Masonic Guthrie

By T.S. Akers

Recently the town of Guthrie, Oklahoma, played host to a historic event.  On the first weekend of September in 2013 over 50,000 people flocked to the first capital of Oklahoma for the Mumford and Sons Gentlemen of the Road Stopover music festival.  In an interview with a local television station, the band Mumford and Sons noted they chose Guthrie owing to its “weird” history.[i]  This of course was not the first time the population of Guthrie exploded overnight with a thriving tent city.  It was on April 22, 1889, that roughly 50,000 settlers raced across the prairie to stake their land claims.  On that day, the bustling town of Guthrie sprang into existence.  Owing to the number of people wanting lots within the city limits, four towns were actually established in what is present-day Guthrie: Guthrie, East Guthrie, West Guthrie, and Capitol Hill.  With the passage of the Organic Act in 1890, the four towns were merged as one with Guthrie serving as the territorial and then state capital until 1913.[ii]

Those men who came to Guthrie to start new lives in a new territory brought with them their various associations, including Freemasonry.  Much of the architecture that came to comprise the Victorian city of Guthrie still exists as it has become the nation’s largest Historic Preservation District.[iii]  Walking the streets of Guthrie can transport a visitor to a bygone era.  To the benefit of Masonic historians and lovers of architecture, many of those early Masonic edifices of Guthrie stand today, offering a glimpse of early territorial Freemasonry.

The second home of Guthrie Masonic Lodge No. 35

(Courtesy of T.S. Akers)

Like all Masonic journeys, one must begin with Ancient Craft Masonry.  Four short months after the Land Run of ’89, a dispensation to work was issued to what would become Guthrie Lodge No. 35 on August 29, 1889, with a charter being issued the following November by the Grand Lodge of Indian Territory.  The building Guthrie Lodge No. 35 first met in no longer stands, but the second does.  The structure residing at 121 E. Oklahoma Avenue was completed around 1902 at a cost of $15,000.  Guthrie Lodge No. 35 moved from this building to the Grand Lodge building around 1926 but returned to the 121 E. Oklahoma Avenue structure in the 1960s.   The Brethren of Guthrie Lodge No. 35 continued to meet there until 1994.[iv]  Today the building houses the Double Stop Fiddle Shop and Music Hall.  

The De Steiguer Building

(Courtesy of T.S. Akers)

What is probably the most prominent Masonic structure in the City of Guthrie is the Scottish Rite Temple residing at the end of Oklahoma Avenue.  The temple that stands today is actually the third meeting place of the Guthrie Valley of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite.  After the Guthrie Valley was organized by Harper S. Cunningham on January 19, 1896, the Brethren commenced meeting in the De Steiguer Building which still stands at 110 and 112 E. Oklahoma Avenue.[v]  The cornerstone for the first Scottish Rite Temple in Guthrie was laid by Grand Master of Masons William L. Eagleton on October 4, 1899 at the corner of Broad Street and Harrison Avenue.  On May 26, 1900, the Scottish Rite Brethren of Guthrie opened the doors of their new temple for the public to see.[vi]  In time, the Guthrie Valley of the Scottish Rite outgrew its first temple and transferred the building to the Grand Lodge of the State of Oklahoma in 1922.[vii]  The first temple, deemed unsuitable for use, was razed in the 1950s.[viii]

The Guthrie Scottish Rite Temple

(Courtesy of T.S. Akers)

Upon transferring the first Scottish Rite Temple to the Grand Lodge, the Brethren of Guthrie set out to erect their second temple.  Guthrie had originally served as the capital of Oklahoma Territory and at the end of Oklahoma Avenue sat a prime piece of property that was to serve as Capitol Park.  The City of Guthrie erected a convention hall there for the purpose of a capitol building.  Unfortunately, Guthrie lost the bid to serve as the state capital on June 11, 1910.  The Methodist Church in Oklahoma and Texas then showed an interest in the convention hall, hoping to occupy it as the Methodist University.  Ultimately, the church could not support a campus in Guthrie and closed it in May of 1919.[ix]  The very next month, the City of Guthrie agreed to transfer the convention hall and area known as Capitol Park to the Guthrie Valley of the Scottish Rite for one dollar.[x]  Standing as a testament to the men of Guthrie Scottish Rite, the second temple was completed in 1924 and would be labeled the largest Masonic structure in the world.[xi]  The original convention hall also remains connected by way of a corridor, though now serving as a dining hall and hotel for Brethren attending events at the temple.

The Masonic Children's Home

(Courtesy of T.S. Akers)

While downtown Guthrie contains many architectural treasures, another former Masonic jewel resides just off the beaten path.  In 1907 the Grand Lodge of Indian Territory established a Masonic Home at Atoka for orphans and the elderly.  By Act of Congress, the Grand Lodge was able to purchase the former Cheyenne-Arapaho Indian School at Darlington and the Home was moved there in 1910.  In 1922 the Home moved again, this time to Guthrie.[xii]  It was ultimately decided that the elderly should be housed separately from the children and they occupied their own quarters.  Located at 602 E. College Avenue, what was originally the Masonic Children’s Home now serves as a wedding and event venue.  The campus originally contained numerous structures including a print shop for Masonic publications financed by the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Oklahoma.[xiii]  Today only the federal style main building and gymnasium, now a ballroom, remain.

Freemasonry remained an active force in Guthrie in the latter half of the twentieth century as well.  The current home of the Grand Lodge of the State of Oklahoma is situated on the same block as the original Scottish Rite Temple, which was once home to the Grand Lodge.  A uniquely modern building, the cornerstone was laid in 1955.[xiv]  Other more recent structures dedicated to Freemasonry include the former Masonic Retirement Home and the headquarters of the Grand Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star of Oklahoma.  As can be seen, Freemasonry has gone hand in hand with the “weird” history of Guthrie since the beginning. 

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[i]  "News 9 Sits Down With Mumford & Sons Before They Rock Guthrie,” News9.com, <http://www.news9.com/story/23370338/news-9-sits-down-with-mumford-sons-before-they-rock-guthrie>, Accessed 6 October 2013.

[ii]  “Guthrie,” Oklahoma Historical Society’s Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, <http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/g/gu003.html>, Accessed 6 October 2013.

[iii]  “Guthrie Awaits Eager Suitors Nation's Largest Historic Preservation District Ready to Make Its Entrance,” NewsOK.com, <http://newsok.com/guthrie-awaits-eager-suitors-nations-largest-historic-preservation-district-ready-to-make-its-entrance/article/2243331>, Accessed 6 October 2013.

[iv]  “About Guthrie Masonic Lodge No. 35,” Guthrie Masonic Lodge No. 35, <http://www.guthrielodge35.org/about.php>, Accessed 6 October 2013.

[v]  Robert G. Davis and Frank A. Derr, 100 Years of Scottish Rite Masonry in the Valley of Guthrie (Oklahoma:  Guthrie Valley AASR), 11-12.

[vi]  Ibid., 28-44.

[vii]  Ibid., 104.

[viii]  Ibid., 177-178.

[ix]  Ibid., 79-85.

[x]  Ibid., 90-91.

[xi]  Ibid., 128-134.

[xii]  William H. Phelps, Memories:  Oklahoma Masonic Children’s Home (Oklahoma:  Oklahoma Lodge of Research, 1995), 2-16.

[xiii]  Norman E. Angel, Kenneth S. Adams, and William A. Hensley, History of the Grand Chapter of the Royal Arch Masons of Oklahoma (Oklahoma:  1964), 52.

[xiv]  “1955 - Oklahoma Grand Lodge - Guthrie, OK,” Waymarking.com, <http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMGAXW_1955_Oklahoma_Grand_Lodge_Guthrie_OK>, Accessed 6 October 2013.

Freemasonry at the University of Oklahoma

By T.S. Akers

It is noted that Freemasonry is a progressive science, attainable only by degrees.  Through those degrees “students” of Freemasonry obtain knowledge and this pursuit of knowledge ties Freemasonry to those pursuits found in the halls of academia.  Owing to this, it is not at all uncommon to find Freemasons in posts at Universities.  One such school where the work of Freemasons commenced on day one and the signs are still evident is the University of Oklahoma.

The year 1889 saw the opening of the Unassigned Lands which would be organized into Oklahoma Territory by the Organic Act of 1890, thus providing the framework for a territorial legislature.[i]  One of the early acts of the new legislature was the establishment of institutions of higher education.  On December 19, 1890, the University of Oklahoma was established as the state university in Norman with an agricultural and mechanical college in Stillwater and a normal school in Edmond.[ii]  It took some time to get the fledgling university of its feet, but the first President arrived in Norman on August 6, 1892.[iii]

When David Ross Boyd arrived in Norman in 1892, he found his campus to be nothing more than a prairie.[iv]  He would go on to serve as President until 1908, seeing enrollment rise to 790 by the end of his tenure.  Boyd took great pride in his campus; evidenced by his building projects and his tree planting campaigns which today make much of “old” Norman appear as a wooded island on the prairie.[v]  During Boyd’s tenure at the University he also enjoyed the Brotherhood of Norman Masonic Lodge.[vi]  Perhaps his most lasting legacy is the home that stands at the corner of University and Boyd today, known as Boyd House it serves as the official residence of the President of the University of Oklahoma.[vii]

Boyd’s first great task was assembling an able faculty for his new university.  One of those hires was Edwin C. DeBarr.[viii]  He would go on to establish the Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Departments in addition to the School of Pharmacy.[ix]  DeBarr was also a very active Freemason, serving as Worshipful Master of Norman Masonic Lodge and High Priest of Norman Chapter of Royal Arch Masons.  As a member of Oklahoma Commandery No. 2 stationed in Oklahoma City, he served as Grand Prelate of the Grand Commandery Knights Templar of Oklahoma in 1902.[x]  Another of Boyd’s hires, James S. Buchanan, would go onto serve as the fourth President of the University of Oklahoma (1923-1925).[xi]  One can also find Buchanan’s name among the attendance records of Norman Masonic Lodge.[xii]

While these men’s time on Earth was finite, several buildings on campus erected during their lives still bear the marks of Freemasonry in the form of cornerstones.

Evans Hall

(Courtesy of T.S. Akers)

In 1909 construction began on what was then known as Administration Hall.  The building, which would replace the burned University Hall, would go on to be named Evans Hall for second university president Arthur Grant Evans.  The construction of the new building became a personal project of his, with every detail gaining his seal of approval.[xiii]  On November 16, 1909, the newly consolidated Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of the State of Oklahoma assembled to lay the cornerstone of the new edifice.  

  (Courtesy of T.S. Akers)

Whitehand Hall

(Courtesy of T.S. Akers)

The Twenties saw a variety of Masonic construction projects commence in Oklahoma, one of those was Albert Pike Hall.  The building was erected by the McAlester Valley of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite with a healthy contribution from the Masonic Charity Foundation of Oklahoma.[xiv]  The building originally served as a dormitory for those male students with Masonic affiliation including the Acacia social fraternity.[xv]  Albert Pike Hall was sold to the University of Oklahoma in 1946 and renamed Whitehand Hall for Captain Robert H. Whitehand, a playwright and professor of drama.[xvi]  The vestiges of Scottish Rite Masonry remain upon the structure today, though it now serves as faculty offices.

 (Courtesy of T.S. Akers)

Ellison Hall

 (Courtesy of T.S. Akers)

Completed in 1928 and originally named Hygeia Hall, what is today Ellison Hall served as the first university infirmary.  The building was renamed in the 1930s for Dr. Gayfree Ellison, first Director of Student Health.  Housed inside were examination and treatment rooms, hospital rooms, and surgery rooms.  The School of Arts and Sciences has called Ellison Hall home since 2004.[xvii]  The cornerstone laid by Grand Master Flesher can be found on the building’s west face.

(Courtesy of T.S. Akers)

Today many college men are seeking out the brotherhood of Freemasonry.  The Masonic Fraternity of Oklahoma still actively supports higher education.  Most recently a gift was presented to the University of Oklahoma, Division of Student Affairs in the amount of $250,000.[xviii]  Through the work of Freemasons, students, and professors, the legacy of such pioneers as David Ross Boyd and his original faculty lives on.

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[i]  “Oklahoma Territory,” Oklahoma Historical Society’s Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, <http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/o/ok085.html>, Accessed 28 July 2013.

[ii]  David W. Levy, The University of Oklahoma:  A History (Norman:  University of Oklahoma Press, 2005), 14-16.

[iii]  Ibid., 36.

[iv]  Ibid., 37.

[v]  “Boyd, David Ross,” Oklahoma Historical Society’s Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, <http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/B/BO030.html>, Accessed 28 July 2013.

[vi]  Robert G. Davis and James T. Tresner II, Indians, Cowboys, Cornerstones, and Charities:  A Centennial Celebration of Freemasonry in Oklahoma (Guthrie:  The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of the State of Oklahoma Library and Museum, 2009).

[vii]  Carol J. Burr, “Welcome to Boyd House,” Sooner Magazine, Fall 2006.

[viii]  Levy, 39-40.

[ix]  "Former Dean Profile:  Edwin C. DeBarr," The University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy, <http://pharmacy.ouhsc.edu/about/history/deans/debarr.asp>, Accessed 28 July 2013.

[x]  Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Oklahoma, Proceedings of the 7^th Annual Conclave (Oklahoma:  1902).

[xi]  “James Shannon Buchanan,” The Chronicles of Oklahoma 8 (September 1930):  353.

[xii]  Norman Lodge No. 5 AF&AM, Tyler’s Register, 1898 – 1901, Private Collection, Norman Lodge No. 38, Norman, Oklahoma.

[xiii]  Levy, 209-210.

[xiv]  Charles Evans, “Henry Lowndes Muldrow,” The Chronicles of Oklahoma 29 (January 1951):  397.

[xv]  Robert G. Davis and Frank A. Derr, 100 Years of Scottish Rite Masonry in the Valley of Guthrie (Oklahoma:  Guthrie Valley AASR), 99-100.

[xvi]  James T. Tresner II, “A Monumental Life:  An Incomplete Article,” The Scottish Rite Journal (June 2003).

[xvii]  “Ellison Hall Rededication,” The University of Oklahoma College of Arts and Sciences, <http://cas.ou.edu/ellison-hall-rededication>, Accessed 30 July 2013.

[xviii]  “OU Receives $250,000 Gift for Leaders Summit From Masonic Charity Foundation of Oklahoma,” University of Oklahoma Public Affairs, <https://www.ou.edu/content/publicaffairs/archives/LeadersSummitGift.html>, Accessed 30 July 2013.

Cryptic Masonry in Indian Territory

By T.S. Akers

When one considers the so called “high degrees” of Freemasonry today they often believe these have always existed in all jurisdictions.  Such is not the case though and there is no more perfect an example than that of the degrees of Cryptic Masonry.  This small but significant collection of degrees was quickly adopted as part of the York Rite system, often called the American York Rite of Freemasonry.  No where is this adoption more evident than in Oklahoma where the lessons taught by Cryptic Masonry were readily sought out by those pioneer Brethren who cemented the future for generations to come.

The Cryptic Rite of Freemasonry arrived in America from France, by way of the West Indies, as side degrees of the Scottish Rite.  In 1761 a French Mason named Stephen Morin was created Inspector General for the New World of the Rite of Perfection (Scottish Rite).  While in Kingston, Jamaica, Morin appointed Henry A. Francken a Deputy Inspector General who in turn appointed Moses Michael Hayes of Boston a Deputy as well.  Under the direction of Francken and Hayes the Select Master degree is known to have been conferred in Albany, New York, in 1767 and Charleston, South Carolina, in 1788.[i]

A Council of Royal and Select Masters, the two degrees comprising the Cryptic Rite, was established in Windser, Vermont, in 1817 and a Grand Council was formed two years later in Connecticut.[ii]  As these degrees were viewed as significant to Capitular Masonry, they were often conferred in chapters of Royal Arch Masons.  In 1853 the General Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons abandoned any control over the degrees and the Scottish Rite did so as well in 1870.[iii]  With numerous Grand Councils in existence, a meeting was called to form a General Grand Council with Josiah Drummond of Maine at the helm in 1872.  By 1880 a constitution had been adopted and in 1883 the General Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters was convened in Denver.[iv]

It was at that triennial Assembly in 1883 that a Companion from Indian Territory sought out the General Grand Master in order to request a dispensation to organize a Council of Royal and Select Masters.[v]  Known as the “Father of Freemasonry,” Joseph S. Murrow received the Cryptic degrees in Linden, Texas.[vi]  In his address, General Grand Master Drummond said the following of Murrow:

…I am sufficiently acquainted with the zeal and character of the Companion Royal Arch Masons whom he represents to feel sure that a prosperous Council will be maintained there, if one shall be organized.

While a dispensation to form a Council in Indian Territory was not issued at the Assembly, one was issued by Drummond’s successor, Osgoodby, on November 5, 1883.  And thus Oklahoma Council came into existence at Atoka, I.T.  At the next triennial Assembly in 1886, Oklahoma Council was duly chartered on September 26; but for reasons unclear, the charter failed to arrive in Atoka.  This issue was rectified a year later, but Companion Murrow labored on in the document’s absence.[vii]

For several years the Council of Royal and Select Masters at Atoka was in effect a Grand Body of itself, occupying jurisdictional territory over Indian Territory.[viii]  More and more Companion Royal Arch Masons were seeking out the Cryptic degrees and it was becoming clear that more Councils would be needed.  To meet the need, the Companions at Atoka had been traveling across the territory with their charter to receive petitions, ballot thereon, and confer degrees.[ix]  To remedy this demand for the Cryptic Rite, Councils were established at Muskogee with Zachary T. Walrond as Illustrious Master (Muskogee Council No. 2) and McAlester with Edmond H. Doyle as Illustrious Master (Union Council No. 3) in May of 1894.  In a show of respect to the Companions of Atoka, all who had previously been made Royal and Select Masters in Oklahoma Council maintained their membership in the “Mother Council.”[x]

With three Councils now in operation, the time had come to form a Grand Council.  On November 5, 1894, a convention was called to order in McAlester for just this purpose.  Present that evening were the Illustrious Masters, Deputy Masters, Principal Conductors of the Work and Recorders of each of the three Councils, with none represented by proxies.[xi]  There the Companions unanimously adopted the resolution to form a Grand Council and Robert W. Hill was elected the first Illustrious Grand Master.  After considerable fraternal correspondence with the General Grand Council, Murrow acting as deputy for the General Grand Master instituted the Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters of Indian Territory on May 16, 1895, in Muskogee.[xii] 

Robert W. Hill

(Courtesy of the Grand Commandery Knights Templar of Oklahoma)

The year 1889 would see the opening of the Unassigned Lands and the formation of Oklahoma Territory on May 2, 1890.[xiii]  The Companions of Indian Territory took note of this and hoped to expand the Cryptic Rite into Oklahoma under one banner, in the same fashion as with Royal Arch Masonry.  A request was submitted to the General Grand Council to extend the jurisdiction of the Grand Council of Indian Territory but it was denied on constitutional objections, political boundaries long being considered the jurisdictional boundaries of Grand Bodies.[xiv]  From 1889 to 1899 no Councils of Royal and Select Masters were established in Oklahoma by the General Grand Council.  Upon adoption of a resolution to expand its territory by the Companions of Indian Territory, the General Grand Council finally consented to do so in 1900.[xv]  And thus the Cryptic Rite arrived in Oklahoma united as one with Indian Territory, preventing any need for consolidation when Statehood ultimately came in 1907.

While Oklahoma Council No. 1 at Atoka is but a memory, there have been fifty-nine Councils of Cryptic Masons (as they are called today) chartered in Oklahoma since 1883.  Of those fifty-nine, seventeen have withstood the ages and continue to spread Cryptic Light.[xvi]  The noted Oklahoma Masonic historian Charles Creager once penned “the principal foundation of the Cryptic Rite is to amplify” and it does just that.[xvii]  Cryptic Masonry amplifies the lessons taught by Capitular Masonry and as such has cemented itself in the Masonic landscape of not only Oklahoma but the entire United States.

 Grand Council assembled at Ada, c. 1924

(Courtesy of the Grand Council of Cryptic Masons of Oklahoma)

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[i]  Frederick G. Speidel, The York Rite of Freemasonry:  A History and Handbook (Mitchell-Fleming Printing Inc., 1978), 44.

[ii]  Charles E. Creager, A History of the Cryptic Rite of Freemasonry in Oklahoma (Muskogee, Oklahoma:  Hoffman-Speed, 1925).

[iii]  Speidel, 46.

[iv]  Creager, A History of the Cryptic Rite of Freemasonry in Oklahoma.

[v]  Charles E. Creager, History of Freemasonry in Oklahoma (Muskogee, Oklahoma:  Muskogee Print Shop, 1935), 115.

[vi]  Creager, A History of the Cryptic Rite of Freemasonry in Oklahoma.

[vii]  Creager, History of Freemasonry in Oklahoma, 115-117.

[viii]  Ibid., 115.

[ix]  Ibid., 119.

[x]  Creager, A History of the Cryptic Rite of Freemasonry in Oklahoma.

[xi]  Creager, History of Freemasonry in Oklahoma, 120-121.

[xii]  Creager, A History of the Cryptic Rite of Freemasonry in Oklahoma.

[xiii]  “Oklahoma Territory,” Oklahoma Historical Society’s Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, <http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/O/OK085.html>, Accessed 28 May 2013.

[xiv]  Creager, A History of the Cryptic Rite of Freemasonry in Oklahoma.

[xv]  Creager, History of Freemasonry in Oklahoma, 126-127.

[xvi]  Grand Council of Cryptic Masons of Oklahoma, Proceedings of the 117^th Annual Assembly (Oklahoma:  2011).

[xvii]  Creager, A History of the Cryptic Rite of Freemasonry in Oklahoma.

Templar Treasures: Pershing in Oklahoma

By T.S. Akers
(originally published in the November 2011 issue of Knight Templar magazine)

 

Many Masonic Bodies across the United States have come into possession of various treasures over the years.  These can range from simple minute books from bygone eras that bear the signatures of important men of the times to more awe inspiring items.  For example, Norman Masonic Lodge No. 38 AF&AM proudly displays a tyler’s register from 1899 bearing the signature of James S. Buchanan who was the fourth President of the University of Oklahoma.[1]  It is in the antechamber of Lawton Commandery No. 18 in Lawton, Oklahoma that a truly great Templar treasure can be found.

 

Old cannoneers will know the city of Lawton as being adjacent to Fort Sill which was constructed in 1869 by elements of the 10^th US Cavalry and the 6^th US Infantry.  Eventually the School of Fire was established at Fort Sill in 1911.[2]  Fort Sill and the military in general have long had a connection with the Fraternity in Oklahoma.  In December of 1917, over two-hundred soldiers from Camp Doniphan at Ft. Sill were given passes to journey to Guthrie for a special Scottish Rite reunion; it was the first time Oklahoma Consistory No. 1 conferred all 29 degrees and with a class composed entirely of servicemen.  Due to the number of soldiers interested in being made 32° Masons, the post commander issued an order limiting the number of passes that could be issued at any one time.  With this restriction on the number of troops that could leave the post, the Guthrie Scottish Rite Bodies erected a Masonic “club house” on site for the purpose of communicating the degrees on soldiers.  Even Harry S. Truman, then a Lieutenant, is on record as having visited the Guthrie Scottish Rite Valley during this time.[3]  In addition to this Masonic activity, the Fort Sill Masonic Club long had a presence on the post and could count men such a Brigadier General Dwight E. Aultman, a former post commander, among its members.[4] 

 

General Aultman certainly was not the only general officer associated with the Masonic Fraternity in Oklahoma though.  Throughout its history a number of generals of the Oklahoma National Guard have been Masons.  General Ewell L. Head of Muskogee served with the National Guard prior to WWII and was an active member of both the Bedouin Shrine and the Knights Templar.[5]  General Hal L. Muldrow of Norman, the son of the first Grand Master of the State of Oklahoma, was a member of the McAlester Scottish Rite Valley.  Generals William S. Key of Seminole and Frederick A. Daugherty of Oklahoma City both held the post of Sovereign Grand Inspector General of the Scottish Rite in Oklahoma.[6] 

 

It was in the late 1940s that an artillery officer stationed at Fort Sill, Major Ralph L. Paddock Jr., presented a special gift to the Sir Knights of Lawton.[7]  As one enters the asylum they will notice a large shadow box hanging in the antechamber that contains what appears to be a rather non-descript sword of Nebraska regulation, some letters, a photo, and two brass plaques.  Upon closer inspection the curious will find that this particular sword bears the name of one of this Nation’s great military heroes, General John J. Pershing.  It is only fitting that such a memento would be deposited in a locale steeped in Military History.

 

Knight Templar Sword of John J. Pershing
(Courtesy of T.S. Akers)

 

Pershing was born in Missouri in 1860 and had the privilege of growing up in an era of some of America’s greatest generals.[8]  He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1886, where his classmates recognized that he possessed a rare quality of leadership.  Upon graduation, Pershing was assigned to the 6^th US Cavalry and sent to Fort Bayard, NM.  In 1891 he reported to the University of Nebraska to serve as Professor of Military Science and Tactics.[9]  Pershing had previously taken the degrees of Freemasonry in December of 1888 in Lincoln Lodge No. 19 of Lincoln, Nebraska.  It was while posted at the University of Nebraska that he was exalted in Lincoln Chapter No. 6 on March 28, 1894 and was dubbed and created a Knight of the Temple on Dec. 3, 1894 in Mt. Moriah Commandery No. 4.[10] 

 

After serving in Cuba in 1898, Pershing left for Manilla to fight the Moros.  It was while in Cuba that Lieutenant Pershing earned a Silver Citation Star for his Spanish Campaign Medal, the Silver Star Medal was not yet in existence.  For his service in the Philippines, then Captain Pershing was recommended for promotion to Brigadier General.[11]  The system of awards and decorations in the military was still in its infancy and brevet promotions for outstanding service where still very much a part of the American military.[12]  His military career also brought Pershing to Oklahoma City for a short time as Assistant Chief of Staff of the Southwest Division in 1904.  Pershing would go on to serve as Commander of the American Expeditionary Force in WWI and Army Chief of Staff in 1921.  He even visited Oklahoma members of the newly formed 45^th Infantry Division at Camp Wolf adjacent to Fort Sill shortly before his retirement.[13]  Pershing held the rank of General of the Armies when he retired in 1924, thus making him the only person to be bestowed that rank while living.[14] 

 

General of the Armies John J. Pershing

 

One never knows what may await them in the archives of the various Masonic Bodies across the land, some truly contain hidden treasures.  Even if that stack of papers in the back room does not yield up that rare signature or those rusty old swords in the armory do not bear a notable name, the fellowship is always well worth the distance traveled and a treasure unto itself

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[1]  Norman Lodge No. 5 AF&AM, Tyler’s Register, 1898 – 1901, Private Collection, Norman Lodge No. 38, Norman, Oklahoma.  

[2]  "Fort Sill," Oklahoma Historical Society's Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, <http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/f/fo038.html>, Accessed 6 April 2011. 

[3]  The Oklahoma Consistory (January 1918), Vol. 3, No. 1. 

[4]  Fort Sill Masonic Club, Memorial Plaque, Post Chapel, Fort Sill, Oklahoma. 

[5]  Ewell Lewis Head, Photos, 1897 – 1936, Private Collection, David Greenshields, Stillwater, Oklahoma. 

[6]  Robert G. Davis and James T. Tresner II, Indians, Cowboys, Cornerstones, and Charities:  A Centennial Celebration of Freemasonry in Oklahoma (Guthrie:  The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of the State of Oklahoma Library and Museum, 2009), 156 – 161. 

[7]  Department of the Army, Official Army Register: January 1951 (Washington, D.C.:  Government Printing Office, 1951), Vol. 1:  514. 

[8]  William R. Denslow, 10,000 Famous Freemasons (Richmond:  Macoy Publishing & Masonic Supply Co., 1957), Vol. 3:  331. 

[9]  “John Joseph Pershing, General of the Armies,” Arlington National Cemetery Website, <http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/johnjose.htm>, Accessed 6 April 2011. 

[10]  Denslow, 331. 

[11]  “John Joseph Pershing, General of the Armies.” 

[12]  William W. Savage, Jr., Class Lecture Notes, US Military History to 1902, University of Oklahoma, Fall, 2005. 

[13]  Larry Johnson, Historic Photos of Oklahoma (Nashville:  Turner Publishing Co., 2009), 105. 

[14]  “John Joseph Pershing, General of the Armies.”

The Commandery Inspection: A Templar Tradition

By T.S. Akers

 

Proficiency in ritual work is one of the keys to ensuring the future of Masonry.  It is the ritual that not only impresses the candidates in their journey for Light; it is also the means of teaching the lessons of our Fraternity.  A tradition as old as Templary in this State, the annual Commandery Inspection perpetuates the conferral of the Order of the Temple and brings Sir Knights together in fellowship.

 

The Twin Territories that would become the State of Oklahoma were by all accounts an untamed region that attracted many wild and wooly characters from the corners of the Nation.  One could also say the Masonic ritual being practiced in the region was a bit “wild and wooly” and that carried over into the Appendent Orders that would come to comprise the Masonic family.  When the first Commanderies of Knights Templar were formed in the region, they were no exception to the variation in ritual.  The Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the United States had officially standardized the ritual of the Order by the late 1800s, but the tactics used for opening a Commandery meeting varied from one Grand Jurisdiction to the next.  This variance was so great in Indian Territory that it was said the tactics varied amongst the local Commanderies.[1]  To curb this, the Grand Commandery of Indian Territory chose James A. Scott as the first Drill Master and Inspector.[2]  Scott was a Confederate veteran of the American Civil War and well versed in military matters.[3]  

To the powers that be, it was becoming quite clear that these vast differences in ritual and regalia were exhibiting a “serious lack of military discipline.”[4]  This led Grand Commander Edmond H. Doyle of Indian Territory to issue General Order No. 4 in 1898 calling for annual inspections of the constituent Commanderies.[5]  The early inspections that occurred were not truly inspections in today’s sense of the word.  These were essentially visits by an assigned Grand Officer to see that all was functioning as it should.  The inspection reports for Oklahoma Territory in 1910 paint a vivid image of what the Sir Knights were facing at the time.  Weatherford No. 11 noted that many of their Sir Knights did not reside close enough to attend meetings regularly.  The report of Lawton No. 12 also mentioned a lack of attendance but stated that they had the best arranged and finest equipped Asylum (meeting room) in the state.  Hobart No. 10 recorded twenty-six Sir Knights in attendance with all but two in uniform.  The Sir Knights at Ascension No. 3 in El Reno were meeting in their newly completed Temple which had accommodations expressly for the Order of the Temple.  The inspection report notes the following:

A novel feature in the construction of the Asylum was the Chamber of Reflection which was placed in an adjoining room west of the Asylum and perhaps five feet above the floor of the Asylum.  There was an adjustable door connecting the Chamber of Reflection and the Asylum which at the proper time could be opened after the lights in the Asylum had been extinguished.  Thus enabling the Sir Knights within the Asylum to view the actions of the candidate while he in turn could see nothing in the Asylum.

Interestingly enough, Oklahoma No. 2 was noted as the largest Commandery but due to a number of Sir Knights who had affiliated from other Jurisdictions, their ritual and uniforms were “not quite regular.”[6]  Grand Commander Angus Gillis found the inspection process in 1916 to be very advantageous to Templary in Oklahoma.  He noted that it encouraged enthusiasm among Commanderies and allowed the Grand Commander to become acquainted with each Commandery.[7] 

Asylum Drill Team of Enid Commandery No. 13 in 1917

(Courtesy of the Grand Commandery of Oklahoma)

With the outbreak of hostilities in Europe in 1914, the tactics and precision movements executed by Knights Templar on parade no doubt served those Sir Knights who entered military service well.  It was in 1916 that Asylum Drill competitions were established.[8]  These allowed for competition amongst the Sir Knights in the performance of opening a Commandery and conferring the Order of the Temple.  It is to the Asylum Drill that the modern Commandery Inspection can trace it roots.  The year 1921 would see Field Drill competitions added to the annual conclave of the Grand Commandery with three Commanderies fielding teams that first year; those being Oklahoma No. 3, Enid No. 13, and Trinity No. 20.[9]  A Templar drill team in motion is certainly a site to see as they execute the intricate movements such as forming the cross and as the drill competitions grew in size, the public turned out to enjoy the spectacle.  In time, the Sir Knights of Oklahoma would excel in drill competition on the national level.  At the 38^th Triennial Conclave of the Grand Encampment in 1931, Gethsemane Commandery No. 25 of Okmulgee took Third Place in the field drill competition.[10]  Lawton Commandery No. 18 would also earn national honors in 1940 by taking Fourth Place in field drills.[11]

Sir Knights on the Drill Field in 1922

(Courtesy of the Grand Commandery of Oklahoma)

Today a team of inspectors descend upon the Commanderies of Oklahoma under the direction of the Work and Tactics Committee.  The Commanderies are inspected in three distinct divisions:  Class A, Class A Inspected as Class B, and Class B.  In addition to scoring the opening tactics of a Commandery and the Order of the Temple, Commanderies are scored on the condition of their records, having the necessary paraphernalia to perform ritual work, and knightly courtesies.  The highest scoring Commanderies inspected in the Class B divisions are awarded the W.A. Perry and James A. Lathim traveling trophies.[12]

Just as it did in the beginning, the Commandery Inspection continues to bring Sir Knights together for fellowship and encourages dedication to Templary.  The Inspection has truly become one of the great Templar traditions of Oklahoma.

 

Original Asylum Drill Champion Banner, presently awaiting preservation

(From the collections of the Grand Commandery of Oklahoma)

 

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[1]  Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Indian Territory, Proceedings of the 2^nd Annual Conclave (Indian Territory:  1896).

[2] Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Indian Territory, Proceedings of the 1^st Annual Conclave (Indian Territory:  1895).

[3]  Charles E. Creager, History of Freemasonry in Oklahoma (Muskogee, Oklahoma:  Muskogee Print Shop, 1935), 188.

[4]  Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Indian Territory, Proceedings of the 9^th Annual Conclave (Indian Territory:  1903).

[5]  Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Indian Territory, Proceedings of the 4^th Annual Conclave (Indian Territory:  1898).

[6]  Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Oklahoma, Proceedings of the 15^th Annual Conclave (Oklahoma:  1910).

[7]  Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Oklahoma, Proceedings of the 20^th Annual Conclave (Oklahoma:  1915).

[8]  Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Oklahoma, Proceedings of the 21^st Annual Conclave (Oklahoma:  1916).

[9]  Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Oklahoma, Proceedings of the 26^th Annual Conclave (Oklahoma:  1921).

[10]  Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Oklahoma, Proceedings of the 37^th Annual Conclave (Oklahoma:  1932).

[11]  Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Oklahoma, Proceedings of the 46^th Annual Conclave (Oklahoma:  1941).

[12]  Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Oklahoma, Proceedings of the 116^th Annual Conclave (Oklahoma:  2011).