Each of the seven Ringling brothers was a Scottish Rite Mason. They were members of the Scottish Rite Consistory in Milwaukee, a theater that boasted a Sosman & Landis scenery collection supervised by Thomas G. Moses during its production in 1913.
August Rüngeling and his seven sons all joined the Fraternity between January 1890 and August 1891. Each was raised in Baraboo Lodge No. 34 in Baraboo, Wisconsin, during that time. This is not unusual, when considering the percentage of men involved with some type of fraternity during the late 19th century, and how the Freemasonry could become a “family affair” for fathers and sons.
Alf T. Ringling could be called the “ringleader” of the group, as he was the first to become a Freemason. Here is when each became a Master Mason: Alf T. (January 22, 1890), John (March 1, 1890), Al (March 29, 1890), Charles (April 9, 1890), Otto (April 9, 1890), Gus (Feb. 4, 1891), Henry (March 18, 1891), August Rüngeling (August 9, 1891). However, it was their combined roles as Masonic officers during 1891 that caught my eye. Their Masonic roles were noted in the minutes of a meeting on April 8, 1891: Alf T. Ringling was Worshipful Master; August “Gus” Ringling was Senior Warden; Al Ringling was Junior Warden; Charles Ringling was Senior Deacon; Otto Ringling was Junior Deacon; Henry Ringling was Senior Steward.
In 1900, “The Buffalo Courier” included the story of the Ringling family in a section called “Travelers Toward the East” (9 Dec. 1900, page 25). The article reported, “A Masonic journal says that the Ringling brothers are known all over the country as the proprietors of the Ringling Circus. Seven of these brothers are members of Baraboo Lodge No. 34 of Wisconsin jurisdiction, and after the seven were all members of the lodge the petition of the father was received. The Ringling brothers qualified themselves to confer the degrees were assigned to the several positions in the lodge, received the father into the lodge and conferred the degrees upon him.” The Baraboo Lodge rooms were above McGann’s Furniture in the building at the Northwest corner of Oak and Second Avenue, but a new building was in the making. The same month that their father was raised, the “Wisconsin State Journal” reported that the corner stone for the Baraboo Masonic Temple was “to be laid with great ceremony” that Thursday (25 August 1891, page 1). A formal procession was formed and consisted of the Baraboo lodges, Eastern Star Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, Knights Templar, members of the Grand Lodge, the members of the city council, and lead by the Baraboo military band.
The Baraboo lodge No. 34 received its charter from the Grand Lodge of Wisconsin on June 8, 1852 and early meetings took place in the Lodge Room of Purdy’s building over at the Post Office (Sauk County Standard, Baraboo, Wisconsin, 29 March 1854, page 4). Stated meetings were the first Wednesday, on or before the full moon in each month.
Baraboo Lodge No. 34 was almost four decades old by the time the Ringling brothers became members. Besides belonging to Baraboo Lodge No. 34, the brothers also belonged to Baraboo Valley Chapter No. 49, R.A.M (Royal Arch Masons); St. John Commandery No. 21 K.T. (Knight Templars) of Baraboo, and the A.A.S.R. (Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite) in Milwaukee.
This little bit of history, prompted me to find the current location of Masonic Lodge in Baraboo on March 18, 2019. If they were open, I would stop on by and donate a book to their library. They might enjoy some additional information concerning their past and the scenic artists that Al Ringling so admired – Thomas G. Moses. After all, it was Ringling who continued to hire Sosman & Landis to deliver the painted settings for his grand circus spectacles, as well as painting the new front curtain for his theater in Baraboo.
I was in luck when I pulled into the parking space, just down the street from the new Masonic lodge building. I noticed a workman carrying in supplies, and based on past experiences, I walked up and said, “Hi, my name is Wendy,” then followed him into the building. After explaining my current trip and interest in Baraboo Lodge No. 34 and the Ringling connection, they took me on a tour of the building. What I really wanted to see was the Masonic aprons for each of the Ringling Brothers.
My tour guides could not have been more accommodating during my visit. You see, given the opportunity, people are often more than willing to share information about themselves and interests. These were three young men, fixing up their lodge on a weekday; a building that they loved.
To be continued…
