to
political whims.[21] While
a Regent, Muldrow saw a need for housing for young Masons and the children of
Masons who were attending the University of Oklahoma and proposed the idea to
the McAlester Scottish Rite Valley[22].
It was reported that 184 young men on campus were Masons and that 484 boys and
463 girls were the children of Masons.[23]
The Albert Pike Lodge of Perfection at McAlester purchased two plots of land in
1919 for $17,200 to erect dormitories on. The site that would become the boys’
dormitory was located at the corner of Boyd and University. What was to become
the girls’ dormitory was located on the same block, north of what was then the
Delta Delta Delta sorority house.[24]
While the girls’ dormitory did not come to fruition, the cornerstone for the
boys’ dormitory, known simply as the Masonic Dormitory, was laid on October 11,
1920.[25]
The building opened in 1921 with accommodations for 135 students. Each pair of
rooms was equipped with disappearing beds and an adjoining study room,
providing living quarters for four young men. There was a lodge room located on
the fourth floor, in the wing behind the tower, for use by the local DeMolay
and Acacia chapters.[26]
The total construction cost for the building was $250,000.[27]
Masonic Dormitory at the University of Oklahoma
(Courtesy of the Oklahoma Historical Society)
Muldrow also
had another moment of note arise while serving as a Regent, this time involving
one of the university’s four original professors. Edwin C. DeBarr arrived in
Norman in the autumn of 1892 to teach chemistry. DeBarr came to be well liked
by his students and rose to prominence in Masonic circles. He was the eleventh
Worshipful Master of Norman Lodge No. 38 and the first High Priest of Lion
Chapter No. 24, R.A.M.; even serving as Grand Prelate of the Grand Commandery
Knights Templar of Oklahoma in 1902.[28]
Unfortunately, DeBarr was also involved with the Ku Klux Klan, eventually holding
the position of Grand Dragon of Oklahoma and later Imperial Kludd.[29]
DeBarr had in time become vice president of the university and when President
Stratton D. Brooks was away from campus in August of 1922, DeBarr called for
his fellow Klansmen to vote for Klansman Robert H. Wilson for governor.[30]
Wilson was the state Superintendent of Public Education in 1917 when the
campus’ new chemistry building was erected and named DeBarr Hall.[31]
DeBarr’s actions were in direct violation of a decree issued by the Board of
Regents banning faculty from becoming involved in the pro and anti-Klan
politics of the day.[32]
As Chairman of the Board of Regents, Muldrow called for DeBarr’s dismissal from
the faculty. The Regents ultimately recommended that Debarr not retain his
position as vice president. The gubernatorial election did not end well for
DeBarr though, his candidate lost, five brand new Regents were appointed, and
DeBarr was removed from the faculty at the University of Oklahoma in the summer
of 1923.[33]
In October
of 1929, the stock market crashed in the United States, thrusting the world
into what would become known as the Great Depression. It became evident that
Masonic relief would be needed and here Muldrow saw an opportunity for
something good to be created. In 1929 the Grand Lodge of the State of Oklahoma
had appropriated $80,000 for the Masonic Home, which was overseeing Masonic
relief. The Home, which included children and adults in two separate locations
now, had two hundred residents and a total of $13,329 was spent that year for
the relief of those outside of the Home. The problem being faced was that while
the Grand Lodge received donations and bequests by will, this all went into a
general fund with an annual appropriation for Masonic relief. As applications
for relief were numbering in the hundreds and climbing, it could very well take
the entirety of the annual revenue to care for those requiring assistance. In 1930
Muldrow and a special committee brought a resolution before Grand Lodge that
read in part:
…for the particular purpose of
receiving, segregating and securing proper and efficient management, control,
and use of such donations, gifts and bequests, as are properly intended for the
financial support of our Masonic Homes and Masonic relief, and for the further
purpose of encouraging charity, benevolence, education and philanthropy… there
shall be created, incorporated and organized a holding company, or Masonic
Charity Foundation.[34]
Upon
adoption of the resolution, Muldrow became the Executive Secretary of the new
foundation, a position he held until his death.[35]
By 1932 the Masonic Charity Foundation of Oklahoma had a net worth of
$59,858.33.[36]
Today, the Foundation’s net assets exceed $90,000,000.
Muldrow also
worked to spread further Masonic light in helping to organize the Red Cross of
Constantine in Oklahoma, an invitational Masonic order for those who have made
noteworthy contributions to the Fraternity. He remained committed to lifelong
learning and spent ten years on the Board of Directors of the Oklahoma
Historical Society, depositing a collection of annual proceedings of various
Oklahoma Masonic orders in their archives.[37]
Henry L. Muldrow passed away on May 16, 1951, and was laid to rest in the IOOF
Cemetery of Norman, Oklahoma.[38]
The fall Reunion of the McAlester Scottish Rite Valley that year, held
September 22-23, was conducted in Muldrow’s honor. The two hundred men who took
their 32nd Degree that day became known as “The Henry Lowndes
Muldrow Class.”[39] It
was a fitting memorial for a great Oklahoma Mason.
Muldrow family grave marker at the Norman IOOF Cemetery
[1] Charles Evans, "Henry Lowndes
Muldrow," The Chronicles of Oklahoma 29, no. 4 (1951-1952): 394.
[2] Evans, 394-395.
[3] J. Fred Latham, The Story of Oklahoma
Masonry: The First Seventy-Five Years of Symbolic Masonry 1874-1949
(Guthrie: Grand Lodge of Oklahoma, 1978), 201.
[4] Evans, 395.
[5] Harry F. O'Beirne, Leaders and Leading Men
of the Indian Territory: With Interesting Biographical Sketches (Chicago:
American Publishers Association, 1891), 1: 36-37.
[6] Latham, 200.
[7] Evans, 395.
[8] Latham, 200.
[9] Ibid., 200.
[10] William E. Godfrey, ed., Grand Masters of
Oklahoma (Oklahoma Lodge of Research, 1975), 31.
[11] Proceedings of the M.: W.: Grand Lodge
A.F. & A.M. of the Indian Territory: Thirty-Sixth Annual Communication
(Guthrie, Okla.: The State Capital Company, 1909), 38.
[12] Proceedings of the M.: W.: Grand Lodge
A.F. & A.M. of Oklahoma: Seventeenth Annual Communication (Guthrie,
1909), 199.
[13] Oklahoma: Seventeenth Annual Communication,
236.
[14] Proceedings of the M.: W.: Grand Lodge
A.F. & A.M. of the State of Oklahoma: Second Annual Communication
(Guthrie, 1910), 49.
[15] Latham, 293.
[16]
State of Oklahoma: Second Annual
Communication, 147.
[17] Proceedings of the M.: W.: Grand Lodge
A.F. & A.M. of the Indian Territory: Fourteenth Annual Communication
(Muskogee, Ind. Ter.: Phoenix Steam Printing Company, 1888), 23.
[18] William H. Phelps, Memories: Oklahoma
Masonic Children’s Home (Oklahoma Lodge of Research, 1995), 1.
[19] State of Oklahoma: Second Annual
Communication, 84-86.
[20] Evans, 396.
[21] Ibid., 396.
[22] "Masonic Dormitory Sets Pace for
U.S.," The Daily Transcript (Norman, OK), October 19, 1919,
https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc114177/m1/1/.
[23] "The Beautiful Masonic Dormitory," The
Daily Transcript (Norman, OK), January 1, 1920, https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc114238/m1/2/.
[24] "Masons Purchase Two Building Sites on
University Boulevard," The Daily Transcript (Norman, OK), November
6, 1919, https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc114193/m1/1/.
[25] Robert T. Shipe, Cornerstones by Grand
Lodges, A.F. & A.M. in Oklahoma: 1875-2015 (Guthrie: Grand Lodge of the
State of Oklahoma, 2016), 423.
[26] Elisha A. Paschall, "Masonic Dormitory
is Completed: Beautiful Structure at Oklahoma University is Campus Home for
Masons and Sons of Masons," The Acacia Journal 16, no. 1 (1921):
61,
https://books.google.com/books?id=dXTorvYplfsC&pg=PP7#v=onepage&q&f=false.
[27] "Norman Building is Over Million, Says
O.U. Publicity Man," The Daily Transcript (Norman, OK), June 27,
1920, https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc114381/m1/4/.
[28] Oklahoma Templary (vertical file, T.S. Akers
Private Collection).
[29] David W. Levy, “The Rise and Fall and Rise
and Fall of Edwin (“Daddy”) DeBarr,” The Chronicles of Oklahoma 88, no.
3 (2010): 298.
[30] Levy, 299.
[31] Ibid., 293.
[32] Ibid., 298.
[33] Ibid., 300-302.
[34] Proceedings of the M.: W.: Grand Lodge
A.F. & A.M. of the State of Oklahoma: Twenty-Second Annual Communication
(Guthrie, 1930), 203-205.
[35] Evans, 397.
[36] Proceedings of the M.: W.: Grand Lodge
A.F. & A.M. of the State of Oklahoma: Twenty-Fourth Annual Communication
(Guthrie, 1932), 216-217.
[37] Evans, 397-399.
[38] Latham, 200.
[39] Evans, 400.
