In 1916, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Sold Hoffman of Detroit
$725.00 of old scenery from Saginaw.” Sosman & Landis had previously provided
scenery to East Saginaw’s Academy of Music. The refurbishment and resale of old scenery to a
new venue was commonplace at this time.
From the “Detroit Times,” March 28, 1916, page 3.
On March 26, 1916, the “Detroit Free Press” announced,
“Amusement Place of Large Capacity Takes Site Where Stands Old Abandoned House
of Worship.” C. A. Hoffman and Graham Hoffman were pictured next to the
proposed Colonial Theatre. The article continued, “Amusement place with
capacity for 2,289 is to be opened October 1. To build the first large-modern
theater in the near down-town section of Woodward avenue, the Detroit-Colonial
Theater company has been organized by the Hoffman brothers, vaudeville managers
and producers, and incorporated with an authorized capital of $200,000.
“A 30-year lease has been obtained of the northwest corner
of Woodward avenue and Sibley street on which now stands the abandoned Woodward
avenue Congregational church, a landmark in that section.
“C. Howard Crane, architect, has been engaged to draw plans
for the theater and has completed the specifications embodying a number of innovations.
The theater will have no gallery; but there will be a spacious balcony.
Something new to Detroit will be a larger open well on what is to be a
mezzanine floor, giving the auditorium under the balcony the appearance of
great height. This feature is found in the Strand theater, New York. The
capacity will be 2,289 including 204 box chairs. The style of architecture will
be colonial carried out in exterior and interior details, giving opportunity
for striking beauty and simplicity.
There will be a stage adequate in size for any act on the
large vaudeville circuits. There are to be 15 dressing rooms, besides special
quarters for musicians, electricians, and carpenters, and lounging rooms and
shower baths for stage performers.
The name Colonial has been chosen for the theater because it
is the pioneer showhouse of the district in which it is to be located, because
of the style of architecture desired an because as the promoters declare, ‘It’s
a good old American. – strictly American name.”
Clare A. Hoffman will be president and general managers of
the company, and Graham Hoffman secretary and treasurer. These young men of
long experience, in various capacities, with the theatrical and amusement
business, built and have managed the Palace Theatre of this city. They are the
management in the Hoffman Brothers theater enterprises including the new Palace
theater of Saginaw. The vice-president of the Colonial Theater company is Harry
J. Dingeman. The three named with Julius L. Krimmel and Mortimer Hoffman are the
company’s directors.”
Clare A. Hoffman, pictured in the “Detroit Times,” March 28, 1916, page 3.Graham Hoffman, pictured in the “Detroit Times,” March 28, 1916, page 3.
On Feb. 26, 1916, “The Moving
Picture World” announced, “Clare A. Hoffman has succeeded A. I. Marenette as
president of the Palace Theater Cp., of Detroit. Graham Hoffman continues as
secretary. Harry J. Dingeman has been elected vice-president and Frederick H.
Mears treasurer. These, with Mr. Marentette, form the directorate.
It was announced at the director’s
meeting held recently that the company, which has been paying 1 per cent,
monthly on a $200,000 full subscribed capital, will go to 2 per cent. March 1,
with the company practically free from debt. C. A. Hoffman has also been chosen
president, Mr. Dingeman vice-president and Graham Hoffman secretary of the Hippodrome
Amusement Co., of Saginaw, Mich., which has practically completed the financing
of a theater being erected on Gennessee avenue and to be opened about March 15.
The Hoffman Brothers Theatrical Enterprises has recently opened offices at 1437
Dime Bank building. They propose to erect other theaters in Michigan” (page
1330).
Sosman & Landis had been doing
business with the Hoffmans since 1914. On Feb. 15 of that year, the firm
delivered scenery to the Palace Theatre in Detroit (see past post #879). The
Hoffman brothers were the managers for the venue. Other Palace theaters with
scenery by Sosman & Landis included those in Chicago (1912), Minneapolis
(1914) and Fort Wayne (1914).
To be continued…
I return to the life and times of Thomas G. Moses. In 1911, Moses
recorded that Sosman & Landis received “a small contract at Cheyenne of
Masonic work.”
Sosman & Landis were well known in Cheyenne, having delivered
stock scenery to the Grand Opera House in 1882. Sosman & Landis artists paired
up to complete many projects on site, traveling from one theater to another and
crisscrossing the country. From 1881-1882, Moses and studio founder, Joseph S.
Sosman were a team, completing one project after another as salesman Abraham
“Perry” Landis secured each contract.
The Scottish Rite Theatre is located in the Masonic Temple,
home to multiple Masonic orders. Located at 1820 Capitol Avenue in Cheyenne, construction
commenced on a three-story structure in 1901, costing local Masons $45,000. Unfortunately,
in 1903 the building was gutted by fire. The “Natrona County Tribune” reported,
“The fire originated by defective electric light wiring over the stage at the
south end of the building. The loss was estimated at $50,000; insurance
$33,500, $30,00 of which was on the building and $3,500 on paraphernalia. The
elegant paraphernalia of the Scottish Rite Masons, costing at least $6,000 was
entirely destroyed, and besides this many suits belonging to the members of the
order were lost. Only a few rugs and several pieces of furniture were saved.
The structure will be rebuilt at once. The structure will be rebuilt at once.
The Scottish Rite Masons had just finished holding a reunion in the building,
at which forty-one new members were admitted on the night before the building
was destroyed, this being the first reunion held in the building since its
completion” (5 March 1903, page 8). After receiving their insurance settlement,
the Cheyenne Scottish Rite Bodies reconstructed the damaged stage and interior.
Sosman & Landis delivered an initial collection of
scenery to this Masonic Hall in 1911, and membership numbers began to
skyrocket.
On January 25, 1911, the “Natrona County Tribune” reported,
“Cheyenne. – The semi-annual reunion of Wyoming Consistory No. 1 here met Jan.
4, and is attended by Masons from all sections of the state. A class of
twenty-six candidates for the Scottish Rite degree has been selected” (Caspar,
Wyoming, page 6). By that fall, there were fifty candidates at the Scottish
Rite reunion in Cheyenne (Natrona County Tribune, 20 Dec. 1911, page 6). Over a
year later, there were forty-six candidates (Natrona County Tribune, 26 Dec.
1912, page 2).
A new Scottish Rite Cathedral was planned in 1920 as
membership rapidly outgrew its current quarters. The “Casper Star-Tribune”
reported, “Tentative plans for the cathedral which Wyoming Consistory No. 1,
A.A.S.R., is to erect at Capitol Avenue and Twentieth Street, have been
approved. They call for a structure of Grecian architecture, with a frontage of
132 feet on Capitol Avenue, which will cost approximately $500,000. Aside from
the fact that it will be the largest and finest fraternal society building in
Wyoming architecture. Work on the
building, it is planned and will begin next fall” (29 May 1920, page 9).
The Scottish Rite stage in Cheyenne, Wyoming.The Scottish Rite stage in Cheyenne, Wyoming.The Scottish Rite stage in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
In 1921, “The Billings Gazette” reported that Wyoming had
1906 thirty-second degree Masons, an increase of 245 members in twelve months.
Furthermore, the secretary of Wyoming Consistory No. 1 in Cheyenne reported,
“the total resources of all four bodies of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish
Rite amount to $189,958.88” (17 Sept 1921, page 8). There were 2,090 members in
the Rocky Mountain Lodge of Perfection; 1,961 members in the Albert Pike
Chapter of the Knights of Rose Croix; and 1,961 members in the Cheyenne Council
of Kadosh No. 1.
I visited the Cheyenne Scottish Rite last year on June 18,
2018. It was father’s day when I documented the Cheyenne Scottish Rite scenery
collection, with my husband and son working as stagehands that day. Our guide,
Ron, explained that the building was expanded during the 1920s, an addition
that included a new theater. Toomey & Volland studio records list a
delivery of scenery to the Cheyenne Scottish Rite at that time. I identified
three distinct scenery collections when examining the stencil placement. Two
are consistent with Sosman & Landis and the third is likely from the studio
of Toomey & Volland in St. Louis.
The Scottish Rite stage in Cheyenne, Wyoming.The Scottish Rite stage in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Some of the scenery includes the shipping label “Scottish
Rite Bodies. Masonic Hall. Cheyenne, Wyoming.” This information is stenciled on
the back and front of some bottom sandwich battens. Additional stenciling on
the back of some drops also confirms the destination of Cheyenne,
characteristic of standard Sosman & Landis Studio labeling during the first
decade of the twentieth century. Keep in mind that it was common for Scottish
Rite Valley’s to retain their original scenery when the initially expanded and
increased and existing stage. Enlarging the original scenery delivered to the
Masonic Hall in 1903 and 1911 for the 1920s stage was not unusual, even if a
competing studio painted it.
The Scottish Rite stage in Cheyenne, Wyoming.The Scottish Rite stage in Cheyenne, Wyoming.The Scottish Rite stage in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
The three collections at the Cheyenne Scottish Rite are not of
any particular, or standard, size. It is obvious that many of the drops were
hung at another venue prior to being installed above the current Scottish Rite stage.
Charcoal markings denoting previous line sets are just one indicator of a
previous life elsewhere.
In regard to painted aesthetics, the design and scenic art for some of the collection is consistent with other Sosman & Landis scenery delivered to Santa Fe (1912), St. Paul (1910), Winona (1909), Tucson (1914), Asheville (1914), and Grand Forks (1914). The painted flats accompanying many of the painted scenes, however, are not identified with stencils, nor characteristic of Sosman & Landis flats manufactured before 1908. The profile pieces in Cheyenne only include a few pencil markings. The design and construction of these pieces are not characteristic with Sosman & Landis set pieces, as they are also much brighter in color than the remainder of the collection, suggesting their delivery by Toomey & Volland aesthetic.
The Scottish Rite stage in Cheyenne, Wyoming.The Scottish Rite stage in Cheyenne, Wyoming.The Scottish Rite stage in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
The stage machinery also predates the 1920s. It is an
example of Brown’s Special System, also delivered to Santa Fe (1912), St. Paul
(1910), Winona (1909), Tucson (1914), Ashville (1914), and Grand Forks (1914).
Counterweight system on the stage right side. The Scottish Rite stage in Cheyenne, Wyoming.Brown’s Special System installed at the Cheyenne Scottish RiteThe fly rail at the Cheyenne Scottish Rite. This is where Masonic stage hands stood when they raised and lowered backdrops.Counterweights in a wooden arbor cage were part of Brown’s Special System. The Scottish Rite stage in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Finally, our host explained that additional drops that went
unused for decades. They were rolled up and placed in an offstage area. Sadly,
they were disposed of a few years ago without anyone documenting was thrown
away, so we have no idea if this were an earlier collection, and adopted
collection, or simply unused scenes. There is one dead hung drop curtain
against the upstage wall. It appears to
be a drop curtain, as I was able to see some painted fringe and draperies, suggesting
that this piece may have been the drop curtain from the previous stage at the
Masonic Hall; the front curtain would have been not wide enough for the current
proscenium opening. I would love to see what the composition is, as I was
unable to see more than the bottom two feet of the drop.
The first Scottish Rite Cathedral in Louisville was a the remodeled building during 1895- St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at Sixth and Walnut Streets. From this moment forward, the Masonic membership in Louisville continued to grow at a rapid rate. By 1919, the Scottish Rite candidate class size numbered 200, and the high membership numbers began exceeding the building’s capacity.
During the 67th annual spring reunion in 1919, the president of the “Victory Class “of Scottish Rite candidates introduced a resolution. Dr. T. H. Tuley urged “the Grand Consistory immediately to make plans for the erection of a Scottish Rite Cathedral in Louisville which will prove a credit to the Rite and to the city.” The Courier-Journal reported, the reading of the resolution was greeted with applause, and from the manner in which the proposition was received it seems possible some steps in this direction will be taken” (26 April 1919, page 4).
Previously, Courier-Journal published, “Largest Class in History of Consistory Attending Scottish Rite Meeting. 200 At First Dinner” (23 April 1919, page 9). The session opened at 10AM on April 22, with conferring the Lodge of Perfection degrees (4-14). The article noted, “For several months the Scottish Rite has been practically overwhelmed with applications for membership, every Masonic lodge in the State reporting unusually large numbers of initiates. The result has been that for the first time in many years it has been necessary to hold two spring Scottish Rite classes, the first one having completed work only about ten days ago.” Capt. John H. Cowles, sovereign grand inspector general of the Supreme Council of the Rite, was interviewed by the Courier-Times. They reported, “He says unusually large classes are being accepted into the rite in all consistories of the southern jurisdiction. He was highly pleased with the showing made by the Louisville lodge, especially in view of the fact that he received his degrees here and is a native of Kentucky, having lived for many years in Louisville.” In 1919, the Louisville Scottish Rite also premiered a four-page publication for attendees title “The Reunion News,” which was published every day during the reunion. This does not surprise me at all, as the Scottish Rite once met in the same building as the local newspaper, the Courier-Journal. What a great idea.
Scottish Rite membership was explosive during the 1920s and the influential power of the Freemasons was substantial. This is a moment in time when the Rite was very vocal about their activities and positions on both the political and social stage. From the late-nineteenth century to early twentieth century, is was not unusual to find detailed information pertaining to daily activities at Scottish Rite reunions, a list of members, and the history of the organization. The views of the Rite pertaining to public education and other social issues were published for all to read. When a potential candidate thought about joining, there was no question in his mind about what the organization was really about and if it was a good fit. This may be why the Scottish Rite continued to gain ground and dominate the fraternal landscape of America.
On May 11, 1923, the Courier-Journal published that “Scottish Rite Masons will begin a three-day campaign May 23, to raise the $300,000 necessary to complete their building fund for the proposed $750,000 cathedral at the southwest corner of Fourth and Breckinridge Streets. Ground for this structure will be broken in September, it was said. The cathedral will have four stories and basement, with an auditorium seating 1,350 persons. Solicitation will be from the 2,286 members in the State of which 1,200 are in Louisville, The campaign will be in charge if Benjamin S. Washer, Richard Priest Dietzman, Edward F. Metzner, Harvey White and Dr. E. L. Henderson” (page 18).
On June 27, 1923, the old Scottish Rite was sold, becoming the R. E. Jones Temple, Methodist Episcopal Church. On September 9, 1923, the Courier-Journal announced, “The contract for the construction at Fourth and Breckinridge Streets will be awarded shortly after bids are opened about October 15” (page 34).
The second Louisville Scottish Rite
There is one thing to consider about the second Scottish Rite stage. As a church took possession of the old Scottish Rite building, it is unlikely that any Masonic scenery or artifacts would have been left behind. This means that the old scenery would either have been enlarged for their new home, (as such was the case with the 1910 Guthrie scenery) or it would have been replaced with new scenery and sold to another Scottish Rite theater.
I have only encountered two references about a scenery orders delivered to the Louisville Scottish Rite during the twentieth century. The earliest was in 1910, when the Louisville Scottish Rite purchased scenery from Toomey & Volland. However, Toomey and Volland advertisements from 1912 do not list Louisville alongside fifteen other Scottish Rite Cathedral installations by that time, suggesting that they were only adding to a previous collection. Toomey & Volland may have only expanded the original 1895 scenery collection during 1910. It is unclear if E, A. Armstrong Manufacturing Co delivered the original scenery to Louisville either; meaning in was subcontracted to Sosman & Landis. The Louisville Scottish Rite is not included in a 1902 E. A. Armstrong advertisement that notes all the Consistories that they equipped since 1897. Granted, Louisville was two years earlier in 1895, but it leaves a question in my mind concerning who delivered the scenery. One other person comes to mind – E. T. Harvey. Harvey was the scenic artist who produced Scottish Rite scenery collections for Cincinnati in 1886 and Cleveland in 1901. It will be fun to see what I find on site.
Regardless, by the 1950s, Volland studio records a second scenery order from the Louisville Scottish Rite, but they do not specify exactly what was delivered. This means it the order could have ranged from one scene to an entire collection.
The New Orleans Scottish Rite, pictured in “The Times Democrat,” 30 Nov 1906, page 8
The lobby. The New Orleans Scottish Rite, pictured in “The Times Democrat,” 30 Nov 1906, page 8
The New Orleans Scottish Rite
The same year that new Scottish Rite Cathedrals were dedicated in San Francisco, California, and Topeka, Kansas, another one appeared in the south – New Orleans, Louisiana. The Times Democrat reported, “Scottish Rite Masons of Louisiana yesterday afternoon officially dedicated the beautiful new home of the Louisiana Grand Consistory in Carondelet street, and later entertained at a reception the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons and a large number of invited guests.”(30 Nov. 1906. Page 8).
The old Carondelet Street Methodist Church was transformed into a Scottish Rite Cathedral for the price of $10,000. Articles incorporating the Scottish Rite Cathedral were filed in the Probate Court on October 14, 1906, according to TheTimes-Democrat (page 28). The announcement stated, “The organization is a branch of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Free Masons and the purpose is to erect a cathedral in this city which will be one of the first in the south, and the only one on the state.” The incorporators were R. W. Southerland, H. L. Gaines, Thomas M. McMillan, Robert L. Douglas (president) and P. B. Dixon (secretary).
The dedication ceremony took place in the theater, with the stage being occupied by members of the Grand Lodge and the Grand Consistory. Uniformed members of the Consistory were seated on the main floor and guests in the balcony.
In 1906, painted scenery for the newly constructed stage was gifted by the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite Arkansas Consistory, Valley of Little Rock, Orient of Arkansas.
The New Orleans Scottish Rite stage.
Gus D. Levy, Venerable Grand Master of the Grand Consistory, began the program, explaining that the decision of the Scottish Rite to buy the cathedral of their own had, at the time it was reached, created the impression that it grew out of a breach between the Scottish Rite and York Rote Masons. The Times Democrat included his explanation and his attempt to set the record straight. He allowed L. C. Allen of Shreveport, the Grand Lodge F and AM. To address the matter. The Times Democrat reported, “Mr. Allen first said he was glad of the opportunity to explain matters. The move of the Scottish Rite Masons had not meant that there was any conflict between the two bodies. As a matter of fact they were still intimately associated and closely affiliated with each other.” He concluded the explanation and then spoke of the original, history and present status of Scottish Rite Masonry as well as its relation to the York Rite branch of the order. I have to wonder what else was also going on between the two Masonic orders at this time.
The new temple was the first home for the Louisiana Consistory; the building bought a while back from the Methodists before an additional $10,000 was spent on the recent remodel. The building committee included Charles F. Buck, Gus D. Levy (chairman), Richard Lambert, Frank Chalonn, Joseph Meyers, George W. Voth, B. Lake Henry and W. H. Wood. The architects for the remodel were Stone Bros. With their new stage, the first work of the Scottish Rite included a candidate class of 112 applicants over two days.
The New Orleans Scottish Rite Auditorium
The New Orleans Scottish Rite Auditorium
The New Orleans Scottish Rite stage
On 2 March 1907, the Times Democrat announced “Many Masons Coming” (page 5). The Scottish Rite was to hold a reunion and Sovereign Grand Commander James D. Richardson of the Southern Jurisdiction attended to witness 198 candidates receive the 4th through 32nd degrees. Grand Commander was visiting the New Orleans Scottish Rite on his way to another reunion in Galveston, Texas.
In 2014, the building was listed for $4 million and was sold to developer Craig Boes for $3.25 million. The scenery collection sold for $1,000 during the middle of June in 2015. I know this fact, as I was trying to secure it at the same time on behalf of the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center. This was during the summer of 2015 while working as their Curatorial Director during the planning and construction of the center. We missed buying them by a week. Because we were unable to purchase the New Orleans collection, the Fort Scott scenery collection became an alternate.
In the end, a theatre group near Austin, Texas, purchased the New Orleans Scottish Rite scenery, cutting the ones they wanted off of the battens. In the end, the group who purchased the scenery, cherry-picked the collection, leaving about twenty drops behind. Lance Brockman and I were in touch with the developers in charge of the renovation for a while, as they sought to track down the artistic provenance. Their plan was to photograph the scenery and maybe hang it in a warehouse somewhere. Unfortunately, the remaining drops were removed during the renovation and their fate is currently unknown.
A drop that once hung in the New Orleans Scottish Rite.
A cut drop at the New Orleans Scottish Rite that was not removed after the building was sold.
A cut drop at the New Orleans Scottish Rite that was not removed after the building was sold.
In looking at the very few images I have received over the years, it appears to be a compilation from a few different eras. I know that some scenery was delivered by Volland Studios in 1953, but am unsure of the rest. I believe that some of the earliest pieces were from Toomey & Volland, including a palatial backdrop posted on one blog. What I am curious about, however, was the stage right rigging, as is looked very similar to that in Yankton and Wichita; certainly not a Brown’s special system.
Almost three years ago, the historic building became home to Nolaluna, an entertainment and dining development company in New Orleans. The building now that features circus artists, singers, musicians, variety acts and comedians. The renovation was estimated at $8 million for the 162-year old building. There is something comforting that the building continues to include the performing arts.
A cut drop left on site and used in a promotional photograph by the new owner, Nolaluna. The building now that features circus artists, singers, musicians, variety acts and comedians.
To be continued…
There is a lovely little post by the Traveling Templar about his visit to the building in 2010: http://www.travelingtemplar.com/2013/08/sights-and-places-nola-scottish-rite.html
Part 694: The Scottish Rite in McAlester, Oklahoma, 1904
There was something else happening in the world of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry when the Scottish Rite in Kansas City, Kansas, was dedicated. In 1904 the Scottish Rite in McAlester, Oklahoma, photographically documented a few of their scenes, complete with costumed characters for the corresponding degrees. I first encountered these photographs while restoring the Scottish Rite scenery collection in the 1929 Masonic Temple. In a room with south-facing windows, a glass display case held a handful of photographs. There were several old photographs that depicted a small Scottish Rite stage and costumed degree teams.
One of the photographs in a display case at the Masonic Temple in McAlester, Oklahoma. This image depicts a degree team from 1904.
The typed card that accompanied the photographs stated:
“These are pictures taken of McAlester Scottish Rite degree teams in 1904, taken on stage “The Tabernacle,” McAlester’s first Scottish Rite Temple. It was located on the south side of Washington Avenue between 2nd and 3rd Streets, where the drive in facility of the Bank, NA, is presently situated.”
As with many onsite discoveries, I carefully tucked this little bit of information away and went on with my work for about a decade. I did not think about the photographs again until I was working on “The Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple: Freemasonry, Architecture and Theatre” book (Museum of New Mexico Press, 2018). We were trying to track down some interesting images of Harper S. Cunningham, Sovereign Grand Inspector General of New Mexico, when the Santa Fe Scottish Rite was being planned. Cunningham had also functioned as the S.G.I.G. of Oklahoma Territory before moving to Santa Fe to help with the impending plans for constructing a new home with stage. Cunningham was referred to as the “Temple Builder.” As possible images were passed back and forth, one included Cunningham seated in front of a candidate class. This was taken in front of Santa Fe’s first Scottish Rite stage on Water Street.
Drop curtain created for the first Scottish Rite stage in McAlester, Oklahoma.
Curtain created for the first Scottish Rite stage in McAlester, Oklahoma, used by the Santa Fe Masons at their Masonic Hall on Water Street.
As with many Scottish Rite Valleys, the stage was constructed at the end of a Masonic hall. The intent of this stage was to get the members used to staging degrees, as they were planning a new theater in the proposed Scottish Rite building. Cunningham had directed the Snat Fe Scotish Rite to purchase the used scenery from the McAlester Scottish Rite Masons as they had just built a new stage and ordered new scenery.
Small stage constructed at the end of the Masonic hall on Water Street in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
As I looked at the photograph of Cunningham stoically seated amongst a candidate class of twenty-two men, I noticed the tassels on the drop curtain behind. Many Scottish Rite drop curtains during the first two decades of the twentieth century have a similar feel and composition, but I have yet to find two that are identical. When I compared the drop curtain in the Santa Fe photograph and the McAlester photograph, I realized that they were identical. The used scenery purchased from the McAlester Scottish Rite during the planning and construction of the Santa Fe Scottish Rite Cathedral was sitting in a display case in McAlester, Oklahoma.
At the time I documented the McAlester degree team images, they were deteriorating from direct exposure to sun and heat. I realized that it was unlikely a conservator had swept in after my departure from McAlester and removed the photographs form the cases to care for these significant images. I simply treasured the images that I already had and requested additional photographs depicting the scenery installed for the Santa Fe Scottish Rite Masons on Water street to get an understanding of the collection’s scope.
Jump ahead to the fall of 2018. I am carefully adding the research files of Professor Emeritus Lance Brockman to my own files. Years earlier, I had already added the research of Larry Hill, who thoughtfully sent me boxes of slides and past research about historic scenery, stage machinery, and panoramas upon his retirement. As I tucked Brockman’s “McAlester Scottish Rite file” in with my own, I quickly flipped through the contents. In one manila folder, there was a color copy of a 1995 letter from Rhett Bryson at Furman University (Greenville, South Carolina). It an old newspaper clipping. Bryson also traveled with Brockman and Hill across the country, documenting Scottish Rite scenery during the 18980s and 1990s.
The first 2” x 3” color image pictured in the letter was recognizable as the scenery behind the degree team for the 1904 McAlester Scottish Rite degree team photo. This was huge! Rhyson indicated that there were thirteen drops clearly marked “So. McAlister” on the back. This meant that the original scenery created for the McAlester Scottish Rite was used by the Santa Fe Scottish Rite and then shipped to and used by the Charleston Scottish Rite. The scenery had three lives! I was curious to see what I could find about the Scottish Rite stage in Charleston that used the scenery.
Part 684: Scottish Rite Stages in Salina –1901 and 1927
In Salina, Kansas, the “Daily Union” published an article that almost read like an advertisement for the upcoming Scottish Rite reunion. The heading stated “THE SCOTTISH RITE. Interesting Facts About Bodies Located Here. Spring Reunion in June” (Salina Daily Union, 14 April 1900, page 1). The amount of information provided in this 1900 article is quite intriguing:
“The Bodies of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, located at Salina, Kan., acknowledge and yield allegiance to the Supreme Council, 33d degree, for the Southern Masonic jurisdiction of the United States of America, whose grand East is in Charleston, South Carolina, and is in fraternal communication with every legitimate Supreme Council in the world.
“The various degrees as conferred by these orders are divided in a series as follows:
The first series comprises the degrees from the 1st to the 3d inclusive and are termed symbolic, being conferred in the Blue Lodge, actual membership in which is the obligatory qualification for the advancement to the succeeding series.
The second series comprises the several degrees form the 4th to the 14th inclusive, are termed ineffable and are conferred in a “Lodge of Perfection.”
The third series comprising the several degrees from the 15th to the 18th inclusive are termed the historical and philosophical degrees and are conferred in a “Chapter of Rose Croix.”
The fourth series comprises those from the 19th to the 30th inclusive, are termed the modern historical, chivalric and philosophical degrees, and are conferred in a “Council of Kadosh.”
The fifth series comprises the 31st and 32d degrees, are allegorical and philosophical, and are conferred in a Consistory.
“The work is very solemn and impressive in nature, calculated to improve the mind and character of all coming in under its influence, there by causing them to become better members of the commonwealth.
“The bodies here are thoroughly equipped with all the paraphernalia required for the proper rendition of the work and have among their members several who cannot be excelled in exemplifying the characters required to be taken in conferring the several degrees and are favored with a very competent leader. Owing to the number of applications lately received and a larger number having signified their intention to apply for admission, it has been decided to hold a spring reunion, commencing the 11th day of June, continuing for four days, at which time the several degrees from the 4th to the 32nd will be conferred; the greater majority in full ceremony and form.”
When the article was published in 1900, Salina Masons had already enjoyed their Masonic Temple for four years. They were in the process of planning a major expansion that would result in an even larger stage, complete with fly loft and horseshoe balcony.
Plans for Masonic Temple stage in Salina during 1901. From the “Salina Daily Republican,” 17 July 1901, page 4
By 1901, the “Topeka State Journal,” reported the substantial number of Scottish Rite Masons in Kansas, the newspaper reported “Kansas boasts the largest membership in the Scottish Rite of any state in the southern jurisdiction of the United States and the fame of the Topeka officers for their thoroughness and perfection displayed in conferring the degrees is not confined to the borders of the state. No order makes use of as elaborate paraphernalia and so dramatic a ritual as the Scottish Rite and with each succeeding reunion the classes to take the sublime degrees increase in numbers.”
In 1902, the “Junction City Republic” reported about the Fall Reunion at the Salina Scottish Rite noting, “A large number of candidates from this part of the state will be present to take the degrees. This is the fountainhead of all the beautiful allegories and work of freemasonry throughout the world” (24 October 1902, page 1). Membership continued to grow in Salina, as well as the rest of the country and what was once though ample space became cramped quarters.
By 1919, Salina Masons planned for Masonic Temple, referred to as the million-dollar to reflect the expense. Work began in that year, but the concrete design, however, collapsed in 1920 due to faulty construction, occasioning a loss of approximately $250,000 (The Kansas Workman, 1 Sept. 1926, page 6). The arched concrete ceiling of the auditorium gave way. The building was partially re-erected with structural steel and Carthage limestone. The original year scheduled for completion was 1923, until the collapse. During this time, the Masonic bodies were still meeting in their old home when disaster struck again.
The Masonic building gutted by fire, pictured in the “Salina Evening Journal,” 30 Jan 1922, page 1
In 1922 the old Masonic Temple was practically destroyed by fire. This was the 1896 building that had been expanded in 1902. Two decades later, the two upper stories of this building were burned out (The Salina Evening Journal, 30 1922, page 1). The Blue Lodge, Order of the Eastern Star, the Royal Arch, the Knights Templar, the Scottish Rite and Shrine all suffered heavy losses of degree paraphernalia. The article reported “Thirty-nine curtains for the stage, used in the ritual work of the lodge and the presentation of degrees, were included in the loss also.” After the fire, the Masonic bodies negotiated with the proprietor of the new theatre building until the Masonic temple was finished. The new scenery collection purchased for the new Masonic Temple was far larger than that in the old building or their temporary theater space.
From the “Salina Daily Union,” 11 June 1921, page 1
The 1927 Masonic Temple in Salina, Kansas
For their new building, the Salina Scottish Rite would purchase a used scenery collection in 1927. Scenic artist for this collection, Thomas G. Moses, included pasted a newspaper clipping in his scrapbook. It was about the used McAlester Scottish Rite scenery collection purchased by the Salina Scottish Rite Bodies in 1927. The article reported, “The one hundred and seventeen drops of scenery that has been in use on the old stage for twenty-five years, has been sold to the Scottish Rite Bodies of Salina, Kansas, and it has been shipped to them. There was nearly a carload of it. Brother John T. Leibrand, 33°, Wise Master of South McAlester Chapter of Rose Croix, negotiated the sale to the Salina brethren who came to McAlester to inspect it. The scenery was painted by Brother Tom Moses under the direction of that great Scottish Rite Mason and student Bestor G. Brown, and was said to be the finest in the Southern Jurisdiction at the time.” The article also noted, “the Salina brethren are negotiating with Brother John G. Redpath, who had charge of the old stage for years, to superintend the hanging of the drops in their temple.”
The scenery purchased by the Salina Scottish Rite from the Scottish Rite stage in McAlester, Oklahoma.
The painted front curtain for the Salina Scottish Rite
The stage at the Salina Masonic Temple for the Scottish Rite
Part 681: The Second Scottish Rite Stage in Little Rock, 1902
By 1901, Sosman & Landis had successfully delivered Scottish Rite scenery and stage machinery to the following valleys in the Southern Jurisdiction: Little Rock, Arkansas (1896 and 1898), Oakland, California (1896), Wichita, Kansas (1898), Guthrie, Oklahoma (1900) and Fargo, North Dakota (1900).
On April 17, 1901, the Wichita Scottish Rite reunion included a class of two-hundred candidates, the large Scottish Rite class size to date. The day before, newspapers across the country shared the news from Wichita, “The largest class of candidates for the mysteries of Masonry in the history of the Scottish Rite in the country will be given the degrees here tomorrow, the special occasion being a twentieth century jubilee” (“San Francisco Examiner,” April 16, 1909, page 3). Biggest candidate class? Sure, but the Guthrie Scottish Rite had already boasted of something else– a bigger and better building for bigger and better degrees. And so the American comparison begins – “Mine is better than yours.”
That same spring, the “Guthrie Daily” announced, “The Scottish Rite at Guthrie has the distinction of being the only building erected exclusively for the Masonic Fraternity, and its equipment in stage scenery, electrical lighting devices, robes and general paraphernalia, is the most complete in the United States” (15 March 1901, page 5). That would soon change as the Little Rock Scottish Rite entered into the fray again with the construction of a new home; their second theater.
By September 1901, an article in the “Arkansas Democrat” about the new Little Rock Scottish Rite building reported, “The stage will be the special feature connected with the auditorium and will be the largest and most thoroughly equipped in the United Sates and used for Masonic purposes. The fact there are few stages in theaters in the larger cities than this one will be and none in the United States more perfectly equipped with scenery and electrical appliances, and few its equal. The scenery will of course be all specially designed for the building and for the use of conferring degrees, but that some idea of the magnitude of the scenic effects may be obtained it is proposed to place on this stage nearly one hundred different drops, at least forty complete sets of scenery each entirely different from the other in design and thought” (18 Sept. 1901, page 2).
By November 28, 1901, the “Arkansas Democrat” commented, “The stage equipment will be the most magnificent that can be secured, and it is contemplated that not less than $5,000 shall be expended upon this feature alone. It will be the largest and most equipped in the United States for Masonic purposes – in fact there are few theater stages more perfectly supplied and arranged, and fewer that can equal for scenery and electrical appliances” (page 1).
Sosman & Landis studio delivered a second scenery installation to Little Rock in 1902, after having installed two other scenery orders at their previous stage in 1896 and 1899. Little Rock’s Albert Pike Consistory building and stage were prominently featured in “New Age Magazine” (later becoming “Scottish Rite Journal”). In the article, Rosenbaum proudly claimed, “…the stage equipment in Little Rock is the most perfect in America – not only for Masonic purposes, for which it is used exclusively, but from any other point of view…nowhere else in America, with the possible exception of one theatre in New York, and one in Chicago, is it possible to produce either the scene or electric effects that can be produced on this stage.”
This Little Rock scenery and stage machinery was replaced when the Scottish Rite built its third stage in the 1920s. The used collection was then sold to the Scottish Rite in Pasadena, California. In Pasadena, the scenery and stage machinery began a new life where it is still used to this day. The scenery collection in Pasadena, Austin and Fargo are extremely significant in the scope of both theatre history and Masonic history. These three valleys are stewards to some of the earliest scenery in the Southern Jurisdiction. This is what their predecessors witnessed when they first stepped foot in a Scottish Rite stage to experience a new form of degree work.
This Scottish Rite scenery and stage machinery was delivered to Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1902, is now used at the Pasadena Scottish Rite.
An arbor originally installed on line 89 at the Little Rock Scottish Rite now hangs on line 55 at the Pasadena Scottish Rite. Both line numbers are still visible.
Looking up above the Scottish Rite stage in Pasadena, California, at Brown’s special system, originally installed in Little Rock, Arkansas, during 1902.
A backdrop painted by Sosman & Landis studio, installed at the Little Rock Scottish Rite. It is now used at the Pasadena, Scottish Rite.
Part 679: The 1900 Guthrie Scottish Rite Contract for Scenery
On April 28, 1900, the Scottish Rite in Guthrie, Oklahoma, purchased $2,190.00 worth of painted scenery and stage machinery from E. A. Armstrong Manufacturing Co. The firm subcontracted the creation of the leg drops, cut drops, backdrops and set pieces to Sosman & Landis in Chicago. The contract specified that all drops would be “counter-weighted and installed in working order.”
The order included a painted front drop (drop curtain) and white lantern curtain (picture sheet), 22 backdrops, 6 cut drops, 18 leg drops, and 11 other scenic elements.
Much of this collection was later sold to the Scottish Rite in Austin, Texas in 1914, although contract negotiations began as early as 1912.
Original drop curtain for the Scottish Rite in Guthrie, Oklahoma, sold to the Scottish Rite in Austin, Texas.
Original wood setting for the Scottish Rite in Guthrie, Oklahoma, sold to the Scottish Rite in Austin, Texas.
Original Ruins setting for the Scottish Rite in Guthrie, Oklahoma, sold to the Scottish Rite in Austin, Texas.
Detail of Original Treasure drop for the Scottish Rite in Guthrie, Oklahoma, sold to the Scottish Rite in Austin, Texas.
What this contract clarifies, however, is how the scenery was described and the designation titles for composition. The descriptions would change over the years. For example, a “Royal Chamber Setting” becomes “Solomon’s Throne Room” as more painted detail, symbolic objects and emblems are added.
Original Royal Chamber drop for the Scottish Rite in Guthrie, Oklahoma, sold to the Scottish Rite in Austin, Texas.
Here is a portion of the 1900 contract between the Guthrie Lodge of Perfection and E. A. Armstrong Manufacturing Co.-
FOURTH DEGREE
One drop with gates in opening; backing which is also used elsewhere being made reversible
FIFTH DEGREE
One stone interior set, consisting of one back drop with scrim panel and one leg drop – one tomb drop with practical doors
SIXTH DEGREE
One Royal chamber set, consisting of one backdrop and one leg drop; leg drop to be used with other sets.
NINTH DEGREE
One cave set, consisting of cave backing and one cut drop for front of cave; also one set for the water-fall.
FIFTEENTH DEGREE
One set showing ruins at Jerusalem; also used in 16th Degree, consisting of one backdrop, and two leg drops, One drop for Cyrus’ Palace; the leg drop of 8th Degree being used with this – One Treasure House set consisting of back drop and one leg drop- One bridge set, consisting of horizon drop; one profile fore-ground.
SIXTEENTH DEGREE
One Palace set, for Darius, consisting of one back drop and two leg drops
EIGHTEENTH DEGREE
One constellation set, consisting of one transparent spangled drop; one gauze cloud drop three light boxes showing “Faith”, “Hope”, and “Charity”.
One crucifixion set, consisting of one backdrop, one cut drop, and one leg drop.
One Calvary set, consisting of one back drop with set rose – One peristyle drop, with light box for words “Infinity”, “Nature”, “Reason”, “Immortality”.
One Cathedral set, consisting of one back drop, and one leg drop; One Ascension Scene, consisting of one back drop, One cut drop, one gauze cloud drop, one movable figure. One Hades set, consisting of one back, one cut, and one leg drop.
TWENTY-FIRST DEGREE
One interior wood set, consisting of one back drop, one cut and two leg drops; leg drops are also used in the 9th & 15th Degrees.
THIRTIETH DEGREE
One Egyptian Interior set, consisting of one back drop, and two leg drops.
THIRTY-SECOND DEGREE
One camp set, consisting of one backdrop and one leg drop
One white interior, consisting of one back drop and two leg drops, also a transparency of Great Symbol
MISCELLANEOUS
One drop curtain with emblematic devise
One pair of tormentors
One grand drapery
One White lantern curtain
One pair flipper wood wings
All drops counter-weighted and installed in working order in Guthrie.
Besides scenery, the Guthrie Scottish Rite ordered additional costumes, regalia, stage lighting, lighting apparatus, props, stage carpets, and other stage appliances. $1,319.05 worth of costumes and $419.75 of special light fixtures were added to the order in April 1900. The contract noted, “Goods were sent collect, but freight bills receipted are to be valid vouchers against the account.”
Records indicate that the Scottish Rite bodies needed a few more things… by May 15, 1900, an order was placed for belts, bronze pedestals, one table of Shrew-bread, one altar of incense, one brazen laver, one electric bell, three electric buzzers, one dozen small sized plain Mason’s trowels, and ten alcohol torches. A day later on May 16, another order was placed for 74 ½ yards of stage carpet for $46.74. On on April 21, they ordered a full papier mache skeleton for $12.50.
The orders to E. A. Armstrong Manufacturing Co. continued. In September 1900 the Guthrie Scottish Rite purchased a white altar cover, a black velvet cover with tears, a laurel and olive wreath, cast iron floor pocket, 3 extra switches, 14 standards, spears and pennons, 6 extra flags, 4 extra receptacles for $49.75.
In November they purchased an additional two pairs of Flipper wings [book flats], two Ground rows, a 16×24 ground cloth, a gauze cloud drop, a stone altar [likely for JBM] and eight stone blocks and column for $225.50. By the end of the month on November 20, 1900, the Guthrie Scottish Rite placed a large order for $250.10 worth of regalia; various officer jewels, aprons, banners, and lodge furniture from E. A. Armstrong Manufacturing Co. The orders continued, sometimes weekly, monthly, and yearly.
In less than a decade the Valley of Guthrie was outgrowing their theater space, and planned an expansion; one that would necessitate the purchase of all new stage machinery and scenery for a larger stage and proscenium opening. The scenery and stage machinery from 1900 were returned for credit on the purchase of a new collection. However, Brown was working for a different company – M. C. Lilley & Co. The scenery still found its way back to the Sosman & Landis studio, where they stored the collection until it was ready for another sale. The used collection was eventually sold the Scottish Rite in Austin, Texas, for approximately $1500, where it is still in use today; sometimes providing the setting for a children’s theatre production. Fortunately, the Guthrie scenery was never altered or replaced after it arrived in Austin. It did not suffer the fate of other collections as the Austin Scottish Rite continued to expand.
As membership increased in Scottish Rite Valleys across the nation, so did their stage needs. Additional settings were added, or entire scenery collections replaced, necessitating even more costumes, props and effects.
Once Scottish Rite stages were constructed, there were always elements that could be added or updated –as long as the membership recognized the theatrical interpretation of degree work as a priority. Over the decades, however, the priorities in some Scottish Rite Valleys shifted their attention away from stage improvement. This was especially common after membership the Rite began a slow descent. Incoming funds were funneled toward specialty projects, people and events. I have noticed that there was a definitive change in the direction of funds that occurred during the 1960s. It is hard to define the exact impetus or even define the change. You can spot it in the candidate classes, the building projects and charitable endeavors. I understand that at this same time, younger generations sought alternative forms of community and social groups. Some call it part of their struggle against the “establishment.” I wonder if it was simply an increase in social opportunities; there were more options for young people.
During the mid-twentieth century many Masonic buildings were also renovated, often given a “face-lift.”. Suddenly brown paneling concealed original ornamental plasterwork, as certain decorative elements were perceived as “dated.”
Occasionally elements would be added to the theater space, but it no longer was the norm to continually purchase scenic effects for the stage. Many of the changes had to do with individual comfort, such as new seating in an auditorium. Funds were also spent on new costumes, as the sizes of Americans continued to increase in height and girth. Original costumes were shoved to the back of the rack, replaced with larger polyester versions.
Stage crews began to see the wear and tear of scenic elements, often requesting funds that were denied as the work was perceived as optional. Therefore, the backstage crews began a series of in-house repairs. So far removed from the original theatre manufacturers, punctures in scenery could result in amateur patches using odd materials that ranged from fiberglass and plaster. I have even encountered sheet metal patches riveted on to a backdrop in Quincy, Illinois. Then came the contact cement and duct tape generation for in-house repairs. As the funds for maintenance and repair were limited or non-existent, few sought out any theatre professionals. Regardless of these amateur repairs, however, many collections remained untouched. Some were guarded by backstage stewards who yelled, “don’t touch it – leave it be!” These became the gems of the Southern Jurisdiction; the theatre time capsules that are so treasured today.
Part 674: Henry Wallenstein and the Scottish Rite in Wichita, Kansas
In 1898, Little Rock Scottish Rite purchased more scenery, effects and lighting for their degree. That same year another Scottish Rite building with stage was dedicated in the region – Wichita, Kansas. “The Wichita Daily Eagle” commented on the rapid growth of the Scottish Rite in Wichita, a very similar situation to the Little Rock Scottish Rite from 1891 to 1899. (6 Nov 1898, page 13). The newspaper article reported, “The pyrotechnic career of the local organization of Scottish Rite Masonry is so really marvelous and brilliant that a brief recapitulation must be of interest to all readers. Its embryonic state was commonplace and primeval enough. Eleven years ago the co-ordinate bodies in this valley were organized with twelve charter members. They then met in the Hacker and Jackson block corner Douglas Avenue and Fourth, in lowly quarters. In January, 1891, having 92 members, the Cathedral property, corner of Market and First streets, was purchased of the First Baptist church society, and fitted up for exclusive Scottish Rite purposes. From that date, the advancement was so rapid that it was very soon it became evident that those accommodations were entirely inadequate and it was talked among members to erect a new edifice on that site….The result is that right here in Wichita is located one of the most completely equipped and magnificent Temples entirely devoted to Masonry any where in the southern jurisdiction.” By 1908, there were 412 members,
Bestor G. Brown set his sites on this new project after outfitting the stage at the 1896 Albert Pike Cathedral in Little Rock, Arkansas. The scenery for the stage was subcontracted to Sosman & Landis. In addition to representing E. A. Armstrong Manufacturing Co. of Chicago in 1898, Brown was the stage director for the Wichita Consistory. This allowed him to speak with his Scottish Rite clients in Kansas from a unique position and deep understanding of the demands for various degrees. Even though Brown’s his primary residence was in Chicago from 1892 to 1898, he remained active in Kansas Masonry. As a traveling salesman, Brown’s returning to Kansas for a Scottish Rite reunion twice each year helped fraternal sales.
In Wichita, Brown recommended the purchase of a building for their Scottish Rite, just a he had in Little Rock, Arkansas. The renovation of an existing building was far less costly than the construction of an entirely new structure. As with Little Rock, the renovation included a theater space. The Valley of Wichita purchased the Young Men’s Christian Association for during January 1898, and extensively remodeled the space to include a 300-seat auditorium. $15,000 was spent on the inclusion of a stage, scenery and other necessary paraphernalia.
The Wichita Scottish Rite before the addition
The Wichita Scottish Rite before the addition
The Wichita Scottish Rite after the addition
Postcard of the completed Wichita Scottish Rite
Brown was not alone in this endeavor. There was a second Scottish Rite Mason from Wichita to greatly aided in promoting the theatrical interpretation of Scottish Rite degree work- Henry Wallenstein, a 33rd degree and Grand Cross. In Wichita, Wallenstein was the Director of the Work. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Wallenstein moved to Wichita at the age of twenty-seven and entered the mercantile business, becoming a co-owner of the business by 1886. He came from a city that was well-known for staged degree productions and beautiful Masonic theaters. As with Brown, Wallenstein became a well-known “staging expert” for the Scottish Rite degrees. His contributions to the successful dramatization of degree work were recognized as an outstanding achievement in Masonry.
Wallenstein was a Deputy of the Supreme Council in Kansas during 1909 when the second Scottish Rite building was dedicated on November 19. From the modest 300-seat auditorium of 1898, the Wichita Scottish Rite constructed a 1500-seat auditorium. Located on Seventh Street and Ann Avenue in Wichita, the dimensions of the complex were 138 feet long, 65 feet wide, and 78 feet high. Towering four stories over the area, the building was exclusively constructed for Masonic uses. By 1910, there were 2,400 Scottish Rite Masons holding membership in Wichita Consistory No. 2. That same year, the “Wichita Daily Eagle” reported, “Wichita Consistory is now without peer throughout the southern grand Masonic jurisdiction in the high quality of the dramatic work placed and staged before yearly increasing classes; and in numerical membership, and ranks high among other cities of the world. It boasts the costliest cathedral exclusively dedicated to Masonry, in the world” (3 July 1910, page 5). The article continued, “To Henry Wallenstein as to no other one man, belongs the most credit for any single individual…For ten years Mr. Wallenstein has been the Director of the Work, his fine dramatic personality, rare histrionic conceptions, pecularly [sic.] fitting him for this trying position.”
The 1909 stage measured 60 feet wide by 35 feet deep, necessitating all new scenery and stage equipment, including Brown’s special system. By this time, Brown was the western sales manager for M. C. Lilley and a Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Kansas. He was well-respected throughout the country and known as the only Masonic stage carpenter in the United States.
Stage machinery currently at the Wichita Scottish Rite
The original counter weight system for the Wichita Scottish Rite now in Yankton, South Dakota.
The 1898 scenery and stage machinery in Wichita were returned to M. C. Lilley & Co. for credit on the purchase of their new collection. Only a few pieces were retained; the seventeenth degree visions drops were enlarged and are still used today. Keep in mind that in 1909 Brown’s special system was the standard counterweight system delivered by Sosman & Landis, subcontracted by M. C. Lilley & Co. It likely replaced their previous counterweight system. The used system and stage machinery were then sold to another Scottish Rite Valley – Yankton, South Dakota.
Brown’s special system currently in Wichita, Kansas
Fabric wrapped counterweight that was originally used at the Wichita Scottish Rite, now in Yankton, South Dakota
It remains uncertain as to what the 1896 stage machinery delivered to Little Rock, Arkansas looked like, but it likely was similar to what was delivered to Wichita in 1898 and is now at the Scottish Rite in Yankton, South Dakota. The rigging system delivered to the Yankton Scottish Rite is an interesting blend of elements, including a pinrail and cloth-wrapped iron weights, resembling sand bags. There is no question that the scenery delivered to the Scottish Rite in Yankton was the original Wichita Scenery. As is the case in Pasadena with the Little Rock collection, the Wichita scenery was clearly marked with shipping notes on the sandwich battens and “Wichita” as the first destination written on the back of many drops. The same writing is still apparent in Wichita on a few enlarged scenes that remained at the venue. This makes the scenery in Yankton, the earliest known example of a counterweight rigging system used in the Southern Jurisdiction.
Part 673: Charles E. Rosenbaum and Little Rock, Arkansas
Bestor G. Brown arrived in Chicago during 1892, and by 1894 he was working as a traveling salesman for fraternal supplier E. A. Armstrong Manufacturing Co. of Chicago. 1892 was also a significant year for the Little Rock Scottish Rite as the Bodies were reorganized. At the time, their was a total membership of only 18. Over the course of three years the Little Rock Scottish Rite would gain 84 32nd degree Masons in their Consistory, with a total membership of 115.
When the Little Rock Bodies reorganized in 1892, there was not a single piece of paraphernalia to confer the degrees. Within a very short time, the Little Rock Scottish Rite went from nothing to fully-staged degree productions with hundreds of members. During the period from October 23, 1891, until February 21, 1895 the Little Rock Scottish Rite received $11,357, of which $3,627.46 was spent for paraphernalia and another $367.10 for fixtures and furniture. For the 1895 Fall Reunion in Little Rock, the Scottish Rite announced, “We are well equipped with paraphernalia for the proper conferring of these beautiful degrees.” That year the Little Rock Scottish Rite would plan for the construction of a new home. The last reunion held in the Masonic Temple was during the summer of 1896, with the plan that the fall reunion would be held at their new home.
Scottish Rite stage pictured in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1899 Reunion Program
In 1896 an existing Little Rock building was renovated to include a stage. Located on Center Street between Third and Fourth Street, the structure was constructed as a Jewish synagogue. The building was remodeled and equipped for a total of $12,000, allowing the growing membership room to expand and stage portions of their degree work. By 1898 changes continued to be made to the building, especially in the areas of additional scenic and electrical effects.
Little Rock’s Fall Reunion program of 1898 praised the new scenery acquisitions, commenting, “The building has the same appearance outside as when you saw it last, but when you enter the auditorium, don’t beat a retreat – thinking you are in the wrong place – it may take you a moment or two to become accustomed to the great change in the interior, but you will soon feel home again, and will enjoy a will enjoy to a much greater extent the exemplification of the various degrees, assisted so materially by additional scenic and electrical effects, on which neither labor or expense have been spared, to the end that it might be the most perfect to produce” (“Fall Reunion Program” Albert Pike Scottish Rite Cathedral, 1898). This second scenery collection was again delivered by Sosman & Landis. As with many Valleys, the skyrocketing membership demanded a larger facility, so a second building was constructed, moving the Scottish Rite from Center Street to the northwest corner of 8th and Scott.
Backstage area picture in 1904 Little Rock Scottish Rite Reunion program.
Brown’s special counterweight system from Little Rock, Arkansas, now still in use at the Pasadena Scottish Rite.
Looking up at Brown’s special system arbors (left) and bottoms of backdrops (right)
The Albert Pike Consistory Building was dedicated on September 18, 1902, With Charles E. Rosenbaum, as Sovereign Grand Inspector General in Arkansas, presiding over the dedication ceremonies, with Bestor G. Brown giving an address. At the time, Brown was the Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Kansas. By 1905, the Little Rock Consistory building was christened the “Gem of the Southern Jurisdiction.” Within the first decade of use, however, the Little Rock Scottish Rite Bodies were already outgrowing their home. The Albert Pike Consistory was remodeled and enlarged by 1913. The expansion of the Albert Pike Consistory Building incorporated the 1902 building into the complex, but added a projecting front bay and triangular pediment, supported by four fluted Ionic columns. The Little Rock Scottish Rite remained in this space until their move to the Albert Pike Memorial Temple in 1924.
In 1919, the Grand Lodge of Arkansas building burned, prompting discussions concerning a new home to house the Grand Lodge of Arkansas, two Blue Lodges, the Scottish Rite and the York Rite. This magnificent edifice would span an entire city block and contain 156,00 square feet.
On May 12, 1924 the new building was dedicated the “Albert Pike Memorial Temple.” This is the current home of the Little Rock Scottish Rite.
When the Scottish Rite left the Albert Pike Consistory building for the Albert Pike Memorial Temple building, the 1902 Little Rock scenery collection was split between the Valley of Pasadena and the Valley of Miami. It is possible that elements from the original 1896 and 1899 installations made up a portion of the collection. At the time, many Scottish Rite theaters retained certain scenes, even when purchasing brand new collections. The stage aesthetic remained constant, and certain scenes were cherished by the membership.
The Little Rock collection included approximately 100 drops and over 100 scenic pieces (flats, profile pieces and ground rows). When the scenery was divided for Miami and Pasadena, additional scenes were added at the time. Over the years, Pasadena continued to add scenic elements, yet seldom removed any backdrops. They also did not replace their entire counterweight system. Brown’s special system only remains in Pasadena, the Miami Scottish Rite having replaced their stage machinery and original drops.
There is no question that many of the backdrops in Pasadena came from the Albert Pike Consistory building. Original charcoal labels and shipping stencils denote “Little Rock” as the delivery destination. Furthermore, one bottom batten includes the Scottish Rite recipient, Charles E. Rosenbaum. There are also two scenes in the current Pasadena collection that exactly match two photographs included in the 1904 Little Rock Scottish Rite spring reunion program- King Cyrus’ throne room and the camp scene. This makes the Pasadena Scottish Rite extremely significant in not only theater history, but also the history Scottish Rite Freemasonry. It holds some of the earliest stage elements used in the Southern Jurisdiction. The collection in Pasadena is part of Charles E. Rosenbaum’s and Bestor G. Brown’s legacy.
Kin Cyrus scene pictured in Little Rock Scottish Rite Reunion program, 1904
Same Little Rock backdrop with fabric extensions in the Pasadena Scottish Rite
The “Scottish Rite Orient of Arkansas” website explains, “Brother Rosenbaum’s service to the Scottish Rite remains unmatched since his death. Successive generations and thousands of Masons have enjoyed and continue to enjoy the many improvements and innovations that he infused into our great fraternity. The Scottish Rite of Arkansas has always felt honored and privileged to have had Albert Pike as one of our own and his contributions are countless but we are also thankful to have had Brother Rosenbaum for his innumerable contributions to our Craft.” One of the greatest contributions that Rosenbaum personally oversaw still exists – the stage machinery and scenery now in Pasadena.
