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

---

[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).

Royal Arch Masonry in Indian Territory

By T.S. Akers

Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons at Cushing, 1925

(Courtesy of the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Oklahoma)

Votaries of Freemasonry are well versed in the Landmarks of the Fraternity.  As compiled in 1858 by Albert Mackey, the Landmarks serve as a set of principles that loosely govern the Craft.[i]  It is in the Second Landmark that one finds "Pure Ancient Freemasonry consists of but three degrees, viz., that of Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason, including the Supreme Order of the Holy Royal Arch."[ii]  As what has become known as Craft Masonry spread throughout the world, so did Royal Arch Masonry.  The degree of Holy Royal Arch was conferred in lodges in America as early as 1753 and Chapters of Royal Arch Masons began forming in the 1780s.[iii]  As Freemasonry arrived in what is today Oklahoma, Royal Arch Masonry followed closely behind.

The Masonic Fraternity first arrived in Indian Territory in 1848 at Tahlequah.[iv]  From there the spirit of Brotherly Love spread across the Territory like a wildfire.  The American Civil War would prove to be set back for Masonic activity not only in the region, but the Nation.  When hostilities ceased, Masonic activity in the Indian Territory once again resumed.  In 1874 the Brethren successfully organized the Grand Lodge of Indian Territory at Caddo and with that same pioneer spirit turned their attentions toward another area of the Fraternity.[v]  A number of these early Masons had been exalted to the Degree of Holy Royal Arch prior to the Civil War.  Among them were the likes of Chief Peter P. Pitchlyn of the Choctaw Nation and Chief William P. Ross of the Cherokee Nation.[vi]  Granville McPherson, first Grand Master, belonged to a Royal Arch Chapter in Little Rock, Arkansas, before coming to the Territory.  Joseph S. Murrow, known as the “Father of Freemasonry in Oklahoma,” had received the Royal Arch in Texas.[vii]

           

In February of 1878, Companions residing at McAlester, I.T., addressed a letter to the Most Excellent Grand High Priest of the General Grand Chapter, John Frizell, requesting a dispensation to form a Chapter of Royal Arch Masons.  The letter was accompanied by a Resolution of Bellevue Chapter in Fort Smith, Arkansas, consenting to the organization of a Chapter in her jurisdiction.  The request for dispensation was signed by yet more noteworthy Masons such as Murrow and McPherson, but also George W. Stidham, Chief Justice of the Creek Nation, and James J. McAlester, a territorial merchant and namesake of the City of McAlester.  Within a week, the Companions at McAlester had received their dispensation to work as Indian Chapter and work they did.  They quickly exalted twenty-three new Companions to the degree of Holy Royal Arch, including a 28 year old physician named Daniel M. Hailey.[viii]  Hailey would go on to serve as Grand High Priest in addition to holding several other esteemed offices.[ix]  

           

Indian Chapter No. 1 would become a “Mother Chapter” from which Royal Arch Masonry would emanate in the Indian Territory.  The Territory was a rough and rugged place and though it was not unusual for a Mason to leave his home and work for three days at a time to attend a Communication of the Lodge, convenience was essential for the survival of not only Craft Masonry but Royal Arch Masonry as well.[x]  A year after the formation of Indian Chapter, Joseph S. Murrow submitted a request for dispensation to form a Chapter at Atoka to be known as Ok-la-ho-ma Chapter No. 2.  Upon receipt of the dispensation, seven Companions were welcomed into the Holy Royal Arch in March of 1880.[xi]  The third Chapter was formed at Burneyville in the Chickasaw Nation but interest soon waned and their dispensation to work was returned to the General Grand Chapter.  Savanna Chapter No. 4 was instituted by Joseph S. Murrow in November of 1886.  The Companions at Savanna faced immense hardships within a year of their chartering in the form of explosions in the coal mines that were the life blood of the community.  This forced the membership of Savanna Chapter to request permission to move their charter to Lehigh, were many of the members now resided.  Though Murrow protested this move due to the closeness of Lehigh to Atoka, the General Grand High Priest ultimately consented.[xii]  While Chapters of Royal Arch Masons had been established in the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations, with members residing in the Creek Nation, the Masons of the Cherokee Nation were not unfamiliar with the Royal Craft.  Those Companions residing at Tahlequah, for the most part, held membership at Cincinnati, Arkansas.  It would not be until 1888 that Tahlequah Chapter No. 5 was organized.[xiii]

           

When the Grand Lodge of Indian Territory convened in 1889, a conference was held by those Companions of the Royal Arch in attendance to discuss the formation of a Grand Chapter.  All were in favor of such and a petition was drawn up to be sent to Most Excellent Grand High Priest Noble D. Larner.  It was just a few short years earlier that Murrow himself had protested a decision by Larner concerning Savanna Chapter and with this likely on his mind, Larner rejected the petition.[xiv]  Murrow would ultimately be assigned the task of journeying to Atlanta, Georgia, in 1889 to state the case for a Grand Chapter and “… see the thing through.”[xv]  Upon arrival in Atlanta, Murrow was denied an audience with the Committee on Charters and Dispensations.  He then took his case to the convention floor and argued for Indian Territory with an unbridled passion.  Murrow finished his plea to the deafening roar of applause and once the crowd had calmed, John H. Brown of Kansas arose and moved that the recommendation of the Charters and Dispensations Committee be disregarded.  When the vote was called, the only nay came from the Chairman of said Committee.  The Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Indian Territory would be officially instituted on February 15, 1890, with Joseph S. Murrow serving as the first Grand High Priest.[xvi]

Past Grand High Priests of Royal Arch Masons of Oklahoma

L to R:  Joseph Murrow, Napoleon Maxey, Edmond Doyle, William Essex, Leo Bennett, James Scott, Zachary Walrond

(Courtesy of the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Oklahoma)

In its first year of existence, the newly formed Grand Chapter of Indian Territory would charter three new Chapters:  Muskogee No. 3 (which took the number vacated by Burneyville), Guthrie No. 6, and Cyrus No. 7 at Oklahoma City.  The following year Sequoyah No. 8 was chartered at Muldrow.[xvii]  The first decade of the Grand Chapter would see a total of twenty-one constituent Chapters chartered with the Grand Chapter of Indian Territory holding jurisdiction over both Indian and Oklahoma Territories.[xviii]  Though the number of active Chapters has never matched the “charter numbers” of those Chapters in existence, there have been a total of 103 Chapters chartered in what is today Oklahoma.[xix]

           

Royal Arch Masonry is again thriving in Oklahoma with renewed interest in many corners of the State.  A number of chapters have been re-invigorated, others have been re-instituted altogether, and a new charter was issued within the last three years.[xx]  Today many Masons are again following the Second Landmark and capping the Master Mason Degree with the Degree of Holy Royal Arch.

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[i]  “Landmarks of Freemasonry,” Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon, <http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/grandlodge/landmarks.html>, Accessed 28 January 2013.

[ii]  “The Holy Royal Arch,” Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of California, <http://www.yorkriteofcalifornia.org/royalarch/whatisra.html>, Accessed 28 January 2013.

[iii]  Frederick G. Speidel, The York Rite of Freemasonry:  A History and Handbook (Mitchell-Fleming Printing Inc., 1978), 31.

[iv]  Charles E. Creager, History of Freemasonry in Oklahoma (Muskogee, Oklahoma:  Muskogee Print Shop, 1935), 20.

[v]  “A Historical Snapshot,” The Grand Lodge of the State of Oklahoma, <http://www.gloklahoma.com/GrandLodge/history.html>, Accessed 28 January 2013.

[vi]  Norman E. Angel, Kenneth S. Adams, and William A. Hensley, History of the Grand Chapter of the Royal Arch Masons of Oklahoma (Oklahoma:  1964), 2.

[vii]  Creager, 61.

[viii]  Ibid., 62-63.

[ix]  Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Oklahoma, Proceedings of the 122^nd Annual Convocation (Oklahoma:  2011).

[x]  Creager, 64.

[xi]  Ibid., 65

[xii]  Angel, 6-7.

[xiii]  Creager, 69.

[xiv]  Angel, 8-9.

[xv]  Creager, 72.

[xvi]  Ibid., 72-75

[xvii]  Ibid., 76-77

[xviii]  Angel, 23.

[xix]  Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Oklahoma.

[xx]  Ibid.