Masonic Library – Drypigment.net

Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar: Arriving in Louisville, March 19, 2019

I left Genoa, Illinois, at 5:45 AM on Tuesday, March 19. My goal was to arrive at the Louisville Scottish Rite between noon and 1PM. The drive was pretty uneventful, but there were many places that I wished I had stopped along the way; there is just never enough time. The first was the exit that would have brought me to Thomas G. Moses’ hometown of Sterling, Illinois. The second was the Crump Theatre in Columbus, Indiana. I could not take the time to stop, as I knew that my time was really limited at the Louisville Scottish Rite. My plan was to evaluate the entire collection on Wednesday. Today was simply scoping out the collection, rigging and facility with Rick. Also, this was the only day Rick could visit since the “New World Rigging Symposium” would prevent him from visiting Wednesday.

I contacted my Scottish Rite host Randolph. The intent was to visit for two hours while they were still open. Randolph had scheduled one of the Masonic stagehands to be there – Jim. Jim had worked the stage for many years and was an absolute wealth of information at 75 years old. Fortunately for me, Jim gave me their stage book that provided a little guidance in terms of inventory and line order. This is an unusual gesture, as I often have to prove how much I know before that stage book is passed along.

The Louisville Scottish Rite counterweight system

My visit on Tuesday was primarily about the rigging and Rick’s findings. Rick had a wonderful opportunity to fully explain the significance of this double purchase system to the stewards of this stage. He described that the 1930 system, original to the building, predated the Clancy patent several years later. As interested as I was in the unique aspects of the system I was more anxious to see a few scenes while he was in the flies. They brought in the first line and I began to catalogue information about this 4^th degree interior setting.

My notes were placed within the historical context of the Louisville Scottish Rite that I have explored during the previous week. It was apparent that the majority of the scenery dated from 1910. Toomey & Volland business records noted two scenery deliveries – 1910 and 1951. The drops depicted standard designs and painting techniques characteristic of the studio.

Unfortunately, much of the scenery was restored at one point, with methods that may not be advantageous for the collection’s future. I understand the choices of those who repaired the scene, but wonder how these will age. Most scenes were backed with a type of gauze that appeared plastic, although it may have been the adhesive. The edges of cut scenes were backed with flexible foam core; this I had encountered in Cheyenne. For a new scene, ephemeral in nature, it is a brilliant idea. For historic scenery, I have to wonder how the foam will interact with the fragile fabric in the long run. The painted surface had also been sealed, resulting in a slight sheen. I have no idea what was used for this, as it had a plastic feel; almost reminding me of a product that I used on interactive exhibits for museum projects – Aquaplastic.

Finally, the netting was replaced with a plastic ½” square version; hot melt glued to the back. As Alessia Carpoca and I looked at this alteration near the end of the day, she asked the same question that has gone through my mind multiple times when seeing hot melt glued netting: “How could anyone be so stupid?” It is the idea that the drops of hot glue will never come of the back without damaging the fabric. The hot glue embeds itself in the weave and is permanently fixed. Even steam and heat only partially removed this product, as I have tried in the past. The process completely destroys the painted surface during its removal.

Meanwhile, Rick was occupied doing another good deed (as usual); helping balance some line sets to make them easier to move. He also took the time to thoroughly explain how the system worked and all of the various components. As previously mentioned, the Scottish Rite Reunion was scheduled to start in four days and some of the lines were difficult to pull.

For the most part, we try to leave any stage better than we found it, even if this means simply explaining a system and scenery for future clarity. In Scottish Rite theaters, the Masonic stagehands are often unfamiliar with the history of both. It is not unusual to find something amiss in these systems that require a simple tweak. After all, the systems have often not been maintained since their installation.

After Rick was done with his talk and the weight adjustment, we headed up to the grid. This was one of the easiest ascents ever to access the space above the stage.

Our journey to the grid at the Louisville Scottish Rite

The Louisville Scottish Rite counterweight system above the stage

We went up steps and followed boards above the auditorium space. I kept an eye out for trash, as treasures were often left in these attic spaces. Sure enough, there was a Mazda Edison box! We balanced our way to a small door, with Jim taking quick grip on me to make sure I would not fall. My sense of mortality has exponentially increased over the years, so I don’t wander to close to the edges anymore. However, I wasn’t going to miss an opportunity accompanying Rick and hearing his observations. It is always fun to be on site with Rick, as he so thoroughly explains what I am looking at and the nuances of each system. It is like the rigging class that does not end.

We left the Scottish Rite late afternoon, and I checked into the Hardy House (my Airbnb for the conference). Just about the time I was settling in and deciding to open a can of soup, I received a text from Randolph. He notified me that the Louisville Scottish Rite librarian and archivist would be contacting me soon, offering me the opportunity to visit the Scottish Rite library that evening. Regardless of my fatigue, this was not an opportunity that I would miss. So within the hour, I was waiting outside for my ride to head back to the Louisville Scottish Rite. It was certainly worth it as I spent the next few hours perusing books and chatting with Richard.

Like many, the library was a fraction of what it had once held. Books were missing and the contents somewhat sparse. However, there were certainly some gems left; absolutely priceless publications that would contribute to my ongoing research about visual sources used by scenic studios to produce Scottish Rite scenery. My biggest surprise was a Cerneau book with many recognizable compositions that were later incorporated into the Scottish Rite scenic designs.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 92 – The Volland Collection at the St. Louis Scottish Rite Library

Every once in a while, the universe sends you a signal that you are on the right path regardless of recent obstacles. My trip to the St. Louis Scottish Rite theater and library was a success. Several loose ends were tied up for me in terms of both the evolution of Masonic scenery and its future preservation.

As I reached for the last Volland Studio folder in the library during March of 2017, I had a sense of profound relief. For months, I had been working at warp speed and the pace was staring to wear me out. That morning, there had not been a moment to spare, as I needed to quickly return to the conference center for USITT activities. I reached for the final folder labeled “Miscellaneous,” wondering if this might include Shrine or Grotto materials. When I looked at the first photograph, however, time seemed to stop. I just sat there staring at an image. This was a momentous discovery.

Volland scenic artist sketching foreground of camp scene for St. Louis Scottish Rite scenery collection, 1924. Photograph by Waszut-Barrett, March 2017.

I silently regarded this depiction of a Volland scenic artist sketching out a camp scene, the same one created for the Valley of St. Louis in 1924. The caption on the photograph even read, “painting a 32’ x 90’ drop on a 60’ paint frame.” I was too excited to speak for a minute and then called over to the librarian. By now, John was a little immune to my gasps of delight as I paged through dozens of degree production designs. “Here is a picture of a scenic artist working on the camp scene from your collection,” I said. John raised his eyebrows and came over to my table. “Really?” he drawled, “How can you tell?”

St. Louis Scottish Rite camp scene. Photograph by Waszut-Barrett, March 2017.

St. Louis Scottish Rite camp backdrop. Photograph by Waszut-Barrett, March 2017.

First of all, I photographed the scene from the same angle. I then pointed to the caption, explaining, “The note at the bottom verifies the same width of ninety feet! This is not a standard size for Masonic scenery.” It was rumored that a special building had been constructed to produce the extremely wide scenery and I had always wondered about the validity of that statement. If a special building had been created for this particular installation, the paint frame would have measured the same size as the drops. During my evaluation, I had not encountered enough scenery to justify the expense of new structure.

Toomey & Volland had built a new studio just prior to producing the St. Louis Scottish Rite scenery and I had recently acquired that image for my files. Six months earlier, I had discovered the Toomey & Volland’s advertisement depicting the construction of their 1922 studio.

This had been one of many unique finds at the Harry Ransom Center in Austin, Texas. That entire trip during October of 2016 continued to bear fruit for my own personal research projects.

I now added a photograph of a studio painting portions of a drop at a time. This was a process that I had read about and actually done myself when I had a limited paint area. For the St. Louis collection, it meant painting two-thirds of the drop and then shifting over the entire composition. Having done this for much smaller drops, I knew what a pain this must have been and marveled at the difficulty to shift a scene of that size. The photograph also showed the painting process as the scenic artist was working on the final part of the composition, the foreground.

Photographs of scenic artists painting scenery in studios are common. Finding the corresponding painted scene to accompany the photograph is unusual. What an exciting discovery! Here was one more find that contributed to the rich context surrounding the evolution of Scottish Rite scenery.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 91 – The St. Louis Scottish Rite Library

My final day at the St. Louis Scottish Rite was spent in their library. The librarian had approached me earlier that week, excitedly describing the many treasures. I knew that my time on the stage was extremely limited as a dance recital was scheduled for the weekend. Friday morning was their final dress rehearsal.

I entered the building that Friday morning and was greeted with a potpourri of glitter, spangles, and Lycra. Beautiful blond cherubs prancing around in tutus gathered at the entrance of the theatre, waiting for their next song. I had to chuckle to myself and wonder if the original membership had any idea that the auditorium would host legions of young girls gyrating to modern musical selections. Ironically, dance recitals and weddings make up the two main rental groups for fraternal theaters nationwide. The subsequent rental income from this type of clientele helps keep the lights on and pays for much needed repairs. Unbeknownst to the performers on the stage, they are all playing a game of Russian roulette as both the rigging systems and historical scenery collections are perilously close to failing and falling onto the stage floor.

No matter how many times I warn fraternal theaters about the dangers posed to those on stage, rentals continue. The scenario of impending doom always makes me feel like I am about to witness a tragedy. Here was Nell tied to the railroad tracks and I hear the whistle of the oncoming locomotive. It is just appearing around the bend and those able to help are distracted by the pretty flowers and scenery, not noticing the tragedy that is about to befall the heroine.

As I passed the souvenir stands and wandered down into in the basement of the St. Louis Scottish Rite Cathedral, I began to wonder what the librarian might consider “treasures.” Nothing could have prepared me for the neat stacks of file folders, all divided by Scottish Rite degrees. Each folder had black and white photographs, sketches, and designs produced by Volland Studios. The librarian explained that Volland Studios had gifted these old files years ago and they had just kept them in a neat little pile, waiting for some “expert” to tell them what to do with the acquisition.

St. Louis Scottish Rite Library, Photo by Waszut-Barrett, March 2017.

Some of the photos depicted the current St. Louis Scottish Rite scenery. Others depicted schematics of set pieces and various props. As at the Harry Ransom Center, I photographed everything that I could lay my hands on. Quickly, I realized that I would never be able to document everything in two hours and I would have to return that afternoon. I had already been approached by the executive secretary about being hired as a guest speaker that fall and knew that I would plan enough time to fully photograph or scan these images.

Volland Studio design for 7th Degree Throne. Photograph by Waszut-Barrett, 2017.

Volland Studio rendering of 7th degree throne scene. Photograph by Waszut-Barrett, 2017.

Volland Studio stamp on back of all designs and installation photos. Photograph by Waszut-Barrett, 2017.

Volland Studio installation photo depicting the 7th Degree Throne. Photograph by Waszut-Barrett, 2017.

Paging through the contents of each degree, I immediately identified designs from other collections that I had recently evaluated and entered into my Scottish Rite scenery databases. With this set of designs, I could now cross-reference Sosman & Landis, New York Studios, Great Western Stage Equipment Company, Becker Bros. Studio and Volland Studios. It was almost too exciting to contemplate.

As new designs were created for the Fort Scott collection and fully included in Moses’ 1931 model, so too did Volland create several new designs for the Valley of St. Louis. I noticed that for both the 1924 Fort Scott and St. Louis designs, the foreground objects dominate the composition and take on a “larger than life” appearance. For example, the Fort Scott columns from the 15th degree ruins were massive – dwarfing any actor that might stand next to the painted detail. Similarly, the wood leg and cut drops in St. Louis reminded me of the redwood forests. The tree trunks of the drops were easily six feet wide!

Volland Studio installation photo of wood scene for St. Louis Scottish Rite. This scene no longer lowers to the stage. I was only able to evaluate a few leg drops during March 2017. Photograph by Waszut-Barrett.

Painted detail of wood scene (leg drop) at the St. Louis Scottish Rite stage. Photograph by Waszut-Barrett, 2017.

15th Degree ruins cut drops from the Fort Scott Scottish Rite scenery collection. Photograph taken onsite by Waszut-Barrett, November 2015.

I thought back to some of the earliest painted illusions for the stage. The incredible depth suggested on a relatively shallow stage was magical. The feeling of awe that I experienced in St. Louis was magical. I had seen hundreds of painted scenes in Masonic theatre across the country, but the designs for Fort Scott and St. Louis were the next step in the evolution of Scottish Rite stage design.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Acquiring the Fort Scott Scottish Rite Scenery Collection for the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center, part 42.

Well-behaved Women Seldom Make History

The CEO was insistent that my shipping inventory for the St. Paul Masonic Library should have been flawless; any mistakes made during the two-week span allotted to record 10,000 items was unacceptable. This was part of his continued argument to shelve unprocessed and unidentifiable books in the Nelson Library. This current course of action did not bode well for the future Fort Scott scenery collection. Furthermore, the CEO ‘s statements repeatedly devalued the significance of our acquisition, explaining that it contained nothing unique; many of the texts were already available as scans.

“But we have many first edition and signed copies, as well as books with important inscriptions,” I explained. “Many of these signatures include famous individuals, such as Ulysses S. Grant, Albert Mackey, Albert Pike, A. E. Ames, A.T.C. Pierson, and Manly P. Hall.”

Unmoved by my logic, he was adamant that we should not have to open up every single book in order to process the entire collection, especially if there were duplicates. “For example,” he continued “We don’t need more than one set Mackey Encyclopedias do we? We only need to keep the one that is in the best condition, so why waste time on examining the others?”

“We might want to keep MORE than that one set if there is a signed set by the author who gifted it to a Grand Master of Minnesota,” I persisted. “That is just one of many reasons why we need to actually open every book and to determine which ones we keep!” I further explained that many old books contained hidden artifacts like Masonic petitions, personal letters, or even money. This was the main reason to actually open up and LOOK in each book. Unfortunately, my arguments fell on deaf ears.

Stafford King (1893-1970) was born in Fair Haven, MN to Cyrus Murdock King and Minnie King (née Cooper). His parents were the descendants of early settlers of the state and had been involved in local causes and politics in and around Itasca County, Minnesota. He was raised on the family homestead in Itasca County and attended school in Deer River, MN, later attending the University of Minnesota and the St. Paul College of Law. During WWI, he served in the army, achieving the rank of first lieutenant. After the war he worked in a variety of state and local government positions and also became active with the American Legion and the Scottish Rite. In 1930 he won election as Minnesota State Auditor, a position he held for ten terms. During WWII, he left his position to serve as a first lieutenant in the United States Air Force. He left his personal library to the Valley of St. Paul upon his death in 1970, including Ridpath’s “History of the World,” inscribed by his parents in 1906 to their only child at the age of 13. Each volume had lovely inscription for Stafford.

Title page from Ridpath’s “History of the World,” owned by Stafford King (1893-1970) with wonderful inscriptions about the human struggle.

Transcription: “To Our Only Child Stafford King on Christmas Day 1906, We give you these volumes as a little expression of our great love for him, Cyrus M. and Minnie King.” “Read well and thoughtfully for in these volumes you can come to know the good, the wise, the great of every time and clime – know them, think from their lines, act as they would in your time, and become your God’s child, your country’s son, a protector of home, a defender of your fellow man, a guardian of Human Rights.” Great advise from a family well ensconced in the Fraternity and civic duties. You can see why Freemasonry would later appeal to him and his political involvement.

This was my first ethical struggle with what was happening to incoming acquisitions at the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center. As I sought the advice of fraternal scholars and librarians nationwide, they all expressed disbelief that anyone would request to NOT process an acquisition prior to placing it on display. Then many scholars suggested another cause for his mandate: If you don’t know really know what you have, you’ll never know what goes missing. My colleagues bluntly explained that as I held all of the institutional memory associated with this acquisition, my job was in peril. I would be systematically discredited and then dismissed, effectively silencing me.

Regardless of their warnings, I focused on the final endgame – safeguarding this collection and other acquisitions for future scholars. Using a new strategy, I explained that the boxes holding the St. Paul library acquisition had been hastily piled in the basement of the processing center when they were removed from record storage three months prior. I had not been able to put the boxes on the main floor due to their sheer weight and my back injury, expressing concern about the current storage environment and potential for damage. A leak in spring could destroy the entire collection. This approach worked, and the CEO approved a temporary hire for four weeks to solely get the books off of the floor. I then immediately requested that we hire the main librarian at the Minneapolis Scottish Rite, Peter Tomlinson, as he was familiar with historic publications and available immediately.

This picture is after Peter had unpacked dozens of boxes and organized the remaining ones into specific sections. This organization had been impossible at first due to the sheer volume of boxes in the space. When the boxes from the record storage were unloaded from the original pallets on the delivery truck, they were randomly placed in the basement and stacked over five boxes high – causing the bottom boxes to collapse from the excessive weight.

View into the second book room in the basement – the bomb shelter. Peter and I decided that the oldest and rarest books went here, including the personal collections of Past Grand Masters and notable Masons, such as A.T.C. Pierson and A.E. Ames.

View from second book room into main room of basement. This smaller second room held the most significant books in the collection, such as signed copies and the personal libraries of Past Grand Masters in Minnesota.

My ethics required me to do everything possible to honor my word with the Valley of St. Paul, even if this was not the case of my employer. I was determined to process the library prior to placing the books on the Nelson Library shelves. Therefore, I would seek highly skilled volunteers after Peter’s four-week employment ended, specifically assistance of experienced archivists, specifically retired university professors. This would cost the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center NOTHING and I would still feel that I kept my word.

On January 29, 2015, I emailed an update to the CEO and general director, detailing our progress on the library collection. The document noted that in just four weeks, Peter had successfully assembled 24 metal shelving units and updated information in the original shipping excel spreadsheet as boxes were unpacked. This spreadsheet could then be inputted into a future software system. Peter also took digital images of each item that he handled, entering the necessary information pertaining to the publisher, previous ownership, and signature editions. They would also have photographic documentation of the collection to pair with the information in the excel spreadsheet.

By February 1, 2016, there only remained 450 religious books in 21 boxes, 40 classical books in 2 boxes, 75 philosophical works in 3 boxes, and the dozens of boxes containing Masonic periodicals, as well as various Proceedings from a variety of fraternal organizations. Realistically, only the bound periodicals would ever be placed on library shelves due to the fragility of unbound periodicals. Although we couldn’t assign local identifiers without appropriate software, we initially processed enough books to place on the Nelson Library shelves for opening day. There remained ample time to complete the collection prior to June 24, 2016.

This is the state of the library when Jean Montgomery took over the project during spring 2016.

Among the many individuals to help during the spring of 2016, professors emeritus Jean Montgomery and Dr. Larry Hill spent months unpacking the remaining boxes and organizing the contents. Jean is an individual with many attributes, including leading the archival documentation for the U of MN Theatre Department and Centennial Showboat, as well serving multiple roles at USITT. She was also the editor for my dissertation! Dr. Hill is a theatre historian, past Scottish Rite theatre research colleague of Lance Brockman, contributor to “Heredom,” contributor to the “Theatre of the Fraternity” exhibit catalogue, and also served in multiple roles for USITT. There are many more qualifications for each, much to numerous to mention. They each understood my plight and wanted to ensure this collection to remain intact for future scholars. Furthermore, Dr. Hill’s brother, Dave M. Hill, was Right Worshipful Senior Grand Warden in Michigan. All of my volunteers had had decades of experience creating archival databases and cataloguing publications; they were also familiar with the Fraternity.

I continued to work on the lodge room mural and restoration preparation upstairs while my volunteer crew processed the books downstairs.

To be continued…

Once Jean was done, she started to weed out duplicates and do some preliminary packing for transport.

The rarest books were in the smaller room, located off of the main room. The signed memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant and books sent to A.T.C. Pierson by Albert Pike were some of the amazing publications found in the St. Paul Masonic library collection.

The St. Paul Valley librarian and historian, Joe Ryder, also donated his entire collection, including an anti-Masonic pamphlet from WWII, printed by the Nazi party. It was pulled to go on display in the Ladd museum exhibit.

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Acquiring the Fort Scott Scottish Rite Scenery Collection for the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center, part 41.

Bait and Switch

After my return from DC to secure Masonic scholars for the museum team, I completed the St. Paul library acquisition. By the end of February 2015, the books were packed and ready for transport to both record storage (250 boxes) to the Minnesota Masonic Historical Society and Museum (25 boxes). I then began to create the necessary timelines and labor requirements to process this collection. This, however, was a very small part of a much larger administrative project. The CEO also directed me to anticipate the staffing requirements and labor expenses for the museum, library, and theatre spaces to plan for the upcoming year’s budget and subsequent opening of the facility.

For the new library acquisition, I requested four individuals to help process the 10,000-item collection. In assembling the proposal, I met with Theresa Norman, the part-time Minnesota Masonic Historical Society and Museum curator. Norman worked only 8 hours each week as she already had a full-time job as a curator elsewhere. Like me, she was in desperate need of assistants beyond her own two sole octogenarian volunteers.

I suggested that it was possible for us to share the talents of a single group of assistants/interns, depending on the museum and library project timelines. That way, we could immediately start the hiring process for them to come on board to start processing the opening exhibit artifacts for the Ladd Museum. I was in the midst of the thematic layout for the six-gallery museum, realizing that this project would take precedence over the library as its impending deadline was June 1, 2015.

The museum team needed a year for artifact conservation and exhibit construction. However, it was anticipated that there would be a point when I could set up several interns to process the St. Paul Masonic collection – hopefully in summer after the museum exhibit was finalized. Throughout the spring and summer of 2015, I had to repeatedly explain that it would take at least a full year to process the library collection and assign local identification numbers for each item.

As it was a Masonic library, we would also use a slightly different labeling system based on Boyden’s classifications. It was not until September of 2015 that I was given the “go-ahead” to remove the collection from record storage, hire one intern, and start processing the collection. By this time, I had identified a possible place to process the St. Paul Masonic Library – the old residential cottage (5 bedroom two-story house over looking the river) that remained on the Minnesota Masonic Home grounds. I had encountered this space when Steve Johnson and I identified it as a possible location to film A. E. Ames footage for various informational displays at the future museum.

5-bedroom, two-story residential house at Minnesota Masonic Home in Bloomington, Minnesota, that was selected as the location to process the St. Paul Masonic Library. This also become my “office house.”

During that same month, the CEO recommended Mark Anderson for the position of library intern so that we could start processing the books immediately. I ordered metal shelving units and some folding tables to set up the library-processing center. One of the rooms would also serve as my on site office. No need to spend money on space rental and I was a stone’s throw away from the Minnesota Masonic Charities and the Grand Lodge offices! The nine pallets of books were removed from record storage and transported to the basement of my “office house” in mid-September 2015. I was now only waiting for my library intern to schedule his TB test, a requirement as a Minnesota Masonic Home employee.

I was also deeply ensconced in a third library project directed by the CEO; researching identifying, and selecting an appropriate library software system for the Nelson library. I sought advice from curators and librarians across the country at a variety of Masonic museums and libraries, including Adam Kendall at California’s H. W. Coil Library, Mark Tabbert at the George Washington Masonic Memorial, Jeff Croteau at the National Heritage Museum, Joan Sansbury at the House of the Temple, Heather Calloway at Washington College, and many others.

I was narrowing down my selection when we began negotiations for the purchase and removal of the Fort Scott scenery collection. I soon realized that the library processing might have to be placed on hold until after my three-week absence in Fort Scott, Kansas during November 2015 when we removed the scenery. There was no one else to oversee any of my projects while I was gone and my intern had yet to finalize his paperwork.

Upon my return from Fort Scott, however, I learned that the entire scope for the library acquisition had changed during my absence. In mid-December 2015, the CEO and general director informed me that the books would no longer be processed and were to be placed onto the shelves for the opening without any identification. I was stunned. We had promised the Valley of St. Paul that the books would be thoroughly processed, and that they would be placed in climate-controlled storage. As part of our continued discussions with the Valley of St. Paul, we assured a better environment for the books in a dedicated and secure setting.

Furthermore, the CEO explained that we no longer needed any library software system, putting off all processing until after the facility opened. I tried to explain that this would quadruple the anticipated future workload and timelines. I was numb. After all, I had personally given the Valley secretary my word that the books would be carefully preserved for future generations as that is what I was told would happen.

What was the point of having a room full of unlabeled books? This would make the entire library unusable and it could no longer be considered a research facility.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Acquiring the Fort Scott Scottish Rite Scenery Collection for the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center, part 39.

Libraries: the Medicine Chest of the Soul

What follows concurrently occurred during the search and identification of a scenery collection for the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center’s theater. From August 2014 through May 2015, I was hired as the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center (MMHC) historical consultant. It was not until June 1, 2016 that I accepted the position of Curatorial Director at a 40% pay reduction with a job description that could not truly commence until after the facility opened on June 24, 2016.

As historical consultant, I was placed in charge of the first MMHC acquisition during the beginning of 2015 – a book collection that would form the basis for the Charles W. Nelson Library. Throughout the fall of 2014 we aggressively sought a substantial book collection as the current holdings were extremely limited; primarily including a smattering of handwritten records in the Grand Lodge Library and in the Minnesota Masonic Historical Society and Museum.

The new library was to share almost one-third of the entire space with the Col. James B. Ladd Museum and subsequently demanded many more books to fill the space. The Nelson library was to be a grand setting, full of map tables and computers, separated from the museum by a wall of glass and French doors for security reasons. The CEO had explained that this would be a premiere research library, drawing Masonic scholars from across the nation to examine its rare contents.

By December 2015, the book collection at the Masonic Center in St. Paul, Minnesota had repeatedly popped up as a potential acquisition at a variety of meetings. This had once been the combined library of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota and the St. Paul Scottish Rite. When the Grand Lodge moved from the Masonic Center in St. Paul to their current location at the Minnesota Masonic Home (now adjacent to MMHC) in Bloomington, Minnesota, many of the books that were left on site transferred ownership to the Valley of St. Paul.

I believed this to be an ideal acquisition, having completed much of my doctoral research using books from this collection. Charlie Nelson, namesake for the Nelson Library and founder of MMHSM, had personally given me a personal tour of the library, explaining that many Masons failed to understand the significance of the collection and the range of extraordinary publications. Nelson was also the one to fully explain the York Rite degrees and visual requirements when I worked as Lance Brockman’s assistant during his touring museum exhibit, “Theatre of the Fraternity: Staging the Ritual Space of the Scottish Rite, 1896-1929” (1996).

In the St. Paul library I enthusiastically read the Supreme Council transactions for both the Northern and Southern jurisdictions, identifying some of the earliest legislation surrounding the theatrical interpretations of the indispensable degrees. I would later present most of my findings as the 2003 guest speaker for the Scottish Rite Research Society meeting during a Biennial Session, publish my findings in “Heredom” (vol. 12, pp. 141-62), and then incorporate this research into my doctoral dissertation, “Scenic Sifts upon the Scottish Rite Stage: Designing for Masonic Theatre, 1859-1926.”

I returned to the St. Paul Masonic library in January 2015 to survey the St. Paul acquisition, however, there were a series of obstacles in my path. Although I had requested a minimum of a month to carefully inventory and organize the books prior to packing and shipping, I was allotted just two weeks to inventory the collection while sharing the space with the renter. Then, I would have two weeks where I would organize and pack the boxes as the sole occupant of the space. This was a nightmare scenario as this was not the only project that I was working on at this time. During February 2015, I put in a total of 254 hours as the historical consultant – with 177 hours solely designated to the library acquisition.

The St. Paul Scottish Rite Library at the Masonic Center during my initial visit to survey the space during January 2015.

Because a current renter in the St. Paul Masonic Center used the library space for meetings, I had to accommodate their schedule. I would arrive in the space, quickly jot down information, and then enter the data once returning home to my office in Cambridge, Minnesota – a 60-mile one way commute. I immediately recognized the need for help, yet had no other assistants to help with this 10,000 item acquisition. Who do you call for help when there is no one else to call? You call your parents. They showed up daily, recording the titles, authors, and publication dates in their notebooks. I would then drive home and transfer the handwritten data to an excel spreadsheet.

My father, Ray Waszut, who initially measured and drew plates of each bookcase as they were were going to be repurposed in the Nelson library. Then, he began recording the title, author and publication date in his notebook for me to transcribe once home.

My mother, Betty Lou Waszut, recording title, author and publication date in her notebook for me to transcribe once home.

My parents, Ray Waszut and Betty Lou Kohnen Waszut, assembling boxes. At first, I was given the leftover boxes from the general director’s recent move from Duluth, MN to Northfield, MN. Unfortunately, many of these boxes were not book boxes, and proved to only work for the portfolio sized publications

My inventory lists were intended to understand the scope of the collection, organize the contents, and identify individual boxes to remove from storage when the subsequent processing would commence. The majority of the collection would be placed in record storage at an offsite location – all 250 boxes. There were approximately 25 boxes, however, that held the most important manuscripts and these would be hand-carried over to the Minnesota Masonic Historical Society and Museum rooms in the Minnesota Masonic Home basement.

Looking at St Paul Masonic Library books from the 25 boxes that were hand carried over to the Minnesota Masonic Historical Society and Museum at the Minnesota Masonic Home in Bloomington, MN. Some were considered for inclusion in the Ladd Museum exhibit. The other 250 boxes were placed into record storage, awaiting processing.

To be continued…