Note: This material was scanned into text files for the sole purpose of convenient electronic research. This material is NOT intended as a reproduction of the original volumes. However close the material is to becoming a reproduced work, it should ONLY be regarded as a textual reference. Scanned at Phoenixmasonry by Ralph W. Omholt, PM in May 2007.
GOULD'S HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY
THROUGHOUT THE WORLD
VOLUME V
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
FREEMASONRY IN ALABAMA - Page 1
CHAPTER TWO
FREEMASONRY IN ARIZONA 17
CHAPTER THREE
FREEMASONRY IN ARKANSAS 29
CHAPTER FOUR
FREEMASONRY IN CALIFORNIA 50
FREEMASONRY IN COLORADO
CHAPTER FIVE 67
FREEMASONRY IN CONNECTICUT
FREEMASONRY IN DELAWARE
CHAPTER EIGHT
FREEMASONRY IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
CHAPTER NINE
FREEMASONRY IN FLORIDA
CHAPTER TEN
FREEMASONRY IN GEORGIA
CHAPTER ELEVEN
FREEMASONRY IN THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS
CHAPTER TWELVE
FREEMASONRY IN IDAHO
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
FREEMASONRY IN ILLINOIS
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
FREEMASONRY IN INDIANA
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
FREEMASONRY IN IOWA
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
FREEMASONRY IN KANSAS
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
FREEMASONRY IN KENTUCKY
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
FREEMASONRY IN LOUISIANA
FREEMASONRY IN MAINE
CHAPTER NINETEEN
FREEMASONRY IN MARYLAND
CHAPTER TWENTY‑ONE
FREEMASONRY IN MASSACHUSETTS
CHAPTER TWENTY‑TWO
FREEMASONRY IN MICHIGAN
CHAPTER TWENTY‑THREE
FREEMASONRY IN MINNESOTA
CHAPTER TWENTY‑FOUR
FREEMASONRY IN MISSISSIPPI
CHAPTER TWENTY‑FIVE
FREEMASONRY IN MISSOURI
CHAPTER TWENTY‑SIX
FREEMASONRY IN MONTANA
CHAPTER TWENTY‑SEVEN
FREEMASONRY IN NEBRASKA
CHAPTER TWENTY‑EIGHT
FREEMASONRY IN NEVADA
CHAPTER TWENTY‑NINE
FREEMASONRY IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
CHAPTER THIRTY
ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE ROYAL ARCH SYSTEM
CHAPTER THIRTY‑ONE
THE ORDER OF THE TEMPLE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
CHAPTER THIRTY‑TWO
THE GENERAL GRAND COUNCIL OF ROYAL AND SELECT
MASTERS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
CHAPTER THIRTY‑THREE
THE SCOTTISH RITE OF FREEMASONRY
CHAPTER THIRTY‑FOUR
THE ANCIENT ARABIC ORDER OF THE NOBLES OF THE
MYSTIC SHRINE
[The remaining States are in Volume Vl.]
FOREWORD
THE intimate connection between Freemasonry and the founding and development of America is fascinating and illuminating, not only to the Brethren of the Craft but to all who are interested in the history of the building of the civic life of North America. Neglected by the writers of history, because unrealised and unknown, the spirit and ideals of this ancient Fraternity have played a mighty part. Herein, for the first‑ time, is to be found the first real picture showing how Freemasonry and its teachings and influence were a vital part of the early days‑the establishment and growth‑of the States and Provinces of the United States and Canada. Far more potent than the wars of which the historian writes at length, in the crystallising and fixation of the fundamentals of North American civilisation, were the tenets of Freemasonry. One has but to follow the men whose names appear in these pages, for history is but the record of the lives and influence of men.
Never before has the history of American Freemasonry been presented as in this work. No one person could do it. For each jurisdiction, some leader in the Craft, imbued with its spirit and a student of its history, has been chosen to tell the story of that jurisdiction. The tale has thus been told by experts who will be recognized as such by the Brethren of the Grand jurisdictions of which they write. All of them are nationally and some internationally known and acclaimed.
Bro. J. Edward Allen and I have made the selection of the co‑authors but we have left them unhampered except by limitations of space. Theirs is the credit for research and the responsibility for conclusions. We are grateful for their co‑operation, given freely and without financial reward, but merely that the true story may be told of the Fraternity they love and, serve.
MELVIN M. JOHNSON.
ILLUSTRATIONS VOLUME V Benjamin Franklin Frontispiece PACING PAGE s Administration Building, Montgomery, Alabama 8 The Masonic Temple, Montgomery, Alabama 8 Eastern Star Hospital, Montgomery, Alabama 14 American Masonry Upon the Western Trail pages 20‑21 Albert Pike 40 Fay Hempstead 44 1 The Albert Pike Memorial 48 The Albert Pike Residence 48 San Francisco, 1870 52 Grand Parade, Knights Templar, 1883 52 Mystic Shrine Temple, Los Angeles, California 58 Shriners at San Diego Fair 5 8 b Passion Cross Formation 64 Gregory Gulch, 1859 page 70 Cabin of Sagendorf and Lehow 72 Masonic Temple, Grand Junction, Colorado 72 Highlands Masonic Temple, Denver, Colorado 72 Colorado Consistory 76 Masonic Temple, Fort Collins, Colorado 76 Lawrence Nicholls Greenleaf 82 Henry Moore Teller 82 X111 xiv ILLUSTRATIONS 8AQN0 PAOB Lodge Night in the Village 88 The Masonic Home at Wallingford, Connecticut 92 Masonic Temple, Woodbury, Connecticut 92 Gunning Bedford 98 Two Views of the Masonic Home of Delaware 104 The Scottish Rite Temple, Washington, D. C. io8 Home of Federal Lodge, No. 1, 1796‑1804 112 First Home of Columbia Lodge, No. 3 112 The Masonic Temple, Washington, D. C. 112 A Notable Masonic Ceremony 114 The 61st Annual Session of the Imperial Council, A. A. O. N. M. S. 116 Grand Lodge, F. and A. M., Florida 12‑2 A Masonic Diploma in French 126 Masonic Temple, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 126 The Scottish Rite Temple, Miami, Florida 132 Major General James Edward Oglethorpe 138 George Walton 138 Noble Jones 138 At the King's Boat‑house, Honolulu 158 Masonic Temple at Boise, Idaho 166 Masonic Hall, Idaho City, Idaho 166 Return of Western Star Lodge, No. 107 page 177 Shadrach Bond 180 Governor L. L. Emmerson 180 Masonic Temple, Decatur, Illinois 182 Masonic Temple, Evanston, Illinois 182 Marshall Masonic Temple 182 ILLUSTRATIONS xv PAC1NG PAGE Airplane View of the Illinois Masonic Home 184 The Illinois Masonic Orphans' Home 186 Masonic Temple, Chicago, Illinois 19o Knights Templar Grand Commandery of Illinois 194 Knights Templar Hospital, Knightstown, Indiana 198 The Indiana Masonic Home at Franklin, Indiana 200 Masonic Temple, Indianapolis, Indiana 202 Masonic Temple, South Bend, Indiana 202 Masonic Temple, Logansport, Indiana 204 Masonic Temple, Marion, Indiana 204 Scottish Rite Cathedral, Indianapolis, Indiana 2o8 Masonic Temple, Sioux City, Iowa 212 Theodore Sutton Parvin, LL.D. 218 Louis Block, P .'. G .'. M. 218 Iowa Masonic Library, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 218 Masonic Home, Wichita, Kansas 226 Grand Lodge Building, Topeka, Kansas 226 Building of the Grand Consistory of Kentucky 230 The Old Masons Home, Shelbyville, Kentucky 232 The Building of Preston Lodge, No. 281, Louisville 232 The Masonic Widows and Orphans Home and Infirmary, Louisville 236 Masonic Temple, New Orleans, Louisiana 244 The New Masonic Temple, New Orleans 244 The Charter of Portland Lodge page 263 William King, First Grand Master 266 Robert P. Dunlap, Sixth Grand Master 266 Josiah H. Drummond, Twenty‑second Grand Master 266 xvi ILLUSTRATIONS PACING Peas Masonic Hall, Sanford, Maine 272 Masonic Hall, Winthrop, Maine 272 Laying the First Stone of the Baltimore and Ohio R.R. 282 John M. Carter 286 General Thomas J. Shryock 286 Edward T. Schultz 286 Maryland Masonic Home, "Bonnie Blink," Cockeysville, Maryland 290 The Scottish Rite Temple, Baltimore, Maryland 300 Facsimile of Petition of First Lodge in Boston, Massachusetts page ‑ 311 The Green Dragon Tavern in Boston, Massachusetts 34 The Masonic Funeral Given General Warren 34 Masonic Temple at Plymouth, Massachusetts 320 Masonic Temple at Dedham, Massachusetts 320 Masonic Temple, Worcester, Massachusetts 322 Masonic Temple, North Attleboro, Massachusetts 322 Massachusetts Masonic Home, "Overlook" 326 Corner‑stone Laying, Lowell, Massachusetts 326 Masonic Temple, Detroit, Michigan 330 Michigan Masonic Home, Main Building, Alma, Michigan 334 R The Hospital at the Michigan Masonic Home, Alma, Michigan 334 Masonic Temple, Ann Arbor, Michigan 334 The Passion Cross, Detroit Commandery, No. i, Knights Templar 340 A. E. Ames 350 A. T.,,C. Pierson 350 Old Central House, St. Paul, Minnesota 350 Old Masonic Temple, Natchez, Mississippi 36o Masonic Temple, St. Louis, Missouri 374 ILLUSTRATIONS xvil FACING reds The Eastern Star Room 376 The Lobby 376 Scottish Rite Temple, Kansas City, Missouri 38o Ivanhoe Masonic Temple, Kansas City, Missouri 384 The William Frederick Kuhn Memorial 384 Montana's Masonic Home 394 Laying the Corner Stone at Billings, Montana 394 Nebraska Masonic Home 4o8 Facsimile of Petition for First Lodge in New Hampshire page 423 Masonic Temple, Manchester, New Hampshire 428 Jewels and Apron of the Royal Arch 438 Knights Templar Parade on Capitol Hill, Albany 488 Shriners at Washington, D. C., 1935 536 Columns of the Mystic Shrine Erected in Washington, D. C. 538 Prominent Army Officers, Members of the Masonic Fraternity Duke of Wellington, Arthur St. Clair, Frederick the Great, Marquis de Lafayette, Anthony Wayne, Baron von Steuben, Napoleon Bonaparte, Winfield Scott, Simon Bolivar, John J. Pershing, Nelson A. Miles, George B. McClellan At end of volume GOULD'S HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY THROUGHOUT THE WORLD VOLUME V A HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY THROUGHOUT THE WORLD VOL. V FREEMASONRY IN ALABAMA OLIVER DAY STREET INTRODUCTORY THE existing Masonic Grand Bodies in Alabama were formed on the dates following The Grand Lodge on June II, 1821. The Grand Chapter on June 2, 182‑7.
The Grand Council on December 13, 1828. The Grand Commandery on December I, i86o. The Council of Anointed High Priests on December 8, 1869.
The earliest Bodies of the Scottish Rite in Alabama were formed at Mobile in December 1867.
Red Cross of Constantine, Saint Dunstan's Conclave, instituted at Birmingham on September 25, 1925.
These dates will furnish us with convenient points of departure in sketching the history of Freemasonry in Alabama.
SYMBOLIC MASONRY Masonry in Alabama, of course, preceded the formation of the Grand Lodge. Masons were among its earliest settlers. The settlement of Madison County, lying north of the Tennessee River, began feebly in i 8o5 and, on August 29, 1811, a Dispensation was issued by the Grand Lodge of Kentucky for the earliest Lodge in the State. This was Madison Lodge, No. 2.1, at Huntsville. Its Officers under the Dispensation were Marmaduke Williams, Master; John C. Hamilton, Senior Warden; and William Harrison, Junior Warden. Charter was granted August 2‑.8, 18iz, and the first Officers under the Charter were Lewis Watson, Master; Thomas Fearn, Senior Warden; and John J. Winston, Junior Warden. It still exists as Helion, No. I, at Huntsville.
From 1812 to the organisation of Grand Lodge on June 11, I82I, fourteen other lodges were formed. They were, 2 FREEMASONRY IN ALABAMA Friendship, No. 6, at Mobile. Chartered by the Grand Lodge of Louisiana, September 6, 1813; forfeited July i, i82o; Friendship, No. 65, at St. Stephens. Chartered by the Grand Lodge of North Carolina about 1815; forfeited in 1816; Alabama, No. 21, at Huntsville. Dispensation issued by the Grand Master of Tennessee, April 6, 1818; Charter granted October 4, 1818; Washington, No. 23, at Hazel Green. Dispensation issued by the Grand Master of Tennessee, July 6, 1818; Charter granted October 6, 1818; surrendered in 1829; Eureka, No. 16, at Blakely. Charter granted by the Grand Lodge of Louisiana, March 27, 1819; forfeited previous to June 1821; Alabama, No. 51, at Claiborne. Chartered by the Grand Lodge of South Carolina, June 2S, 1819; Rising Virtue, No. 3o, at Tuscaloosa. Dispensation issued by the Grand Master of Tennessee, August 2, 1819; Charter granted October 5, 1819; Halo, No. 21, at Cahaba. Dispensation issued by the Grand Master of Georgia, February 21, 182o; Charter granted January 24, 1821; forfeited in 1872; Moulton, No. 34, at Moulton. Dispensation issued by the Grand Master of Tennessee, May 2, 182o; Charter granted October 4, 1820; Franklin, No. 36, at Russellville. Dispensation issued by the Grand Master of Tennessee, October 3, 182o; surrendered December 8, 1824; Tuscumbia, No. 4o, at Courtland. Dispensation issued by the Grand Master of Tennessee, March 3, 1821; Charter granted December 18, 1821; forfeited January 9, 1834; Farrar, No. 41, at Elyton (now Birmingham). Dispensation issued by the Grand Master of Tennessee, March 6, 1821; St. Stephens, at St. Stephens. Dispensation issued by the Grand Master of North Carolina, April 12, 1821; forfeited in 1834; Marion, at Suggsville. Dispensation issued by the Grand Master of Georgia, May 28, 1821; Chartered December 18, 1821; forfeited in 1878.
Nine of these, viz.: Halo, Madison, St. Stephens, Rising Virtue, Alabama, No. 51, Farrar, Alabama, No. 21, Moulton, and Franklin (or Russellville) Lodges, after due notice to all, participated in the Convention which convened in the hall of Halo Lodge, at Cahaba, on June 11, 1821, and formed the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Alabama, with Thomas W. Farrar, of Elyton, as Grand Master and Thomas Amis Rogers, of Cahaba, as Grand Secretary.
Washington, No. 23, Tuscumbia, No. 40, and Marion did not attend the Convention. Washington never adhered but the other two, Tuscumbia and Marion, accepted Charters December 18, 1821.
Those who participated in forming the Grand Lodge, so far as the proceedings disclose, were Thomas W. Farrar, John Brown, and Bartholomew Labuzan, all of Elyton (Birmingham); Israel Pickens and Benjamin S. Smoot, of St. Stephens; Constantine Perkins, Thomas Owen, and Dugald McFarlane, FREEMASONRY IN ALABAMA 3 all of Tuscaloosa; William B. Allen, John H. Thorington, David McCord, Thomas O. Meux, Horatio G. Perry, Luther Blake, John Cox, Thomas Amis Rogers, and Robert B. Watson, all of Cahaba; Gabriel Moore, David Moore, Clement C. Clay, John M. Leake, and Frederick Weeden, all of Huntsville; Anderson Hutchinson and Lewis B. Tully, of Moulton; George W. Owen, John Murphy, and James H. Draughan, all of Claiborne; Seth W. Ligon and George Kreps, residence unknown; John S. Fulton, of Russellville, and the Rev. John B. Warren and John Elliott, of Mobile. There was also present a Bro. Davis.
Of the fifteen Lodges above mentioned, seven derived from the Grand Lodge of Tennessee; two from that of Georgia; two from that of Louisiana; two from that of North Carolina, and one each from Kentucky and South Caro lina. Both of the Lodges from Louisiana ceased to exist before the formation of the Grand Lodge, as did one from North Carolina.
The Lodges participating in the formation of Grand Lodge hailed thus from Tennessee, four; Georgia, two; Kentucky, one; North Carolina, one; and South Carolina, one. This is sufficient evidence of the orthodox character of the Freemasonry of Alabama.
On June 15, 1821, the Lodges participating in the formation of the Grand Lodge surrendered their old Charters or Dispensations and received new Charters with numbers as follows No. 1, Madison, at Huntsville, No. 2, Alabama, at Huntsville, No. 3, Alabama, at Claiborne, No. 4, Rising Virtue, at Tuscaloosa, No. S, Halo, at Cahaba, No. 6, Moulton, at Moulton, No. 7, Russellville, at Russellville, No. 8, Farrar, at Elyton (now Birmingham), No. 9, St. Stephens, at St. Stephens.
Lodge No. 1o, under the new Grand Lodge, was Chartered on December 1g, 1821, under the name of Mobile; became defunct in 1831; Lodge No. 11 was Chartered January 1, 1822, at Montgomery, under that name; still active; Marion, at Suggsville, accepted a Charter on December 18, 1821, and became No. 12; now defunct; Tuscumbia, No. 4o became No. 21 on December 2i, 1824, on the roster of the new Grand Lodge; now defunct; Washington, No. 23, at Hazel Green, Chartered by the Grand Lodge of Tennessee, ceased to exist in 1829, by surrender of its Charter, without ever becoming a constituent of the Grand Lodge of Alabama. Thus is accounted for all of the original fifteen Lodges in Alabama.
To‑day, Madison, No. 1 and Alabama, No. 2, at Huntsville, exist by virtue of their consolidation in 1824 as Helion, No. i.
Alabama, No. 3 is now at Perdue Hill, Monroe County, and Rising Virtue, 4 FREEMASONRY IN ALABAMA Moulton, and Farrar still exist at their original sites. Thus we see that of the nine Lodges forming the Grand Lodge six are still in existence. The three dead ones are Halo, at Cahaba; Franklin, at Russellville; and St. Stephens. Two of the three were located at former but now dead capitals of the State; the towns of Cahaba and Old St. Stephens no longer exist. Russellville is a prosperous town in the northwest corner of the State and now has a live Lodge under the same name, but as No. 371.
The aspiring little city in which the Grand Lodge was formed has passed away, and we venture to quote here a description of its rise and fall from Mrs. Fry's ".Memories of Old Cahaba " (1908) When the General Assembly convened at Huntsville the following year (18ig), the Commissioners reported that they had selected a locality at the mouth of the Cahaba River for the capital and by that Legislature of 1819 the town of Cahaba was incorporated, lots laid out and a location for the government buildings selected by Governor William Bibb, who appointed Luther Blake, Carlisle Humphreys and Willis Roberts to hold the first town election.
Cahaba at this early day was not only the capital of the State, but was also the seat of justice of Dallas County, and soon sprung into an important business and social centre, despite its unfortunate geographical location. Lying in a valley, the Alabama River in front, with the Cahaba River flowing around the northwestern and northern portions of the town, and Clear Creek on the west, the place is almost surrounded by streams of water, which become swollen torrents and subject it to heavy overflow during the wet season.
In 1820, Cahaba had two newspapers, a land office, State bank, stores, private boarding houses, hotels, schools and churches, we presume, though there is no mention made of a church until later on.
In 1822, a large amount of public land was sold in Cahaba at public outcry. Lands in the vicinity of the town brought $1.25 an acre. In a few weeks these same lands were worth $6o.oo and $70.oo an acre, and in a few months could not be had at any price. There was a great demand for city lots, and it has been stated that unimproved lots in the central portion of the town in 1822 sold as high as $5,025, and that the sale of 184 lots amounted to over $120,000, which amount was added to the sum set aside by the Legislature for government buildings.
The Capitol was a solid square brick structure, two stories high, surmounted by an imposing dome, said to be similar in appearance to the old Capitol building at St. Augustine, Fla., which was erected in the same year. On either side of the broad hall that ran through the centre of the first floor were the executive and state offices. The second floor, composed of two large rooms, was occupied by the Senate and House of Representatives.
The town was now growing and continued to improve rapidly until 1825, when the largest flood ever known in the history of this country swept down the Alabama and Cahaba Rivers and completely inundated Cahaba. According to tradition the Legislature was in session when the flood came and the different representatives had to be rowed in boats and landed in the second story of the Capitol to reach the legislative, halls. Many of the private residences and public FREEMASONRY IN ALABAMA 5 buildings were injured by the overflow and, when a portion of the State House fell, Cahaba was no longer deemed safe as the seat of government, and at a meeting of the next Legislature, in January 182‑6, the capital was removed to Tuscaloosa.
Cahaba now became almost abandoned. Though it still remained the county seat of Dallas County, many of the most influential inhabitants moved away and the town rapidly declined. Many of the houses were torn down and moved to Mobile. Many of those left were unoccupied. Rare flowers bloomed in the lonely yards in neglected wild luxuriance. Beautiful climbing roses waved mournfully to the breeze from decaying galleries and the grass grew in the principal streets as though months had passed since foot had touched it. The place was lonely and deserted. And this a few months before was the gay capital of the State of Alabama, famed for its thrift and industry, its hospitality and its chivalry! A sad commentary on the uncertainty and mutability of human hopes, human endeavours and human ambition! But those beautiful scenes are no more. All those noble, grand old people have passed away and their like will never be seen again, because the conditions and the surroundings that produced them are no longer a part of the South.
They are gone never to return, and Cahaba, like Rome, must ever remain a Niobe of the nation, a mother bereft of her children, to whom our hearts still cling with loving enthusiasm in memory of her departed glory. Though long years have passed and the ruin is now perfect and complete, the site of the old town is still a lovely spot, where the pure, limpid waters gush unceasingly from the Artesian wells; where the flowers planted long years ago still bloom in perennial spring in the old‑time yards; where the mocking bird still sings in the springtime and the Cherokee roses, full with blossoms, shed their snowy petals along the deserted streets; where the sweet breath of the China blossom is wafted by the night breeze; where the stars still shine in all their brilliant beauty and the moon rises in its old‑time splendour enfolding the ruined town in its soft, mellow light and lovingly shadows the graves of the dead, who when living, were among the most refined, cultivated and intellectual people that ever adorned the State of Alabama.
A description of the other dead capital, Old St. Stephens, would read much like the foregoing.
It was among a people and surroundings like these that the Grand Lodge of Alabama had its beginning. It is not surprising that those who composed it were the best people of their day.
The Lodges formed during 182‑1 and prior thereto were located as follows two at Huntsville; two at Mobile; two at St. Stephens; and one each at Hazel Green, Blakely, Claiborne, Tuscaloosa, Cahaba, Moulton, Russellville, Court land, Elyton, Suggsville, Montgomery, Conecuh C. H., and Florence. A glance at the map shows that of these nineteen Lodges, seven were in the Tennessee Valley; seven were in the southwest (or Mobile) corner of the State; and one each at Tuscaloosa, Cahaba, Montgomery, Elyton (Birmingham) and Conecuh C. H. The two chief Masonic centres were the Tennessee Valley in the 6 FREEMASONRY IN ALABAMA extreme north, and the Mobile Neck in the extreme south end of the State, with thin lines extending up the Alabama and Black Warrior Rivers, then two of the State's main avenues of travel and communication.
This may give a hint of the difficult conditions under which Masonry then existed in Alabama. The first five Annual Communications of Grand Lodge were held in Cahaba on the Alabama River, and then the meetings were held at Tuscaloosa, the new capital, on the Black Warrior for many years.
To reach either of these places from Mobile or the Tennessee Valley required wearisome travel by steamboat or over bad roads and occupied about two weeks of time going, attending Grand Lodge and returning home. Con trast this with the impatience with which we now give two or three days to the discharge of this duty.
Masonry in Alabama, as elsewhere, was very injuriously affected during the years 1830 to 1840 by the so‑called " Morgan Craze," the agitation which grew out of the disappearance of one William Morgan from Batavia, New York, in 182‑6, allegedly abducted and murdered by the Freemasons because of his betrayal of their secrets. It is unnecessary to enter into that subject further than to mention the effects it had on Masonry in Alabama. For about two years its effects here were not marked. By 182‑9 the storm was being felt. In that year there were thirty‑three Lodges in the State and of these the Charters of ten were declared forfeited at the Annual Communication in December of that year and representatives from only nine Lodges appeared the first day. The Committee on Foreign Correspondence alluded to the " anti‑Masonic clamour and malignant opposition " prevailing in many States. Feeble Annual Communications of the Grand Lodge were held in 1830 to 1834. No further Communications were then held until December 6, 1836. For two years the light of the Grand Lodge went out, but on the last‑named date the representatives of six Lodges and four other Brethren met at Tuscaloosa and revived the Grand Lodge. The Grand Chapter went to sleep from July 1830 to December 1837, and no Assembly of the Grand Council was held in 1840.
But by 1841 the storm had spent its force. The strong men had never weakened or lowered their flag. The timid began to venture back. In a few years all signs of the devastation had disappeared and Masonry, stronger for its trials, entered upon an era of progress that has never been halted, though severely shaken by the ravages of the Civil War.
In the year 1859 the Grand Lodge and its particular Lodges were legally incorporated by special Act of the Legislature, giving them a standing before the law not otherwise obtainable. Its Charter was materially but not radically amended in 1875 by another Act of the Legislature.
After many years of effort, finally the Grand Lodge in 1912 established a Masonic Home, at Montgomery, for the care of distressed Master Masons and their widows and orphans. It was formally opened on the 18th day of January 1913, with three girl children as inmates. While as usual with such institutions it has taxed the financial resources of the Grand Lodge, it has met in the main FREEMASONRY IN ALABAMA 7 the expectations and hopes of its founders and supporters. Its burden is lightened by the maintenance of the Emergency (or Charity) Fund for the assistance of the distressed outside the Home. The utility and value of this fund as an instrument of relief has been fully proved.
Until 1903 the Grand Lodge had no printed manual or monitor of its own. For the written " Work " recourse was had to those of Webb and Cross or to monitors based upon them. In the year above named it promulgated a manual of its own, which also included the Constitution and Edicts. This book has gone through many editions and reprintings and has contributed much to the spread of Masonic knowledge among the Masons of the State. Webb's Monitor is, of course, its basis with many of Cross' changes and additions.
The history of Masonry in Alabama has not been replete with exciting or stirring events. Peace and harmony have at all times prevailed among the Craft, a condition favourable to its solid growth and prosperity. A long suc cession of able and devoted leaders (Grand Masters, Grand Secretaries, Grand Lecturers, Foreign Correspondents, etc.,) have assured it a firm and safe course at home and respect from abroad.
The Committee on Foreign Correspondence had its beginning in 182‑6, but its duties did not assume their present form till 1842‑. Prior to this latter date its reports were barren. The first real report was given in 1844 by Leroy Pope Walker, subsequently Secretary of War of the Confederacy. He reviewed twenty Grand Lodges in two pages and thus briefly cast the form for the future. The office of Grand Lecturer began with the organisation of the Grand Lodge in 182‑1 and existed till 1857. It then became vacant and was not recreated till 1889. With the death of Bro. Angus M. 'Scott in 1915, the office again lapsed and has so remained though repeated efforts have been made to revive it. A system of District Lecturers has taken its place.
James Penn, Grand Lecturer from 182‑7 to 1834, may fairly be regarded as the father of the " Alabama Work." Situated as the Lodges were in those days and under the conditions surrounding them, intercourse between them was of the most scanty nature and, Chartered as they were by five different Grand Lodges, it will be easily under stood that among these early Lodges there was no uniformity of " Work." To add to the confusion no doubt every Lodge had members made in different States, each feeling and insisting that his Work was the best and most authentic.
Until 1826 there was no established " Work "; each Lodge followed the Work of the State from which its members chiefly hailed. But at the 182‑6 Communication, under date of December 15, we find this record: Brother Penn offered the following resolution " Resolved that a working committee be appointed to consist of five brethren; who shall on Monday Evening next, exemplify the mode of work, which they may believe to be the most correct on the three First Degrees of Ma‑ 8 FREEMASONRY IN ALABAMA sonry," which being carried, Brothers McFarlane, Penn, Wallace, Phister and Wooldridge were appointed said committee.
The proceedings for the next Monday, December 18, contain the following: This being the day assigned for hearing the report of the working committee, Brother James Penn, from said committee, gave a splendid and most interesting exemplification of the mode of work agreed upon by said committee, in the three first degrees of Masonry, which was received with great and deserved applause.
So long as James Penn attended Grand Lodge, whenever the " Work " was exemplified, it was done under his direction. When, in 1846, he left the State his mantle fell upon the shoulders of James M. Brundidge, one of his initiates and pupils. From 1848 till his death on March 13, igoi, Bro. Brundidge was regarded as the last authority upon what was the proper " Work " for Alabama. He was without doubt the greatest ritualist Alabama Masonry has produced. Angus M. Scott, his pupil, was second only to Brundidge for length of service, for knowledge of the " Work," and for skill in imparting it. By their sweetness of spirit, their nobility of character, their purity of life, their charm of person and their ability as instructors, these three men left a lasting impression upon the Masonic Fraternity in this State.
The first standing Committee on Work was created in December 1842, and at no time since has the Grand Lodge been without such Committee. Sometimes its Chairman and the Grand Lecturer have been the same person, and sometimes not.
To the Grand Lecturers and their co‑workers, the Chairman of the Committee on Work, must be accorded a large measure of credit for the progress of the Craft and its present prosperous condition in the State.
Among the members of the Lodges in i82i, and prior thereto, were the foremost business, professional, and public men of the day, embracing United States senators, members of Congress, governors, legislators, lawyers, phy sicians, ministers, educators, etc., etc. A hasty glance discloses the following: Thomas W. Farrar, the first Grand Master, was a highly respected man and Mason. This is attested by the fact of his election to the highest office in the gift of his Brethren from among the distinguished body of men who composed the first Grand Lodge. He married Seraphine Bagneris, a French woman of high standing from Louisiana, by whom he had two sons, Du Volney T. and Du Vernay, and it is a tradition in his family that he and LaFayette were close friends and that the latter named Bro. Farrar's two sons. Descendants and relatives of Thomas W. Farrar reside in New Orleans, but they know little of him. It is regretted that our data are so meagre.
Thomas Amis Rogers 0'792‑i82i), the first Grand Secretary, died during this year at the early age of twenty‑nine years, yet he had served as a member of the State Constitutional Convention of 18ig, and as secretary of the State FREEMASONRY IN ALABAMA 9 Senate in 1819 and was secretary of state from i8i9 to his death in i821. He was a lawyer by profession and built the first court house for Shelby County. We do not wish to convert this sketch into a biographical dictionary of the prominent men of Alabama of that period, but we must mention the following Marmaduke Williams (1774‑i85o), lawyer; member of Congress; member of Constitutional Convention of 1819; judge; brother to Robert Williams, governor of Mississippi Territory; married Agnes Payne, first cousin of Dolly Madison; many prominent descendants in Alabama.
Thomas Fearn (1789‑1863), physician and surgeon; Gen. Andrew Jackson's personal physician in Creek War, 1813; member of Alabama " Secession Convention," 1861; member of first Confederate Congress.
John Brown, a soldier of the Revolutionary army; pensioned as such March 15, 1833.
Bartholomew Labuzan, a leading merchant of his day.
Constantine Perkins (1792‑1836), lawyer; elected attorney‑general of Alabama 1825; was under Andrew Jackson in Creek War of 1813.
Horatio Gates Perry (1795‑1834), lawyer; served in both branches of the Legislature; circuit judge.
Gabriel Moore (1785‑1845), lawyer; speaker of first Territorial Legislature of Alabama; member of Constitutional Convention of 1819; president of State Senate, i 82o; member of Congress, 1822‑29; governor, 1829‑31; U. S. senator, 1831‑37.
David Moore (1789‑1845), family physician of Andrew Jackson; elected to Legislature thirteen times; State Senate, 182.2.‑2.5; speaker of the House, 1841; extensive planter.
Clement Comer Clay (1789‑1866), lawyer; congressman; governor; U. S. senator; served in Creek War of 1813; member of Territorial Legislature and of Constitutional Convention of 1819; author of Clay's Digest, 1843.
Frederick Weeden, distinguished physician and surgeon; soldier.
George Washington Owen (1796‑1837), lawyer, studied in the office of Felix Grundy; partner of Governor John Gayle; speaker of the House, 182o; in Congress, 1823‑29; mayor of Mobile, 1836.
John Murphy (1785‑1841), lawyer; planter, governor, member of Congress; clerk of South Carolina Senate for ten years; member of Constitutional Convention of 1819.
Thomas Owen, lawyer; son‑in‑law of Marmaduke Williams and grandfather of Thomas McAdory Owen, founder and director of the Alabama Department of Archives and History.
Israel Pickens (178o‑1827), member of North Carolina Senate, i8o8‑Io; in Congress from that State, 1811‑17; register of U. S. Land Office at St. Stephens, Alabama; member of Constitutional Convention of 1819; governor, 1821‑25; U. S. senator, 1826.
Masonic membership in Alabama has been no less distinguished since 1821 10 FREEMASONRY IN ALABAMA than it was in that year and prior thereto. The names mentioned in this sketch, coupled with a reasonable familiarity with the history of Alabama, demonstrate what a large share Masonry has had in the settlement, founding, and building of the State. Nearly all of its leading men have been Masons.
In recent years the Masonic membership in Alabama has shown a marked decline. There are two main causes for this, the depressed financial conditions and the unwise facility afforded unworthy profanes for initiation during and following the World War.
CAPITULAR MASONRY On March 21, 1823, a Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons was formed at Mobile by two Chapters. The Chapters participating were those at Tuscaloosa and Mobile. Two other Chapters then in the State, one at Cahaba and one at Claiborne, held aloof. This organisation had a precarious existence until September 1826, when the General Grand Chapter declared it irregular and recommended that another Grand Chapter be formed. Identified with this abortive attempt were prominent Masons of the day, among them Dugald McFarlane, Israel Pickens (then governor), and Nimrod E. Benson, as Grand High Priests.
On June 2, 1827, representatives of the four Chapters then in the State, working under the General Grand Chapter, to wit, Tuscaloosa, No. i, at Tuscaloosa; Alabama, No. 2, at Cahaba; Mobile, No. 3, at Mobile; and Monroe, No. 4, at Claiborne, met in Mobile and formed a new Grand Chapter, adopted a Constitution and elected Officers. John Murphy (then governor) was the first Grand High Priest under this Organisation. The Grand Chapter was not prosperous; it held meetings till July 8, 1830, and then went to sleep for more than seven years. There is no doubt this result was caused by the Morgan excitement.
Apparently under the stimulus of John C. Hicks, then Grand Master, on December 8, 1837, a meeting of Officers and representatives of the subordinate Chapters convened in the Masonic Lodge room at Tuscaloosa, at which it was resolved that a Grand Chapter be formed, " the former Grand Chapter of this State having failed to hold its constitutional meetings for the last seven years." The Grand Royal Arch Chapter was, thereupon, opened with John C. Hicks as Grand High Priest, and in this capacity he served for three years. He was succeeded on December 7, 1840, by Companion A. B. Dawson, of Wetumpka.
The period Of 1823 to 1841 may be counted as marking one era in the history of Capitular Masonry in Alabama. Another is that from 1841 through the Civil War period, and the third and last is that from, say, 1866 to date. The first period was characterised by doubt and uncertainty. The earlier portion of the second period was one of prosperity, but during the latter portion of this second period Royal Arch Masonry in Alabama was shattered like everything else by the tragic shock of war. The third period has been one of varying but continuous success and prosperity. The latest complete statistics show nearly 1o,ooo members.
FREEMASONRY IN ALABAMA On December 8, 1869, a Council of Anointed High Priests for Alabama was constituted at Montgomery. George D. Norris was chosen President; Daniel Sayre, Recorder; Richard F. Knott, Master of Ceremonies. The Coun cil has had a continuous and successful existence, though meetings were not held in 1882 to 1891, inclusive; 1894, 1897, 1898, 190░, and 1901. Since the latter date its Convocations have been held regularly and are well attended during each Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge.
CRYPTIC MASONRY The Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters of the State of Alabama t was formed at the Masonic Hall, Tuscaloosa, on the evening of December 13, 1838, by twenty‑eight Royal and Select Masters, Gerard W. Creagh presiding, with F. C. Ellis as Recorder.
The others present were John C. Hicks, then Grand Master of Masons in Alabama; R. A. Baker, Charles Bealle, L. S. Skinner, E. W. Esselman, William Hazlett, Z. B. Snow, James Rather, J. D. Bears, Doric S. Ball, Carlo De Haro, Jacob Wyser, J. C. Van Dyke, Armand P. Phister, Walker K. Baylor, Major Cook, James G. Blount, James L. F. Cottrell (the successor in Congress of William L. Yancey), W. R. Ross, G. T. McAfee, John Cantley, A. B. Dawson, Rev. James H. Thomason, J. B. Norris, Carter R. Harrison, and William H. Payne. The proceedings are silent as to whence hailed these companions, though we know from other sources that most of them resided in and around Tuscaloosa.
A Constitution was adopted and Companion Creagh was elected " Thrice I Illustrious General Grand Master." (The word " General " was eliminated from the nomenclature in 1846.) Of those participating, John C. Hicks, Armand P. Phister, and Walker K. Baylor were already prominent in the Masonic life of Alabama. To the well‑known Bro. John Barker, of Scottish Rite fame, is accorded the honour of first sowing in Alabama the seeds of Cryptic Masonry. The Grand Council held its Annual Assemblies regularly (except 1840) to and including 1860. The decline about 1840 was doubtless due to the Morgan excitement. The growth of the Grand Council during the period from 1840 to the Civil War was slow but steady. The records show one active subordinate Council in 1838; four in 1841; twenty‑four in 1850, and sixteen in 1860. Other distinguished Masons who appeared in Grand Council during this period were James Penn, father of the Masonic " Work " in Alabama; David Moore, William Hendrix, William C. Penick, Lewis E. Parsons (subsequently governor and elected United States senator in 1865 but not seated), Sterling A. M. Wood, J. McCaleb Wiley, David Clopton (subsequently a justice of the Supreme Court), } Nimrod E. Benson, James M. Brundidge, Alabama's greatest ritualist; Felix G. Norman, David P. Lewis (subsequently governor), Daniel Sayre (long Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge), Rufus Greene, Lewis B. Thornton, John A. Loder, distinguished lawyer, and others.
On the roll of members of Central Council, at Marion, was the name of 12 FREEMASONRY IN ALABAMA the accomplished minister and writer Eugene V. Levert, and on that of Tuscaloosa Council the name of the distinguished educator, Frederick A. P. Barnard, subsequently president of Columbia College (now University), and the founder of Barnard College for Women.
The regularity of the formation of the Grand Council seems never to have been challenged. At the 1841 Assembly ministers of the gospel were exempt from dues, and " the original members of the Grand Council " were allowed to vote in the election of Officers. In 1843, 1845, and 1847 the Grand Council expressed its disapproval of the proposed transfer of the Cryptic Degrees to the Royal Arch Chapters. This question agitated the Grand Chapter for many years, the latest echo being heard in 1880. Alabama has at all times stood firmly for the independence of the Cryptic Degrees.
At the 1845 Assembly that master ritualist, James Penn, exemplified the Cryptic Degrees before the Grand Council and it was resolved that the subordinate Councils be enjoined to practise the same. Thus, Bro. Penn appears as the father of the Cryptic " Work " in Alabama, as he was of that of the Symbolic Degrees. In 1848 Dispensations were issued for Louisiana Council, No. 15, at New Orleans, and for Columbus Council, No. 16, at Columbus, Mississippi. These were never Chartered and ceased existence in 1851.
In 1849 it developed that an Officer acting under the authority of the Grand Consistory of Charleston, South Carolina, had conferred the Cryptic Degrees on Masons residing in Alabama, and that these companions had applied to and obtained from the Grand Council a Dispensation to form a subordinate Council, Izabud, at LaFayette. On discovering these facts the Dispensation of Izabud Council was withdrawn and demand made on the Consistory that the fees collected by its Officer be returned to the Brethren paying them. This demand was repeated several times, but never with any result.
Being unable even to get a reply from the Consistory, at the 1855 Assembly the Grand Council discharged its Committee and adopted a resolution that it had " exclusive jurdisiction over all subordinate councils in Alabama and over the degrees of Royal and Select Masters and that any attempt by the Grand Consistory of South Carolina, or any officer thereof, to establish Councils in Alabama or to confer these degrees will be regarded as an act of usurpation and unwarranted by Masonic usage." This was but another phase of the long controversy over the position of the Cryptic Degrees in the Masonic system.
In 1850 the New Masonic Trestle Board, by Moore, was adopted " for the government of the Grand and Subordinate Councils." The use of the term " adjourned " was disapproved and " assembly " instead of " meeting " was recommended.
At the 1852 Assembly, the distinguished ritualist and author, Companion J. W. S. Mitchell, was present and installed the Officers.
In 1854 the Grand Council adopted as the uniform of the Cryptic Degrees " a collar and apron of Tyrian purple, trimmed with gold." In the 1857 proceeding it is noted that at the last Triennial of the General FREEMASONRY IN ALABAMA 13 Grand Chapter an effort had been made to form a General Grand Council but that the movement failed because several of the Grand Councils, among them that of Alabama, had no one present authorised to participate. At the next Annual Assembly, the Committee on Foreign Correspondence, through Companion Lewis B. Thornton, reported adversely.
In 1858 the Grand Puissant granted a Dispensation to form California Council, No. 38, at San Francisco.
At the 1859 Assembly a resolution was offered that no Council can be opened or work with less than nine Royal and Select Masters, and that those receiving said Degrees in a Council of less than that number would not be recognised. No action was ever taken upon the resolution, but Alabama has always adhered to the quorum of nine.
The history of the post‑Civil War period of the Grand Council is quickly told. On December 8, 1864, the Civil War had nearly spent itself and on that date the Grand Council again convened at Montgomery with nine Councils represented. Only three of its Officers, however, appeared: James B. Harrison, Grand Puissant; Daniel Sayre, Recorder; and Thomas McDougal, Grand Sentinel.
By December 6, 1865, the war had become history; the Grand Council met with thirteen Councils represented and five of its regular Officers in place. The Recorder reported that Cryptic Masonry was reviving in Alabama, and expressed his hope that " our future should be steadily onward and upward." This hope has been fulfilled with one marked exception. In 188o the General Grand Council was formed and, in the same year, the Grand Council of Alabama ratified the general Constitution and became a member. Soon, how ever, a decline set in and by 1886 the state of Cryptic Masonry was so low that no Annual Assembly was held. At the 1887 Annual, the Grand Master reported to the Grand Council that " our numbers are now reduced to the minimum," and that all but three of the Councils in the State were dormant, and that these three were in a " very feeble condition." The Grand Master recommended that the Grand Council be dissolved and that the subordinates hold under the General Grand Council. This action was not taken, but, at the 1888 Annual, connection with the General Grand Council was dissolved, the resolution reciting that it was " detrimental to be subordinated longer to the General Grand Council." For the next seventeen years the Grand Council was an independent body.
In 1892‑ it was resolved that the Degree of Super‑Excellent Master be conferred without charge on all Royal and Select Masters, members of Councils in Alabama.
Not till 1894 did the languishing condition of Cryptic Masonry show signs of reawakening. Conditions were further improved in 1895 and " hard times," incompetent presiding Officers in the Councils, and the scramble for advance ment without knowing anything about the Cryptic Degrees were assigned as the causes of the low state of this branch of Masonry.
14 FREEMASONRY IN ALABAMA In 1898 the Annual Assembly met in the new Masonic Temple on Perry Street, Montgomery, where it has ever since been held.
By 1899 the country and Cryptic Masonry were again prosperous, and the latter has continued so in varying degrees ever since, though it is again feeling the effect of the present world‑wide depression in business.
In 19o5 the Grand Council renewed its membership in the General Grand Council and this relation has since been maintained to the advantage of both. From 6 Councils in 1904 with 357 members, the increase has been to 22 Councils with about 3ooo members.
KNIGHTS TEMPLAR This Concordant Order, though not technically a part of Freemasonry, will be briefly treated.
In the year 186o there were five Commanderies in Alabama, all chartered by the Grand Encampment of the United States. They were Washington, No. I, at Marion; Mobile, No. 2; Tuscumbia, No. 3 ; Montgomery, No. 4; and Selma, No. 5, with a total of about 15o members.
Charter for the first of these, Washington, No. I, was refused in 1841 by the Grand Encampment, but was granted on September 12, 1844; then came Mobile, Tuscumbia, and Montgomery, and finally the Charter for the last, Selma, No. 5, was issued September 16, 1859. At the 1847 Triennial of the Grand Encampment there was authorised the issuance of a Charter to " Barker Encampment," at Claiborne, Alabama, as soon as it complied with the requirements of the General Grand Constitution, made proper returns, and paid all dues. This movement must have fallen through as no such body is shown on the roster for 185o or any subsequent year of the Grand Encampment. This name affords evidence, however, of the popularity in Alabama of Bro. John Barker.
On December I, 186o, in the Asylum of Montgomery, No. 4, the "Grand Commandery of Knight Templar and Appendant Orders of Alabama " was formed, under warrant from the Grand Encampment of the United States. Richard F. Knott, one of the most distinguished Masons of his day, was elected Grand Commander, a position he held for eight years. Washington, No. I, then in a moribund state, did not participate. So the Order of Knights Templar had a brief but uneventful history in Alabama of about sixteen years before the formation of the Grand Commandery. The Grand Conclave of 186o was held in regular course, but by 1862 the disruptions resulting from war had become so great that a quorum could not be obtained. It was not represented at the Triennials of 1862 or 1865 for the same reasons. Its history has been undisturbed except by the difficulties of the Civil War and Reconstruction periods, and its growth in numbers and influence has been steady. Able men have presided over it and served on its Committee on Foreign Correspondence. Their addresses and reports make the printed proceedings of great interest and value. On December 9, 1861, the Grand Commandery and its subordinates were incor‑ FREEMASONRY IN ALABAMA 15 porated by Act of the Legislature of Alabama. From its small beginning in 1860, with 5 Commanderies and only about 150 members, it now boasts 35 Commanderies with over 5000 members. Despite the present general financial depression, its future is bright.
THE SCOTTISH RITE In 1865, Grand Commander Albert Pike reported the Scottish Rite membership in Alabama as " exceedingly limited," with no organisation of the Rite and no Inspector‑General. In his allocution of May 1870 he said of Alabama In this State no attempt was made to propagate the Ancient and Accepted Rite, until, in December 1867, Ill. Bro. Batchelor established in Mobile the several bodies of the degrees up to the Kadosh. I have no report from Ill. Bro. Knott, Deputy for the State, of the establishment of bodies or of any initiation, nor have I had any communications from him for quite a year and half. I hoped to hear long ago of the establishment of the Rite at Montgomery, the capital of the State; and it ought not to be difficult, among the great number of intelligent Masons in Alabama, to find many worthy of initiation into the higher mysteries.
The 1872 Transactions of the Supreme Council show Mobile Lodge of Perfection, No. I, with thirty‑seven members; Mobile Council of Princes of Jerusalem, No. I, with fifteen members; Mobile Chapter, Knights of Rose‑Croix, No. I, with ten members; and Mobile Council of Kadosh, No. I, with eleven members. These were the earliest bodies of the Rite to be established in the State. In 1874 there were no reports from Alabama and in 1876 Grand Commander Pike reported the Bodies at Mobile as " lifeless and extinct." On April 13, 1874, Alabama Lodge of Perfection, No. I, at Montgomery, was Chartered, but in 1876 Grand Commander Pike reported it as giving " no signs of vitality." However, this body is still on the Roster of the Supreme Council and at present has 1109 members. It and the other Scottish Rite bodies now at Montgomery have erected there a magnificent temple. The other bodies of the Rite at Montgomery were chartered as follows Hermes Chapter of Rose‑Croix, October 2o, 1899, present membership 939; Mitchell Council of Kadosh, October 22, 1915, present membership 813; Holbrook Consistory, October 2o, 1917, present membership 803.
The other Scottish Rite bodies in Alabama were Chartered as follows Birmingham Lodge of Perfection, October 2o, 1897, present membership 3199; Birmingham Chapter of Rose‑Croix, October 2o, 1899, present membership 2‑811; Birmingham Council of Kadosh, October 2o, 1899, present membership, 2691; Alabama Consistory, Birmingham, October 2o, 1899, present membership 2642; Mobile Lodge of Perfection, October 24, 1901, present membership 2iio; Mobile Chapter of Rose‑Croix, May 21, 1903, present membership, 1802; Mobile Council of Kadosh, October 23, 1907, present membership 1692; 16 FREEMASONRY IN ALABAMA Mobile Consistory, October 2.3, 1907, present membership 1688; Dothan Lodge of Perfection, October i9, 192.7, present membership 114.
The foregoing tables show that the Scottish Rite in Alabama is flourishing. The Birmingham and Dothan bodies are also housed in splendid temples. Alabama has furnished two of the Grand Commanders of the Rite in the Southern jurisdiction, viz.: James C. Batchelor and George Fleming Moore.
CONCLUSION Masonry in all its branches is firmly established in the State. On the whole its course here has been peaceful and prosperous. Like everything else, the Grand Lodge and Masonry in general in the State have suffered during the past few years on account of bad business conditions and other causes, but it is confidently believed that the bottom has been reached and soon the Craft will be experiencing another era of prosperity. It is not Masonic to be pessimistic; Hope is one of the guiding principles of Freemasonry. Masonry has passed through these valleys many times and has always emerged wiser and stronger than before.
FREEMASONRY IN ARIZONA HARRY ARIZONA DRACHMAN 0 RGANISED Masonry came into existence in the Territory of Arizona on April 22, 1865 . It was on that date that a Dispensation was issued by the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of California to form Aztlan Lodge at Prescott, Arizona. At the Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of California, held on October 15, 1865, the Committee on Charters made the following report of interest to all Arizona Masons: " Your Committee has had under consideration the application of Aztlan Lodge for a continuance of its Dispensation until the next Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge. This Lodge is located at Prescott, in Arizona Territory, and the great distance between us and that locality, and the uncertain and slow means of communication, afford a sufficient reason why the Lodge's Records and Returns have not yet been received. Bro. Alsap, the Master of the Lodge, well says in his application: ` This is a small community, far removed from others, an advance post of the army of civilisation, fighting against barbarism, with a hostile and savage foe around, and‑depending upon our own armed hands for safety of life and property. I say it proudly, nowhere are the Constitutions of Masonry more cherished and loved, or its principles better or more nobly illustrated. The worthy distressed Brother here has ever found a friendly word and helping hand.' " With all this in mind, the Grand Lodge of California did continue the Dispensation of the Prescott Lodge until the former's next Annual Communication. The first three Officers named under the Dispensation were John T. Alsap, Worshipful Master; Hezekiah Brooks, Senior Warden; and Herbert Bowers, Junior Warden. Then, on October 11, 1866, the Grand Lodge of California having found that the Records of Aztlan Lodge had been creditably kept, granted it a Charter and assigned it as No. 177. The Officers who had been named in the Dispensation continued under the Charter.
The next Lodge to organise in the Territory was Arizona Lodge, at Phoenix, to which a Dispensation was issued by the Grand Lodge of California on August 9, 1879. Then, on October 16 of the same year, a Charter was granted to 17 18 FREEMASONRY IN ARIZONA the Lodge and it was registered as No. 257. The first three Officers of this Lodge were John T. Alsap, Worshipful Master; Francis A. Shaw, Senior Warden; and Newell Herrick, Junior Warden.
Arizona Lodge was followed by White Mountain Lodge, at Globe, Arizona, the third Lodge to be organised in the Territory. This Lodge was issued a Dispensation from the New Mexico Grand Lodge on July 1, 188o. Because there was no two‑story building in the town of Globe at the time, the Grand Lodge of California had refused to issue a Dispensation to form a Lodge there. For that reason the Brethren there petitioned the Grand Lodge of New Mexico, which allowed Lodges to meet on ground floors, provided they were safe from intrusion and properly tiled. The Altar, Pillars, Pedestals, Columns, and other Lodge furniture used by the Lodge were designed and put together by local carpenters. The jewels were made of tin, from which they had been neatly cut by the local tinsmith, Bro. Jacob Abraham. Suspended on collars of blue ribbon, they presented a unique appearance. During the time the Brethren were awaiting news of the Dispensation from the New Mexico Grand Lodge, John Kennedy was induced to erect a two‑story building. This was then readily accepted by the Masons, and leased by them for five years. In order that the Officers might familiarise themselves with the Ritual of the Grand Lodge of New Mexico, they occasionally met in lonely cabins on the high hills that surround Globe, or in the wilderness near by. The first meeting of this Lodge held under Dispensation took place on August 2, i88o, with the following Officers officiating: A. H. Morehead, Worshipful Master; Alonzo Bailey, Senior Warden; and Jacob Abraham, Junior Warden. Then on January 18, 1881, a Charter was granted to the White Mountain Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, by the Grand Lodge of New Mexico. It was registered as No. 5.
The first quasi‑Masonic organisation in Tucson was a Masonic Club which was organised on April 11, 1875. This, however, ceased to exist on February 3, 1876. Then, on October i9, 1879, the Tucson Masonic Relief Association was organised, the purpose of which was " to relieve distressed worthy Brother Masons, their wives, widows, and orphans, and to encourage social and fraternal intercourse among the Brethren." This organisation was also shortlived, for it lasted only until December 7, 1879. A few months later, on February 6, 188o, to be exact, the Masonic Association of Tucson was organised, with George J. Roskruge as President. On February 17 of the next year, this organisation became Tucson Lodge, under a Dispensation issued by the Grand Lodge of California. Its Charter was granted October 15, 1881, and the number 2‑63 was assigned to it. The first three Officers of the Lodge were: Ansel M. Bragg, Worshipful Master; George J. Roskruge, Senior Warden; Abraham Marx, Junior Warden. The next Lodge to be formed in Arizona Territory was Solomon Lodge, at Tombstone, for which a Dispensation was granted by the Grand Lodge of California on June 14, 1881. The first Officers were: William A. Harwood, Worshipful Master; Benjamin Titus, Senior Warden; and Thomas R. Sorin, Junior Warden.
FREEMASONRY IN ARIZONA 23 On February 5, 1882, Tucson Lodge, No. 263, sent the following letter to the four other Lodges in the Territory: Hall of Tucson Lodge No. 263 Free and Accepted Masons Tucson, Arizona February 5, 1882 To the Master, Wardens, and Brethren of Lodge No.
Free and Accepted Masons Arizona Brethren On Tuesday the 21st March next we will dedicate our new Masonic Hall, now in course of construction, and we extend a cordial invitation to the Officers and members of your Lodge to participate with us on that occasion.
We would also suggest the idea of forming a Grand Lodge at that time, there being now five Lodges in the Territory. If this suggestion meets with your approval, will you elect Delegates to attend for that purpose; and should the Grand Lodge be formed, Tucson Lodge will pay Delegates fees same as‑ in California. At all events we will be happy to see any and all members of your Lodge present at the opening of the hall.
We have extended the same invitation and suggestion to all Lodges in the Territory.
Fraternally yours Ansel Mellen Bragg, Master George James Roskruge, Senior Warden Abraham Marx, Junior Warden All the Lodges, excepting only Aztlan Lodge, No. 177, of Prescott, sent Delegates to the Convention. The following communication from Aztlan explains why that Lodge did not also sent Representatives to Tucson Hall of Aztlan Lodge No. 177, Free and Accepted Masons Prescott, Arizona March 21, 1882 To the Master, Wardens, and Brethren of Tucson Lodge No. 263 Free and Accepted Masons Tucson, Arizona Brethren The Committee appointed by this Lodge at their last regular meeting to fully investigate the advisability and necessity of establishing a Grand Lodge in the Territory of Arizona and severing our connection with the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of California, have been in daily consultation and deliberation over the subject‑matter in question and have come to the conclusion not to send anyone from this Lodge to represent us in the Convention to assemble 24 FREEMASONRY IN ARIZONA at Tucson; that we do not believe in the " advisability and necessity " of forming a Grand Lodge in Arizona at this time; that the expense attending such a move will not be for the good of Masonry in this Territory; that it will cause a falling off of membership in all the Lodges in consequence of additional expense, and ultimately result in bankruptcy and the surrender of a majority of the Charters of the several Lodges now existing; that we believe it ill advised and premature.
Trusting you may fully realise your highest anticipations in your coming dedication and festivities, we are, Brethren, Very fraternally yours, Geo. D. Kendall, Past Master Chairman of the Committee Nevertheless the Representatives of Arizona Lodge, No. 2.57, at Phoenix, of Tucson Lodge, No. 2.63, at Tucson, and of White Mountain Lodge, No. 5, at Globe, met at Tucson on March 2.3, 1882.. Representatives of Solomon Lodge U. D., of Tombstone, were also invited to take part in the deliberations of the Convention. Alonzo Bailey was elected Chairman, and George J. Roskruge was appointed Secretary. A Constitution was then adopted by the Convention, a Lodge of Master Masons was opened, and the following Grand Officers were elected and appointed: Ansel M. Bragg, Grand Master; John T. Alsap, Deputy Grand Master; Alonzo Bailey, Senior Grand Warden; William A. Harwood, Junior Grand Warden; Abraham Marx, Grand Treasurer; George J. Roskruge, Grand Secretary; Charles M. Strauss, Grand Chaplain; James A. Zabriskie, Grand Orator; Joseph B. Creamer, Grand Marshal; Josiah Brown, Grand Bible Bearer; James D. Monihon, Grand Standard Bearer; Thomas R. Sorin, Grand Sword Bearer; Francis A. Shaw, Senior Grand Deacon; Charles A. Fisk, Junior Grand Deacon; Benjamin Titus, Senior Grand Steward; William Tucker, Junior Grand Steward; William Downie, Grand Pursuivant; Solon M. Allis, Grand Organist; and James M. Elliott, Grand Tyler. The Master Mason's Lodge was then closed, and the Convention, having completed the business for which it assembled, was adjourned sine die.
The M.*.W.%Grand Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of the Territory of Arizona was then opened in ample form on March 2.5, 1882.. A resolution was passed that the M.'.W.'.Grand Master and V.'.W.'.Grand Secretary should endorse the Charters of the Lodges represented. Since Aztlan Lodge, No. 177, was not represented at the Convention, the following resolution regarding it was passed: " Resolved, That it should be properly represented to the Grand Master during the recess of the Grand Lodge that Aztlan Lodge now holden at Prescott, Arizona Territory, was a duly constituted Lodge, the Grand Master is hereby authorised to adopt the same course and make a similar endorsement on its Charter as on the Charters of the other Lodges in the Territory." Upon receipt of the engrossed Proceedings of the Grand Lodge Communication of March 25, 1882., the M.'.W. *Master of Aztlan Lodge wrote to the Grand FREEMASONRY IN ARIZONA ZS Secretary. He referred to the resolution passed by the Grand Lodge regarding the endorsement of Aztlan Lodge's Charter, and objected to sending the Charter out of his control for that purpose. A second interesting letter to the same effect is also found in the Grand Lodge archives. It reads as follows: Prescott, Arizona Territory June 3, x882 George J. Roskruge, Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge Free and Accepted Masons of Arizona Tucson, Arizona Territory Dear Sir and Brother: Yours of the 31st May received to‑day, and I hasten to reply so as to delay your work as little as possible.
Before I wrote my letter of the 29th I had read the Proceedings of the Grand Lodge, and judging from them that the Grand Master would want to see our Charter I used the language that you quote. I am still of the opinion that it would not be right for me to send you by express or otherwise our Charter. Comparing dates, it seems as if six days were the least number it could possibly take to send it to you and return, if all worked well. During this time we could not examine distressed Brethren who might apply for relief nor open our Lodge even for the burial of a Brother, should it unfortunately be our duty to do so.
I do not know of any section of the California law which bears on the case, and so I quote to you the words of Mackey : " I have no doubt that the Grand Master cannot demand the delivery of the Warrant into his custody, for having been intrusted to the Master, Wardens, and their successors by the Grand Lodge, the Master who is the proper custodian of it has no right to surrender it to anyone, except to that Body from whom it emanated." It seems to me that the Grand Master can easily satisfy himself as to our being a regularly constituted Lodge, without seeing our Charter, and can then send us a copy of the endorsement under the Grand Seal and attested by you. With this we could work until such time as we might be able to present our Charter under the care of the Master or Warden.
I am desirous of facilitating your labours by all proper means, but the more I consider my duty under the circumstances the less I am inclined to send the Charter out of my control.
I enclose you therefore the Petition drawn in accordance with the Resolution of our Lodge, which please present to the Grand Master for his action. With assurances of fraternal regard, I am yours truly, Morris Goldwater Master of Aztlan Lodge No. 177 Although the Records do not show just how the Grand Master succeeded in endorsing the Charter, we do know that on June 14, 1882, the proper endorsement was made, and Aztlan Lodge, No. 177, being the oldest Lodge in the Territory, was registered as No. 1 in the list of Arizona Lodges.
26 FREEMASONRY IN ARIZONA The year 1882 was a time of hardship and danger in Arizona. The Territory had a small white population living in widely scattered communities. Although the Southern Pacific Railway had recently completed its main line across the southern part of the Territory, it was of little help to the inhabitants, since most of them lived in remote districts. Roads were little more than trails, and due to heavy mountain snows and summer storms, they were impassable much of the time. At all times there was also constant danger from roving bands of stage‑coach robbers and Apache Indians. Travel on the main roads was done in either four‑ or six‑horse Concord stage‑coaches or in buckboards; on the mountain trails it was done by horseback or muleback. Danger of attack by marauding Indians made it necessary to do much of the travelling between twilight and dawn. And, of course, few comforts for the weary traveller were to be found at the journey's end. Therefore, it was under such trying conditions as these that the early Masons of Arizona managed to perfect the organisation of the Grand Lodge and to attend the regular meetings of their local Lodges. Indeed, it was not until 1895 that northern and southern Arizona were connected by rail, thus making possible a steady increase in Masonic membership and in the number of Chartered Lodges throughout the Territory.
At the first Annual Meeting of the Grand Lodge, held in November, 1882, Bro. Morris Goldwater introduced a resolution for the appointment of a Committee of three to present to the Grand Lodge at its next Session the most feasi ble method of creating a widow's and orphan's fund. This was done and the Committee reported in November 1883, proposing the following plan for the creation of the fund: That each Lodge pay for each Master Mason borne upon its Rolls the sum of fifty cents per annum. The plan was adopted, and the first year's record of the fund shows that there was a membership of 35o, and the sum of $175 in the fund. To‑day, with a membership of 6685 there is to the credit of this fund $118,794. In 1918 the Grand Lodge created an endowment fund which now amounts to $161,459. The purpose of the funds was the erection and maintenance of a Home for aged and needy Masons, their widows and orphans. Although the Home has not yet been built, the aged and needy are generously taken care of with money from these funds. In 1922 a large Home with extensive grounds, located at Oracle, Arizona, was offered to the Grand Lodge on condition that it be used for the care and treatment of tubercular patients. The offer was accepted and the Grand Lodge has since maintained the Home for ambulatory tubercular patients, the large majority of whom come from sister Grand Jurisdictions. Although the Home is not now equipped with hospital facilities for the care of advanced cases, it is hoped that in the near future, with the aid of sister Grand jurisdictions it may be made a permanent national Masonic tubercular sanitarium.
Of the early pioneer Masons, none undertook greater responsibility for the success of Masonry than Bro. George J. Roskruge, known as " Father of Masonry in Arizona," and Grand Secretary for forty‑five years. Never discouraged by the great handicaps of adverse opinions and scant funds, he worked tire‑ FREEMASONRY IN ARIZONA z.7 lessly and advanced money liberally to promote the growth and success of the Fraternity in Arizona.
Another eminent Mason was Marcus A. Smith, a member of Tucson Lodge, No. 4, who was for years delegate to Congress from Arizona Territory, and later United States Senator for a number of years until his death. Among those prominent in the Masonic Fraternity of Arizona to‑day is Bro. George W. P. Hunt, a member of White Mountain Lodge, No. 3, of Globe, who has served as governor of the State for seven terms and was minister to Siam by appointment of President Wilson. Still other prominent Arizona Masons are Ralph Cameron, Past Master of Flagstaff Lodge, No. 7, a former United States Senator; Carl Hayden, Past Master of Tempe Lodge, No. 15, who was once a representative in the national Congress and is now a United States senator; Ygnacio Bonillas, Past Master of Nogales Lodge, No. ii, who was ambassador for the Republic of Mexico to the United States during President Carranza's term; and Dr. Andrew E. Douglass, Past Master of Flagstaff Lodge, No. 7, now a member of Tucson Lodge, No. 4, who is internationally known for his scientific work in astronomy and tree‑ring research.
Since the formation of the Grand Lodge in 1882, with 5 Lodges, a membership of 274, and no cash resources, it has grown to 38 Lodges, having 6685 members and cash resources of $326,778.
Alexander G. Abell, Very Worshipful Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of California for years, did much to promote the order in Arizona. Hon. John Howard was largely instrumental in helping to organise the first Masonic Lodge in Arizona, which was at Prescott. The first recorded minutes of a meeting are without date. This, however, was in the year 1864, the Secretary being Lieut. Charles Curtis, of the United States army.
The meeting was held at the house of John N. Goodwin, then governor of the Territory, Mr. Goodwin being the presiding officer.
It was resolved to apply to the Grand Lodge of California for Dispensation to open a Lodge at Prescott. The name selected was Aztlan. John T. Alsap was chosen Worshipful Master; Joseph Ehle, Senior Warden; and H. Brooks, Junior Warden. Bro. John T. Alsap was afterwards the second Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Arizona. The petition was signed by nine Master Masons. As it was necessar
