Part 677: Harper S. Cunningham and the Scottish Rite in Guthrie, Oklahoma
Both Henry Wallenstein and Bestor G. Brown facilitated the Southern Jurisdiction’s inclusion of theatrically interpreted degree work. With the backing of M. C. Lilley & Co. and the assistance of Sosman & Landis, they were on a roll by 1900 and appeared unstoppable.
In 1896 the Little Rock Scottish Rite and the Oakland Scottish Rite each installed a theater in a renovated synagogue. More scenery, lights and effects were delivered to Little Rock in 1898. That same year, the Wichita Scottish Rite installed a theater in a renovated Y.M.C.A. building. In 1900, there were two more Scottish Rite buildings with theaters that appeared in the Southern Jurisdiction – Guthrie, Oklahoma, and Fargo, North Dakota.
For the Wichita Scottish Rite’s Spring Reunion in 1898, Harper S. Cunningham, the Inspector General of Oklahoma Territory, sent fifteen Masons from Oklahoma with the request that the Wichita Bodies confer the nineteenth through thirty-second degrees as a fraternal courtesy. By January 1899, a three-day session was held with fifteen candidates assembled to receive the degrees and participate in the ceremonies instituting the first Council of Kadosh and Consistory in the Territory of Oklahoma. From this point forward, the Valley of Guthrie was now authorized to confer the fourth to the thirty-second degrees. On the third and final day of the three-day of the session during January 1899, Cunningham led the charge in planning for their future and new home.
He assembled Brown, Wallenstein and Charles E. Rosenbaum to help him with the construction of a new temple in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Cunningham recognized the powerful motivation for men to participate in degree productions. He understood the appeal of the stage; the shared communal experience of witnessing something special and life-changing. He tapped into the experts at the time to bring brought this magic to his Masonic home in Oklahoma.
The three Kansans brought both knowledge and practical experience to the Guthrie project. They became part of a core group that fueled Cunningham’s enthusiasm and anticipation for Masonic Theaters and degree productions in his territory. In 1899 Brown was still working as a traveling salesman for E. A. Armstrong, but had returned to Topeka, Kansas. He would remain with the company until 1903 when he began working for M. C. Lilley & Co. It was during this earlier, period, however, that everything began to shift and doors opened.
By the end of 1900, there were five Scottish Rite stages – Little Rock, Oakland, Wichita, Guthrie and Fargo. All were all outfitted with scenery and stage machinery manufactured by Sosman & Landis of Chicago. The work was first secured by E. A. Armstrong Manufacturing Co. and subcontracted to Sosman & Landis.
Cunningham would become known as the Scottish Rite’s “Temple Builder.” He was involved with not only the Scottish Rite stage in Guthrie, but also the first one in McAlester, Oklahoma, before moving to Santa Fe, New Mexico. He would end up as the the SGIG for New Mexico, passing away before the 1912 Santa Fe Scottish Rite was completed.
As many endeavors, Scottish Rite most successfully spread through word of mouth. I believe that is still the case today. In the end it is the individual experience prompts people to find other members. That has always been the key. When you are passionate about something, you want to share this experience with your family, friends and colleagues. No amount of description or detail will replace actually being there; experiencing the fellowship.
It is an exceptional experience, a monumental moment, that incites an entire movement. It is a few dozen men becoming a thousand, and many digging deep into their pockets. They contributed to the construction of monumental buildings that were worthy of the speculative Craft they practiced. Scottish Rite buildings were not built solely from the contributions of wealthy men, but also from working men who scraped and saved every penny for their Fraternity. This says a lot.
Although the century-old stories may only remain in newspaper articles, it is hard to miss the passion of people gathering together to create something that will out last their own lives. They are looking toward the future and generations of men who will follow their footsteps. After reading these stories filled with excitement, inspiration and hope, it is difficult to see their hard work of the past being sold for pennies on the dollar today.
There are inspirational moments in history when people and communities unite. People of differing faiths and ethnicities plan for the future. It is this foundation that fuels ingenuity. One result of this ingenuity was when a new counterweight system was conceived, developed and installed in a handful of theaters between 1896 and 1902.
To be continued…
