The Origins of Freemasonry in Norman, Oklahoma
Masonry in Oklahoma formally began on October 6, 1874, when representatives of three Lodges met and organized the Grand Lodge of Indian Territory, electing Granville McPherson as the first Grand Master. On November 5, 1890 the Grand Lodge issued the thirty-eighth charter in its jurisdiction to "Norman Lodge" to hold Masonic meetings in "or within three miles" of the City of Norman. As the state underwent a change from Indian Territory to Oklahoma Territory and eventually statehood, Norman Lodge moved with it. When the Grand Lodge of Oklahoma Territory was formed, it issued a new charter to Norman Lodge (No. 5) on December 3, 1892. When both Grand Lodges united in 1909, Norman Lodge reverted to the number it was originally issued (No. 38) and received the charter under which it currently operates on February 11, 1909. Norman Lodge #38 recently celebrated the centennial anniversary of this charter by sealing a time capsule with important artifacts and personal letters from the officers of 2009.
On March 12, 1898, Lion Chapter No. 24 Royal Arch Masons received a charter and met at Norman Masonic Lodge. In 1914, charters were issued for Norman Council No. 27 and Norman Commandery No. 38. Today, the Norman Lodge building also serves as a home to Veritas Lodge No. 556 Traditional Observance, Veritas Chapter No. 103, Aequitas Council No. 546 of the Allied Masonic Degrees, King Solomon Lodge No. 57 Prince Hall Affiliation, DeMolay International, the International Order of Rainbow for Girls, and the Order of the Eastern Star.
Freemasonry and the University of Oklahoma
Norman Lodge No. 38 has always had close ties with OU. Two of the original four faculty members at OU were Masons and two of the first three Presidents of the University were Freemasons. (Brother David R. Boyd counts as one in both categories.) Joseph Bentonelli, a famous opera singer and voice teacher at OU received his Master Mason degree in Norman Lodge on November 22nd, 1920. Willard E. Edwards, the inventor of the perpetual calendar was a member of Norman Lodge, affiliating in 1929, when he attended the University of Oklahoma. Besides the great men that were Masons, OU also has several important physical landmarks throughout the campus. Masonic cornerstones appear on many of OU’s buildings and were installed with much fanfare. For example, on November 3, 1909, at 10am, a "grand procession" (parade of officers), escorted by OU's band, marched from the Lodge building to campus and performed the cornerstone ceremony for "University Hall" while the university orchestra played.
In 1921, a $300,000 donation from the Masonic Charity Foundation of Oklahoma built "Albert Pike Hall" a men's dormitory designed to house college students who had participated in DeMolay International, a Masonic organization dedicated to teaching young men to be leaders and better people. This building was the "first of its kind;" (according to the October 12, 1920 Norman Transcript article) a Masonic dormitory built on a state university. In 1947, the University of Oklahoma purchased "Albert Pike Hall" and renamed it "Whitehand Hall." It became housing for veterans from the war and was colloquially known as "the Oklahoma Hotel." Masonic signs and symbols can still be seen on the building today.
Artist’s rendering for the proposed three-story lodge building in 1963, which was later scaled down to one-story
Norman Lodge Buildings
Norman Lodge originally met at 117 South Peters Ave., an address that no longer exists. The building was located at Peters and Comanche on the west side of what is now the Norman Transcript property. The Lodge room was located on the second floor. The cornerstone (dated 1916) from this building was moved to our new location and installed just outside the entrance to our Lodge where it currently stands today. The contents (a cornerstone is filled with symbolic materials during the installation ceremony), including a roster of members from 1916, have been carefully preserved.
Norman Masonic Lodge currently meets at the second permanent Masonic Lodge erected in our city, located at 1700 North Porter. John W. Preble, Grand Master of Ancient Free & Accepted Masons in Oklahoma, was instrumental in the construction of this building in the early 1970s. The building he originally proposed was a three-story building (architect's rendering shown below) with over 23,000 square feet, two lodge rooms and vast space for leasing to public businesses. On October 7, 1963, the Lodge meet to discuss the plans and concerns for such a massive structure. Ultimately, a scaled-down, yet still imposing structure was agreed upon.
The current building is 11,953 square feet on 7.5 acres and includes a 2800 square foot lodge room. The dining area can seat 300 people, we have a men's and women's lounge, a beautiful well-stocked library and our various orders have offices and store rooms. The need to accommodate additional Masonic organizations started early at Norman Lodge.
It is clear that Norman Lodge and Freemasonry has been a prominent and supportive fixture in our city for more than one-hundred years. The men of Norman Lodge have always been dedicated, bright and leaders in their fields. While no man knows what tomorrow may bring, Norman Lodge will always be there with open doors and a helping hand.
History of Freemasonry in Oklahoma
As the population moved west, individuals established organizations that they had joined in their former places of residence. Following removal from the southeastern part of the United States to Indian Territory, members of the Five Tribes formed Masonic lodges. Many prominent American Indian leaders in Indian Territory were Masons. Among them were Peter Pitchlynn, John Jumper, John and William P. Ross, and Opothleyaholo. Before the Civil War five lodges existed in Indian Territory. On November 7, 1848, the Grand Lodge of Arkansas granted a charter to the Cherokee Lodge Number 21 (the first lodge in the territory) at Tahlequah, the Cherokee Nation capital. Between 1850 and 1855 lodges formed at Fort Gibson, Doaksville, Flint (present Stilwell), and at the Creek Agency (northwest of Muskogee). During the Civil War these disbanded, and the charters were revoked. Thus, Freemasonry ceased to exist in the territory until 1868.
In 1868 Rev. Joseph S. Murrow, known as "the Father of Masonry" in Oklahoma, was instrumental in organizing Oklahoma Lodge Number One at Boggy Depot, Choctaw Nation (Choctaw Gov. Allen Wright suggested the lodge name). Other lodges were chartered at Doaksville, Caddo, Flint, Fort Gibson, and the Creek Agency. In October 1874 the Grand Lodge of Indian Territory was established, and Indian Territory lodges no longer fell under the jurisdiction of Arkansas. Granville McPherson was elected first grand master. Women had an auxiliary, known as the Order of the Eastern Star, which organized in the United States in 1876. On February 25, 1879, Murrow formed the O-Ho-Yo-Hom-Ma Chapter, the first Eastern Star chapter at Atoka, Indian Territory. He helped set up eight others and the Grand Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star of the Indian Territory in 1889.
After the Land Run of 1889 Masonic lodges formed in the Oklahoma Territory in Oklahoma City, Edmond, Guthrie, Kingfisher, Norman, and Purcell. The Anadarko Masonic lodge, established in 1884 prior to any land openings, is possibly the oldest in the western half of Oklahoma.
The Grand Lodge of Oklahoma Territory formed in November 1892. In 1909, two years after statehood, the separate grand lodges of the two territories joined as the Grand Lodge of the State of Oklahoma. Scottish Rite consistories are located in McAlester, Tulsa, and Guthrie, with Guthrie serving as home to the grand lodge. The Scottish Rite Temple in Guthrie and the McAlester Scottish Rite Temple are listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NR 87000503 and 80004521, respectively).
The first Masonic Children's Home was established on December 31, 1907, in Atoka. From 1908 to 1910 the facility housed eighty-five children and ten adults. In 1910 the Grand Lodge bought the American Indian school at Darlington near El Reno and moved residents there from Atoka. However, the place was too isolated for children. Consequently, in September 1922 the residents moved from El Reno to Guthrie to the State House (Convention Hall) until the new Masonic Home was completed in October 1923. Four years later a separate home for the elderly was built. It continued to operate into the 1990s. The Masonic Children's Home was closed in 1977.
Oklahoma has the distinction of establishing a girl's auxiliary called the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls (IORG), founded by Rev. William Mark Sexson on April 6, 1922, in McAlester. Sexson believed that there should be an organization for girls because the Order of DeMolay for boys had been founded in 1919 in Kansas City, Missouri. As a thirty-third degree Mason he wrote the first ritual and the laws governing the girls' order. The Supreme Temple for the IORG was built in McAlester in 1951. From a charter class of 171, Rainbows grew to international scope. At the turn of the twenty-first century the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls had assemblies in forty-six states and eight foreign countries.
Linda D. Wilson, “Fraternal Orders,” The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=FR007