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Tom Moses’ Trips – West Virginia, 1885 as published in the Palette & Chisel newsletter (a Chicago fine art club that Moses belonged to).

“Our landlord’s name was McDonald, and he had lived in this old house since long before the Civil War. The house was close to the country road. A party of Federal soldiers marching through here during the Civil War were so incensed because they could not get enough to eat that one of them jammed his musket into the face of the old eight-day clock; the dent of the muzzle of the gun and the rammed dial are still there. The glass from the face of the clock was till inside of the framework; the clock could be wound without opening the door. You have it as it was told to me.

I offered to pay a good price for the old clock – also for the three-panel mirror, but I soon found there was nothing for sale.

Mrs. McDonald made the greatest variety of dishes from apples that one could imagine. While Tryon was making fun of it in a very sarcastic manner, the old lady misconstrued his meaning and thought that he was complimenting her. So she beamed on Tryon and he always had the best of everything. She actually had on the table at one time baked apple, fried apple, apple sauce, apple butted, pickled apple and apple pie. Some “Adam and Eve” dinner!

One of the loafers in the store was introduced to us a Mr. Murphy, I had expressed a desire for some more fungus and the following day he brought down from the mountain a lot of them, all shapes and sizes. We learned that he had a “still” for moonshine whiskey on the top of the mountain. I wanted to pay him for the fungus, but he would not accept anything, so I bought some cigars, eleven for twenty-five cents. Everyone seemed to enjoy them.

Each evening brought us together in the store, and out luncheons were hurried through. We were beginning to get the sketching fever and every minute seemed to count with us. We told many old yarns, new to most of them. We were asked many times whether we had no rocks in Chicago, and why we traveled so far into such wild country. Our sketches seemed to please them, but they could not appreciate the value we placed upon them.

On one of our rambles through the wilderness we kept ascending until we found ourselves on top of a very rugged and almost impassable mass of rock. Young discovered a line of thin, blue smoke ascending from a point of rock at least a hundred feet below us.

We crept to the edge and discovered an illicit still near which were two men – one of them our friend Mr. Murphy. We called to them. In an instant Murphy had a rifle trained on us. This looked a bit serious, so we hurried to show ourselves. We did not go down, but told Murphy we wanted to get a view of the valley from a high point – then retraced our steps.

The heads of the store loafers were close together that evening when we joined them, and it was hard to get them to listen to our country efforts. We did our best to make light of our having seen Murphy at his place of business, but he showed in his manner that he was not highly elated over the incident. The day following we went back to Davis; our departure caused many remarks and again aroused the suspicion of the loafers.

On arriving at Davis we went to the old log hotel. A few of the New York hunters were still in evidence. The nights were growing much cooler, but the days remained warm; a good long walk did not tire us. We found that Mr. Elkins had instructed the engineer of the locomotive which hauled the coal cars between Piedmont and Davis, and who was not always busy, to take us down the road to any point, allowing us all day for sketching, and to return for us at night – all of which he did, and we greatly appreciated Mr. Elkins’ thoughtfulness.

Historical note on the coal cars: Our previously mentioned friend Henry Gassaway Davis, with the help of his brothers, began pursuing the rich coal resources on the banks of the North Fork of the Blackwater River. In 1866, Davis founded the Potomac and Piedmont Coal and Railway to “furnish transportation” along with coal mining and timbering. The company was given the right to construct grades in Mineral, Grant, Tucker and Randolph counties.

In 1881, Davis’ first line entered into West Virginia, passing through Elk Garden in Mineral County. It became the West Virginia Central and Pittsburgh Railway and around this time acquired a great deal of coal and timberlands in present day Tucker County, WV. In 1884, the railroad expanded along the North Branch of the Potomac River to the North Fork of the Blackwater River at the newly formed town of Thomas. Remember that the town of Schell was located just across the border from Maryland on the the west side of the North Branch Potomac River. The year before Moses’ sketching trip and ride on the coal car, a railroad line was constructed from Elkins to connect to Thomas. Coal from the first deep mine in the area was ready to be loaded by the time the track was completed. Prior to the arrival of the railroad, the region was sparsely populated, due in part to the rugged and wild mountain landscape. A partnership between Davis and S. Elkins later formed the Davis Coal and Coke Company. By 1892 it was among the largest coal companies in the world. Information was taken from “Industrial Era Friends of Blackwater.” Here is the link: https://www.saveblackwater.org/history_industrialera.html

Historical note on moonshine: Historically, the thickets of the Blue Ridge Mountains were ideal for hiding small still operations where locals made moonshine. Making moonshine centered around wood-fired turnip stills making apple brandy or corn whiskey.  The bootlegger typically set up in a secluded wooded area beside a stream or spring.  He bought grain from local mills and fruit from local orchards. During the late nineteenth century, moonshine was hauled by wagon to any market destination or a railroad stop.  Some oral histories tell of individuals making day trips by train to various locations with suitcases filled with jars of whiskey.  By the time Virginia voted to become a dry state (1914), moonshiners were using cars and trucks to deliver their whiskey. It would be those “souped up” cars hauling their bounty and outracing the law that would form the basis for an American favorite past time – NASCAR.

Information from Moonshine – Blue Ridge Style. “Building the Moonshine Industry” article

http://www.blueridgeinstitute.org/moonshine/building_the_moonshiner_industry.html

If you want to know a little more on the history of bootlegging and NASCAR, here you go: https://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/articles/2012/11/01/moonshine-mystique.html

Tom Moses’ Trips – West Virginia, 1885

“The eccentric antics of [Henry C.] Tryon seemed to amuse the natives. He very seldom had breakfast with [John H.] Young and me; we would usually be out sketching an hour before he showed up. We found one fine place not more than a quarter of a mile from the store, across the river, which, at this point, was very narrow and awfully swift.

We had a small boat which we used in crossing this turbulent stream, and we had to be very careful to avoid being dashed to pieces against the big rocks. By going upstream some distance we could ford across, and Young, with his long legs could jump across from rock to rock, but he preferred the boat.

On the other side we found all kinds of sketches. At this point a small stream led the way to the good sketching grounds through a forest of immense trees, the finest I had ever seen. Great dark hemlocks, dainty birch, smooth and graceful beech, the wide-spreading, big-leafed chestnut, the sturdy and picturesque old oak, with its wealth of dark brown intermingled with birch and beech coloring, made a riot of color, enough to turn one’s head. I wondered if I had enough color in my paint box even to attempt it; whether I had the ability to do it after I had found the color and the motif.

In exploring the depths of this vast wilderness we saw no sign that would indicate that man had ever passed that way before, lay in gigantic round furrows of deep moss. A mass of fluted lichen, grey and cold, mixed with bronze and purple, made a background for tiny ferns that nodded while we passed. Very few songbirds had found their way into this oppressive solitude.

There was none of the hum of life that is usually heard in the woods near a village.   The absolute stillness was very strange and convinced us that we were alone, especially at the noon hour. Nature, alone, dwelt here, and kept silence; there seemed to be something savage in her mood when we came upon her unawares, and we felt that we were not welcome. We could very often feel the ice under our feet when creeping through some thicket where the sun never penetrates the dense foliage; here the moss and leaves are deepest.

Monstrous fungus growths reared themselves on every side. As we pushed on and up the underbrush grew more dense; red and black spiders swung themselves incessantly across our faces from tree to tree. We found traces of bear on newly barked trees – also deer marks, but we did not happen to surprise them nor did they worry us. We broke off several larges specimens of fungus, quite a variety of color and size.

The thicket of laurel and scrub-oak on the banks afforded shelter for all kinds of wild animals. We made several sketches, in tempera color, of this dense forest. The many cascades in the small brook were an endless source of delight, the last always far superior to the preceding one. A bit of luncheon, which we carried, and a cool, refreshing drink from the brook soon put us in shape for another sketch and the laborious trip down the creek to the river and across to Schell.”

To be continued…

Tom Moses’ Trips – West Virginia, 1885, Enter John Young

“During the night a heavy thunder storm passed over us, and the wind through the big pine and hemlock trees, together with the constant baying of the hounds, made the night one of unpleasant dreams. Tryon and I had a double room. As he was very careless with his clothes – the floor was better than a chair – he stepped on his derby hat. A fine kind of hat to take on a sketching trip! Strips of paper glued to the inside of it put it in good working shape again. The storm soon cleared, the sun was warm, the howling hounds were fed, and the wild huntsmen were ready for another day of slaughter.

So were we. After a big breakfast Mr. Elkins, Mr. Davis young Elkins, young Davis, Tryon and myself started out on an exploring trip. We tramped through the wet underbrush and found a great many places for good sketches. We returned for luncheon, then took our sketching outfits and Tryon and I started out for business. I found a big mass of rock that was very interesting. We were quite a puzzle to some of the natives, who could not understand why we had come all the way from Chicago to sketch rocks and trees. “Didn’t we have any of these anywhere near Chicago?” One trouble we experienced in the eastern mountains, especially in Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and the Carolinas, was the constant quizzing by the natives to find out whether we were really what we said we were, or revenue men looking for moonshine whiskey in the general stores.

A few days of sketching at Davis with some success rather encouraged us to remain longer. We each had an idea that something awaited us further down the valley, so we started for Schell. Mr. Elkins had left a day ahead of us, and we found that he had stopped at Schell, instructing the store-keeper, the proprietor of the only boarding-place, to take good care of him, and we appreciated the courtesy. Tryon had told Mr. Elkins that he was writing an article for the Chicago Tribune and that he would send him a copy; Mr. Elkins was much pleased.

The General Store at Schell was some store and included the post office. Back of that was the living-room and kitchen and there were three rooms upstairs. Tryon and I occupied one of these. John Young joined us here and entered into the spirit of the outing.

The evening of Young’s arrival we were all in the store. Young was stretched out on the counter, with his head resting in the scoop of the scales, and Tryon, with his immense meerschaum, was hitting it up like an engine. We missed the talkative huntsman, but everyone here was interested in us and our work because Mr. Elkins had told them who we were.

We had two beds in our room, but had to pass through a room occupied by the landlord’s son. If he happened to be awake when we retired, Tryon would always stop and talk with him. The landlord was an infidel, which pleased Tryon, for it gave him the opportunity to assist in tearing all of the religion of the world into shreds. In one way, Tryon did not believe all he said. I believe he only wanted a chance to argue.

The store loafers were a motley crowd. As there was a train arriving every evening at seven o’clock, it was an excuse for the men to for their mail, though some of them never received a letter. The landlord was also the postmaster. The government paid him a salary according to the number of canceled stamps that passed out of his office. Some salary! There were only about one hundred people living in Schell and these were mostly miners, so the post office probably did very little business.

The chief topic of conversation while it varied at times, was “moonshine,” and denouncing the government for keeping so many revenue men about. It was policy, of course, for us to enter the fight and stick with the men. We had felt, in spite of what Mr. Elkins had told them, that they had their suspicions regarding us; we had too much money for artists. Some of the mountain people did not know who was President of the United States, and others hardly knew that the Civil War was closed. A very shiftless and lazy crowd, although a few of them had good positions in the mines. This particular quality of coal mined here was used for sea-going vessels; it was very small and dusty.”

To be continued…

Historical note: Schell is now an extinct town in Garrett Country, Maryland and Mineral Country, West Virginia. A post office called Schell was established in 1883 on the West Virginia side, where it remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1931. The community was possibly named after Augustus Schell, a New York politician and lawyer. There is a brief mention of this town in Hamill Thomas Kenny’s book, “West Virginia place names, their origin and meaning, including the nomenclature of the streams and mountains” (1945).

 Tom Moses’ Trips – West Virginia, 1885 (page 3, column 3 of the Palette & Chisel newsletter)

“We awoke and dressed early next morning; we were still in Ohio. The landscape was becoming quite rolling, which meant that we were fast approaching the Blue Ridge Mountain. The weather was cool and bracing and a little misty, which softened the brilliant autumn tints. After leaving Wheeling the grade became quite sharp and the road was very crooked. My breakfast did not settle well, which worried me a bit; Tryon declared I was car-sick; I have traveled too much to be affected that way. The track was not well ballasted.

We went through a number of tunnels and one, which was over a mile in length, was at a town called Tunneltown. We were now in West Virginia, on the Cheat River. The color was wonderful; the extreme blue of the distant mountains gave the whole landscape a most brilliant opalescent effect. Tryon was simply wild with joy, jumping from one side of the car to the other and calling me “There look a that: isn’t it wonderful! Aren’t you glad that you came? Did you ever see such color”? We both felt like jumping off; at every turn we could see a picture. As we neared Piedmont, West Virginia, the scenery became wilder and more colorful.

We arrived there at 11:00 A. M. and found something of a hotel with the Post Office and General Store in front of it, which seemed to be the general loafing-place for the whole town. We made several pencil sketches and two watercolors. As it was Sunday we found plenty of inquisitive people. Everything looked good to us – very wild, lots of granite boulders and all kinds of trees, full of color.

At this time, Tryon was very much in love with a schoolteacher in Haverhill, Massachusetts, whose name was Hattie. He promised to write her every day and she had promised to reciprocate. So we spent the evening writing letters to our dear ones.

Early in the morning, before we reached Piedmont, I noticed a large and very distinguished-looking gentleman pass through our car several times. He seemed to be very interested in our traps, easels, sketching umbrellas and stools which we had to carry. He inquired of the Pullman conductor who we were, and was informed that we were artists looking for some wild country to paint. He told the conductor to advise us to go up to Davis, on the West Maryland road, which he did. The gentleman was Stephen B. Elkins, U. S. Senator. His father-in-law was H. G. Davis, who lived at Deer Park, where they left the train.

We were also instructed to see Mr. Harrison, Superintendent of the West Maryland road, in Piedmont, for transportation. This we did on Monday morning, and we furnished passes to Davis.

The train did not leave until 2:00 P. M. We were agreeably surprised to see Mr. Elkins, Mr. Davis and two boys get on the train, having come down from Deer Park on an early train. Mr Elkins soon introduced himself and the other members of his party. They were not only interested in the road but in the vast coalmines all along the road. As we started to climb the mountains, the Blue Ridge, every half mile revealed to us new beauties of this wonderful mountain country; here was indeed a virgin forest.

We arrived in Davis about five o’clock. The first thing we saw at the depot to remind us that we were in a wild country were six good-sized deer, dressed for shipment. They were piled on a truck and a number of eastern hunters, with dozens of deer-hounds, were strolling about, enjoying the wild life. The log hotel was certainly very picturesque and nicely situated on the banks of the Blackwater River, a branch of the Cheat River. It was pretty well filled, but Mr. Elkins requested the landlord to take good care of us, which he did.

While we were waiting for our dinner, and were all seated on the big porch, Tryon was seized with stomach cramps. Mr. Elkins noticed Tryon’s groaning and said, “Mr. Tryon, if you will go up to Room 3 you will find a black grip; open it and right on top you will find a cure for stomach trouble.” Tryon did this and came down feeling better, thanked Mr. Elkins, and within fifteen minutes had another cramp. Mr. Elkins said, “Go after it again, Tryon,” and he did. This time he must have taken a good long one, for it seemed to settle him.

We certainly did full justice to our dinner. We had plenty of fresh venison steak, thanks to our hunters, and after dinner we gathered in the big living-room, or smoking-room as it was soon made by the dozen or more cigars and pipes. As the hunters were for the most part from New York, one can readily imagine the big yarns that were told, but we enjoyed them.”

To be continued…

Historical note: The town of Piedmont started as a handful of frame houses, but H. G. Davis saw an opportunity in the area’s coal and timber resources. In the early 1850s, Davis took a promotion as station agent for the new Piedmont station on the B&O line and lived in a boxcar for his first year until he built a house and sent for his wife. Davis partnered with his brother Thomas B. Davis in a general store that would perform full-scale merchandising, shipping and supplying the B&O with coal, oil and lumber.

Lumber became huge business; demand soared for wooden railroad ties to complement iron and steel rails across the country. H.G. Davis & Co. grew quickly, so much that Davis was able to leave the railroad and devote himself fully to the new family enterprise. Information from: http://www.huntington150years.com/the-story-of-huntingtons-roots/

Thomas G. Moses wrote about his sketching trip to West Virginia in 1885. He published a series of articles for the Palette & Chisel newsletter where Moses described his journey and traveling companions, especially the “eccentric” Henry C. Tryon. In one section, he described how Tryon became the student of Thomas Moran (1837-1926).

Moses wrote, “I certainly enjoyed talking on any subject with Tryon. He was very strong on politics, which did not particularly interest me. He was very interesting when it came to anything on art. He had been a pupil of Thomas Moran. Tryon told this story: He had bothered Moran for some time trying to induce Moran to take him on as a pupil. Moran was too much of a gentleman to throw Tryon out of his studio, so he finally took an old canvas, slapped on a lot of color with a palette knife, handed it to Tryon and said: “Take home that, make a picture out of the accidentals and bring it back in a week.” Moran felt that Tryon would throw the canvas away and not come back. The week-end found Tryon back and Moran was so well pleased with the result that he took Tryon in as a pupil, which was very beneficial to Tryon who followed Moran’s style of work even into his scenic painting, as well as his oil. He enjoyed telling this story; he surely must have made a good picture of Moran’s accidentals.”

Moran was born on February 12, 1837 in Bolton, Lancashire. His parents were handloom weavers, but the industrialization of the weaving process threatened their livelihood. This necessitated the family to seek out new opportunities in America during 1844. The Morans settled near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where Peter, Edward and Thomas, would become interested in art. By the age of sixteen, Thomas began working as an apprentice for the Philadelphia engraving firm of Scattergood and Telfer. At this time, he also began to concentrate on refining his own artistic techniques and studied with James Hamilton (1819-1878).

Hamilton was also an immigrant who had moved to Philadelphia from Ireland with his family in 1834. He enrolled at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, studying painting, engraving, and etching. It was Hamilton who introduced Moran to the paintings of J.M.W would remain a major influence on him throughout his career. By 1875, Hamilton sold enough paintings to finance a trip around the world.

Moran also traveled extensively to hone his own artistic skills and ventured to Lake Superior. There he sketched images of the Great Lakes, brought them back to Philadelphia and created lithographs. By the mid-1860s, Moran was exhibiting some very sophisticated paintings.

He married the landscape artist and etcher Mary Nimmo. The couple moved to New York where Moran was hired as an illustrator for Scribner’s Monthly. He was soon promoted to their chief illustrator, Moran was well on his way to achieving the status of a nationally-recognized landscape artist and illustrator.

In 1871, he went on a geological survey of the west, studying now what is now as Yellowstone Park. For 40 days, the group traveled to thirty different sites in the region. The artist was invited by Dr. Ferdinand Hayden, director of the United States Geological Survey and funded by American financier Jay Cooke and Scribner’s Monthly. He was hired along with the photographer William Henry Jackson to document the natural landscape. Moran and Jackson would travel west on another expedition lead by Maj. John Wesley Powel a few years later. Their collective work of canyons, creels, geysers, and hot springs would prove instrumental in the area’s preservation. Congress would decide to elevate and preserve the Yellowstone expanse as a national park in 1872.

Moran also entered into a successful business relationship with the Santa Fe Railroad. The Railroad commissioned him to produce paintings of the west as a marketing device. They were turned into color lithographs to introduce the public to the beautiful western region. Throughout his life, Moran would continue to have a lifelong passion for the Yellowstone National Park. His signature monogram, a linked T & M, even created a “Y” to signify Yellowstone.

Throughout the remainder of his life, Moran continued to travel. Even after the death of his wife in 1900, he would return to Yellowstone with his daughter Ruth almost every year for the next two decades. He would sometimes barter his paintings for travel and lodging. Even in his seventies, he braved the bumpy trails to capture the beauty of the Rockies and was quoted as saying, “I have painted them all my life and shall continue to paint them as long as I can hold a brush.”

Moran eventually settled in Santa Barbara, California until his passing in 1926. He would travel to the Acoma and Laguna pueblos to paint the landscape and native peoples. This was the same locations where Thomas G. Moses also travelled to sketch during that time.

James Hamilton was Thomas Moran’s art instructor in the 1860s. Moran was Henry C. Tryon’s art instructor by the 1870s. In 1885, Tryon was referring to Thomas G. Moses and John H. Young as his own students during their sketching trip to West Virginia.

Scenic artists, such as Tryon and Moses, would study the works of their predecessors. Scenic studios would replicate popular compositions such as those displayed in fine art galleries. Everything was painted to delight the audience, whether they were in the salon or the theatre. One example of a scenic artist who took Moran’s “Sunset in Old Mexico” and replicated the composition on a front curtain for a theatre while working at the Twin City Scenic Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota was John Z. Wood (1846-1919). Wood was a contemporary of Tryon and only a year older (previous installments about Wood can be found in #130 and 147-151).

It all comes full circle as the scenic artist was a perpetual art student, studying and replicating the works of those they considered artistic masters.

To be continued…

In the spring of 1885, Thomas wrote that he and Ella “got the house fever” and subsequently spent some time looking for a new place to live. They finally settled on 721 West Harrison Street and a well-built white stone house that was well built with eight rooms. They bought it and moved in that June, even though they were still responsible for the rent on the Centre Avenue House for another year. In the new home, Moses had a studio with North light. He wrote, “We enjoyed our new home very much. I had the front room nicely decorated by Mitchell and Halbach and I more than enjoyed the little studio. With the extra work from the outside, it paid me to keep the room for a studio. The children, Pitt and Mamie were a mischievous pair, getting into all kinds of trouble and kept Ella on the watch every minute”

In 1931, Moses reflected on his 1885 diary entries. He wrote, “My old diary shows a very discontented mind. I was so anxious to get out of doors to sketch and I could never find the time. I contributed to as much road work as usual, but the big cars being used by all the roads enabled us to ship larger stuff which cut down on travelling for Me.” In October of that year, however, Moses did find the time to go on another sketching trip – this time with John H. Young and Henry C. Tryon. The three journeyed to West Virginia and Moses mentioned their adventures in his 1931 typed manuscript, “I have written this up in detail – elsewhere.”

I never knew where else the story might be until last fall when I paged through the John R. Rothgeb papers. There were photocopies of his article for the 1885 Palette & Chisel newsletter, just like his 1884 trip to Breckenridge. I am going to post the article because it is hilarious. It also provides some good insight into the artistic temperament of Henry C. Tryon. Remember that Tryon was nine years older than Moses at this time (38 years compared to Moses’ 29 years). I also really enjoyed reading about this “eccentric” individual as he was certainly not an ideal traveling companion.

Here is the first snippet of Moses’ first installment about his 1885 trip to West Virginia published in the Palette and Chisel newsletter.

Tom Moses’ Trips

West Virginia, 1885 (page 3, column 3)

Henry Tryon and I started for West Virginia on a sketching trip. I had more bother and worry with Tryon than a hen with a brood of chickens; he was simply impossible. A very clever painter but he was not balanced – very temperamental. While he was more than ten years my senior I had to lead him to everything that we had to do for the trip. I went to the B. & O. R. R. Co. and endeavored to secure free transportation. I tried to show them the great benefit our trip would be to the advertising department, as Mr. Tryon expected to write an account for the Chicago Tribune. They had plenty of this advertising, but encouraged us by giving us half fare both ways. We were highly pleased to get this with the understanding that John Young was to follow at the same rate within the week.

I had a struggle to get Tryon down to the depot at 5 P.M. – the train left at 5:10. While we were rushing for the sleeper, Tryon stopped – he must get into his trunk which I had checked early in the day. I informed him that we had no time – the baggage was being put on the train. He insisted, so I went with him at 5:05 to the baggage-car. He asked the baggage master to pull the trunk off the truck so he could open it. After much grumbling it was lowered to the platform. Tryon untied the rope, unlocked it and from the top tray took out a fifteen-cent package of Durham smoking tobacco; replacing the rope he informed the baggage-man he was through with it. The baggage-man had been watching him and when he saw what was taken out he made some remarks that would not look well in print. Tryon never lost his temper, so the remarks did not affect him. We had less than two minutes to get to our sleeper, the trunk was thrown on and away we went. I never mentioned the incident again and Tryon forgot it immediately.

To be continued…

Historical note: Moses and Tryon probably departed from Chicago’s Great Central Depot in 1885. This was the statin that served the B&O RR in Chicago. This structure opened on June 21, 1856 at an expense of $250,000. For a brief period, it was the largest building in downtown Chicago. The train shed was destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 but still remained in operation, even after a second fire damaged the head house in 1874. The station eventually proved inadequate to handle growing traffic and was closed on April 17, 1893. The Grand Central Station on Harrison Street and Fifth Avenue, replaced it and began serving the Chicago & Northern Pacific, the Chicago Great Western, and the Baltimore & Ohio Railroads.

A description of the Indianapolis Scottish Rite building was published in the Salt Lake City Herald on August 17, 1883 (page 1). The scenery, stage machinery and effects were traced back to Scottish Rite member. Henry C. Tryon. Consistories from neighboring states attended the dedication ceremony to examine his skills. These grand opening events were great exposure for degree productions, drawing members from across the country and providing glimpses into the potential of Scottish Rite degree work.

Excitement continued to spread for Masonic theaters. These Masonic events caused word to spread fast among Scottish Rite Valleys in the United States. Elaborate stage mechanisms and ornate auditoriums were described in detail. Scottish Rite Valleys sought the best theatrical manufacturers available and went far beyond local options. What I find fascinating is that many articles highlight the scenic artist or studio and not always the architects.

The public’s praise of Tryon was a selling feature for the entire endeavor. He was noted as “a man of unquestioned artistic genius, and endowed with all that is necessary to success in the highest art walks.” Tryon’s popularity would truly be an asset at the Sosman & Landis Studio. No wonder why the hired him by 1884!

Here is one of the articles about the Indiana Consistory that I discovered a few weeks ago. I was thrilled with the amount of detail provided about the stage and auditorium spaces.

Indiana Consistory, Thirty-second Degree, S.P.R.S.

“We have been favored with a detailed description of the new home of the Scottish Rite bodies in Indiana, which will soon be dedicated to its Masonic uses, upon which occasion all consistories from adjoining States will participate. This will probably be the largest and grandest gathering of Thirty-second degree Masons ever convened in the United States. Of the members of Raper Commandery [York Rite] now on their tour to the triennial conclave at San Francisco all but four are Thirty-second Degree Masons and members of Indiana Consistory, S.P.R.S., and consequently are filled with enthusiasm at the approaching important Masonic event.

The building measures 66×80 feet and each of its six stories is built especially for, and will be used exclusively by Indiana Consistory. The main audience room is built like a theatre, with this exception, that the stage is elevated but two or three feet from the floor with steps leading to it. The floor and the stage will be used simultaneously for the working of the degrees while the visiting members occupy the circles or galleries above. The auditorium measures 66×69 feet with a height of 35 feet. The proscenium opening is 23 feet by 22 feet and the height from stage to “rigging loft” is sufficient to carry the drops entirely out of sight. As these “drops” are 26 feet high, it can readily be seen that the height is as great as is needed in even the largest theatres. Besides the principle room just spoken of, is another of less dimensions and with a smaller stage. The banquet and reception rooms are arranged with folding doors, in such a manner that all can be removed so that the entire width and depth of the building in this story can be made one grand room. The balance of the building and every possible out of the way corner is filled with mechanical contrivances necessary.

Each of the two stages is equipped with scenery, the subjects being the grandest and the most charming and beautiful possible. It is all purely artwork. Mr. Henry C. Tryon, the scenic artist of the Salt Lake Theatre, who is a member of this consistory, has been engaged to paint the scenery and to direct the construction and arrangement of the theatrical appliances. The members of Raper Commandery were therefore naturally eager to meet Mr. Tryon, who has not been in Indianapolis since he did similar work for their present building several years ago – and a genuine “love feast” was the result of the meeting.

From the foregoing brief description one can also readily understand the magnitude, grandeur and expense of the undertaking, and can also readily understand the satisfaction which the members of the consistory feel at having secured the services of so capable an artist as Mr. Henry C. Tryon. We cannot resist the temptation of “hitting” Mr. Tryon another blow. Of course, his reputation is as enviable in Indianapolis as it is here; but here we have the benefit of the artist’s greater experience, longer study and maturely developed talent, and naturally has given evidence of that more matured artistic feeling. Here he is recognized as being a man of unquestioned artistic genius, and endowed with all that is necessary to success in the highest art walks. He is also a man of a great deal more than average intelligence, is well read and is possessed of that peculiar temperament and tact, which, turned in any direction, would ensure him marked for success. But he possesses the artist’s soul, and in painting subjects of such human interest as those to be dealt with at the fitting up of this consistory, his highest sentiment must have the fullest play and produce the most delightful results. The subject is equal to the man; the man adequate to every demand of the subject. The consistory and Mr. Tryon may shake and exchange mutual congratulations.”

To be continued…

While looking for other Salt Lake City newspaper articles about Henry C. Tryon I uncovered one about the Indiana Consistory. Tryon was not only a Scottish Rite member in Indianapolis, but also responsible for some of their earliest scenery. I could barely hold my excitement as I read through the article in its entirety. This was the proverbial smoking gun, a particular bit of evidence that I had been searching for since the mid-1990s.

For years, I sought to establish any concrete connection between the initial construction of scenery produced for degree productions in Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Chicago. You see, there was a wave of “new and improved” Scottish Rite theaters that appeared during the early 1880s and here was the final puzzle piece – Indianapolis (Henry C. Tryon), Cincinnati (E.T. Harvey) and Chicago (David A. Strong with Sosman & Landis). I finally was able to make the connection between Tryon as the scenic artist for the Indianapolis Scottish Rite just before he began at Sosman & Landis Scenic Studio. The connection was that Tryon would begin working for Sosman & Landis in Chicago during 1884 after finishing the scenery for Indianapolis. For me, this was especially significant as Tryon, Sosman and Strong were all Scottish Rite Masons.

In my doctoral dissertation “Scenic Shifts Upon the Scottish Rite Stage: Designing for Masonic Theatre, 1859-1929,” I included a partial history concerning some early Scottish Rite theaters. I argued that the renovated Pork House in Indianapolis marked a significant moment in the evolution of degree productions as Scottish Rite Bodies (Lodge, Council, Chapter and Consistory). In 1883 the Indianapolis Scottish Rite purchased an existing building and converted it to include TWO theaters. While researching and writing my dissertation, I had longed for a detailed description of who designed and painted the scenery for Indianapolis. Now I had it –Tryon!

For those unfamiliar with the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry in Indianapolis, here is a brief recap and remember that the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction is always full of change and surprise. The Indiana Consistory was organized in March 1865 and chartered on May 19, 1865.   The four Scottish Rite Bodies in Indianapolis were the Adoniram Lodge of Perfection Saraiah Council of Princes of Jerusalem, Indianapolis Chapter of Rose Croix, and the Indiana Consistory S.P.R.S. In May of 1863, Masons in Indianapolis sought to bring the Ineffable Degrees (Lodge of Perfection, 4^th – 14^th) to Indianapolis. They petitioned the Boston Supreme Council for dispensation to organize a Lodge of Perfection and Council of Princes of Jerusalem. Now remember that there are rival Supreme Councils (governing body) for the Scottish Rite in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction. I will not go into the basis of the differences at this time, but it is important to understand that if you belonged to one Scottish Rite, you were booted out of the other.

The two opposing parties at the time were the Van Rensselaer Council of Boston and the Raymond Council of New York. Keep in mind that two years after the Indianapolis Consistory is approved as part of the Boston group, the two merge in the Union Council.  By 1867, the two councils ended their separate existences and merged their memberships in a Grand Union on May 17, 1867.

In my dissertation I connected much of the early propagation of Scottish Rite degree productions with Killian Van Rensselaer.

He reminded me of the proverbial “Johnny Appleseed,” sowing the seeds of Scottish Rite Freemasonry throughout the Northern Jurisdiction. In an Appendix, I listed the Scottish Rite Bodies chartered by Van Rensselaer from 1848 to 1863. They included New Haven, Connecticut (Lodge and Council, 1848), New York City (Lodge, Council, Chapter, 1848), New Port Rhode Island (Lodge and Council 1850), Columbus, Ohio (Lodge and Council, 1851), Pittsburg, Pennsylvania (Lodge and Council, 1852), Cincinnati, Ohio (Lodge, Council, Chapter and Consistory, 1953), Cambridge, Ohio (Lodge and Council, 1856), Chicago, Illinois (Lodge, Council, Chapter and Consistory, 1856), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Lodge, Council, Chapter and Consistory, 1856-1857), Cleveland, Ohio (Lodge, Council and Chapter, 1859), Detroit, Michigan (Lodge, Council, Chapter, and Consistory, 1861-1862), and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (Lodge, Council, Chapter, and Consistory, 1863).

Van Rensselaer’s support of degree productions was quite brilliant and promoted the theatrical interpretation of degrees. He marketed staged degree work as a superior ceremonial experiences – and an incentive to join the Boston group over the Raymond group. Van Rensselaer was instrumental in not only establishing Scottish Rite Bodies and promoting degree productions, but also checking back in on the progress of “his” Scottish Rite Valleys.

It is important to understand his influence on late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century degree productions too. Van Rensselaer brought an overtly Christian interpretation to the 18^th degree that would later weed its way into some of the Southern Jurisdiction degree productions. This was the degree that discussed a spiritual redeemer in various religions. Van Rensselaer used Jesus’ life as an example. His Valley’s staged the crucifixion and ascension, initially appearing as scenic tableaux in the east end lodge rooms. Often in roll drop form, they were situated in small recessed areas behind the Master’s chair. It was an inspirational scenic illusion in the degree – if you were Christian. For more information about the staging of this particular degree, I covered it in my dissertation

To be continued…

Historical note: Killian Henry Van Rensselaer (1800-1881) Sovereign Grand Commander of the Supreme Council AASR (NJ), 1862-67, was born on Sept. 9, 1800 in Greenbush (now known as Rensselaer), New York. He was a member of the Knickerbocker family. Van Rensselaer was made a Master Mason in Mount Moriah Lodge No. 245, Otisco, New York on April 4, 1822. He was active in the York Rite and Scottish Rite in several states. He became an Active Member of the Supreme Council in the Northern Jurisdiction (Boston) on June 17, 1845. He resigned as Grand Commander when the “Union” took place in 1867. He attended all but the first meeting of present Supreme Council, New Jersey until his death. He was a member of Cambridge Lodge No. 66, Cambridge, Ohio, serving as Master twice. He died on Jan. 29, 1881.

In 1884, the same year as his sketching trip to Breckinridge, Thomas G. Moses decided to stay at Sosman & Landis Studio for another year. He also moved to a new home, writing, “Mr. Landis prevailed on us to move to Centre Avenue, next flat to theirs. We did so, and it cost us considerable to furnish the flat, including a piano. We thought we deserved it; as the old one that was given to us as a wedding present had become impossible. We had saved considerable money.” The stability provided by a steady income at the studio allowed the young couple to financially thrive for the first time in their marriage. Moses could now attend art school. As a freelance artist, the financial commitment for training had very been cost prohibitive.

Chicago was working well for Moses and his small family. The previous year his father had left Sterling and moved to Chicago. Moses recorded, “Father attempted to carry on the harness and collar business, but didn’t have the capital, and had to give it up. He opened a little cheap grocery store on Randolf Street. We bought our groceries from him, and he was very attentive to Ella’s orders.” By 1884, Moses wrote, “Father was almost a daily visitor to our new home. He was highly pleased when he heard of the progress I had made and took pleasure in telling friends and others what his “son Tom” had done. He enjoyed taking the children for a short ride in his old Concord wagon that was now doing duty as a grocery delivery wagon.”

While Moses was working at Sosman & Landis that year another artist was brought on to the staff -Henry C. Tryon. He was Lem Graham replacement after Graham left for Kansas City to start his own studio. Moses wrote: “[Tryon] enthused Young and I more than anyone ever had. He was a pupil of Thos. Moran and James and William Hart and was very clever, but awfully eccentric.”

Tryon was nine years older than Moses, born in Chicago during 1847.  At the age of seventeen, he enlisted in the army in a regiment attached to the Second Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, serving until the close of the Civil War. He later became a student at the Pennsylvania Academy of Design and intended to become a landscape painter, studying with both Thomas Moran (1837-1926) and William M. Hart (1823-1894). Tryon also worked with Louis Malmsha (1863-1882) at Wood’s Theatre in Cincinnati and later with him at McVicker’s Theatre in Chicago. In 1882, Tryon had published a tribute to Malmsha heralding him as “the greatest scenic painter in the world.”

In the early 1880s. Tryon had moved to Salt Lake City where he became active as a scenic artist, well known for his drop curtain at the Salt Lake Theatre entitled, “The Return of a Victorius Fleet.” Sadly, this prized drop curtain disintegrated from use.

He also produced 25 sets of scenery for the Salt Lake Theatre. Harry Miner’s American Dramatic Directory notes that the theatre had a seating capacity of 1,850 with a stage measuring 65’ x 70’ and a proscenium opening of 28’ x 32.’ The height from the stage to the grooves was 18’ with the height from the stage to the rigging loft measuring 52.’

The “Salt Lake Daily” on July 22, 1883 (Vol. XIV, No. 41) published, “The improvements which have been in progress at the Salt Lake Theatre during the past nine or ten months, under the direction of Henry C. Tryon, the noted scenic artist, have attracted a great deal of attention from theatrical men generally. Especially is this true of those professionals who had been here prior to the changes (referred to in detail from time to time in these columns) as they have progressed. It is needless to say surprise is universal when the marked change that has taken place is noticed, and the expression invariably is that one would never have believed such important improvements could have been effected in so brief a period.” The “old” theatre was renovated and the article noted that “the changes which have been effected in that building would strike the attention with greater force than that of a casual observer, or even a theatrical man whose opportunities noticing the difference have been less favorable.”

The well-known theatrical manager, Marcus R. Mayer, commented on the work that had been done under the direction of Tryon and the “metropolitan advantages.” Mayer said, “I can imagine the surprise and delight with which the Kiralfys will look about them when they first set foot on the stage. We will be able to present our scenery here with its full effect, and that is something and that will be something we will be able to do in very few places after leaving here. Tryon is evidently a man who knows much about stage requirement as any person since, as I am informed, the extensive changes have been made by his direction and mainly under his supervision.”

The author of the article then asked Mayer, “By the way, what do you think of Tryon as an artist?” Mayer’s response, “Tryon? We he has a national reputation. The fact that he is engaged to paint the scenes is a guaranty that the scenes outfit will be on par with any theatre in the United States. He is none of your fellows who depend on village theatre for a livelihood; his services are in demand all the time and the only thing that beats my penetration is that so expensive an artist could be obtained to come to Salt Lake. The scenes already painted are the equal of anything in stock in the country.” Mayer would finish the article with saying, “The management of the Salt Lake Theatre foresaw just what I’ve told you, and knowing the companies now coming could not endure the old arrangements, they determined to fit the stage up first-class modern style, and Tryon was just the man for the conspiracy.”

I believe that Tryon was not only hired at Sosman & Landis studio in 1884 for his painting abilities, but also for his knowledge of stage machinery. I was looking at Tryon’s theatrical contributions during 1882 and 1883 in the Salt Lake area when his work for Scottish Rite theaters and degree productions popped up. What a small world.

To be continued…