North Dakota Masonic Records, 1876-1972
Collection Overview
Title: North Dakota Masonic Records, 1876-1972
ID: OGLMC1031
Extent: 3.0 Linear Feet
Date Acquired: 00/00/1985
Subjects: Organizational Records
Languages: English
Scope and Contents of the Materials
Collection Historical Note
Masonic organizations entered the Dakota Territory in 1875 through the Masonic groups already existent in Iowa. The Grand Lodge of Dakota was the first official large-scale association in the territory; many of its activities were based in what would become South Dakota, though the north's activity was not marginal. In 1889, when both North Dakota and South Dakota gained statehood, each state drew a new constitution for a Grand Lodge according to its area.
Masonic organizations are not by definition secretive, but because of their various rituals and often-unwritten constitutions and history, they could be considered enigmatic. "Freemasonry, as the most ancient and universal of all societies, is governed by its laws or rules of action, which either spring out of its organization . . . or which are derived from the enactment of its superintending tribunals," wrote Albert Mackey (1807-1881), one of the foremost Masonic historians. Each Grand Lodge and lodge many enact different customs, and evolution is sometimes undocumented.
North Dakota has or once had the following distinct Masonic groups: a Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons; a Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters; a Grand Commandery of Knights Templar; an Order of the Eastern Star, which is a Masonic group for women; and DeMolay, which is for youth and young men. A lodge is the term given to a chapter of the organization that is limited to a smaller geographical area. Many towns in North Dakota host lodges of these organizations.
Subject/Index Terms
Administrative Information
Repository: Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections
Access Restrictions: Open for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections.
Acquisition Source: Transferred from the Chester Fritz Library's circulating collection
Acquisition Method: Donation; Acc.85-1404
Preferred Citation: (Description of Item). North Dakota Masonic Records. OGLMC 1031, Box #, Folder #. Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections, Chester Fritz Library, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks.
Finding Aid Revision History: Finding aid migrated to Archon in January 2015.
Box and Folder Listing
Browse by Box:
[Box 1],
[Box 2],
[Box 3],
[All]
- Box 1
- Folder 1: Masonic Code Books, 1876-1886
- Folder 2: Masonic Code Books, 1886
- Folder 3: Masonic Code Books, 1897
- Folder 4: Masonic Code Books, 1906
- Folder 5: Masonic Code Books, 1916
- Folder 6: Masonic Code Books, 1916-1922
- Folder 7: Masonic Code Books, 1928
- Folder 8: Masonic Code Books, 1939
- Folder 9: Masonic Code Books, 1954
- Folder 10: Laws of Knight Templarism, 1902-1906
- Folder 11: Dakota Consistory, 1908
- Folder 12: Grand Lodge Constitution and By-laws, 1891; Amendments, 1916-1920
- Folder 13: Grand Chapters of Royal Arch Masons, 1893
- Folder 14: Grand Commandery of Knights Templar, 1948
- Folder 15: Grand Commandery of Knights Templar, 1949
- Folder 16: Grand Commandery of Knights Templar, 1950
- Folder 17: Grand Commandery of Knights Templar, 1952
- Folder 18: Grand Commandery of Knights Templar, 1957
- Folder 19: Grand Commandery of Knights Templar, 1958
- Folder 20: Grand Commandery of Knights Templar, 1959
- Folder 21: Grand Commandery of Knights Templar, 1960
- Folder 22: Grand Commandery of Knights Templar, 1961
- Folder 23: Grand Commandery of Knights Templar, 1962
- Folder 24: Grand Commandery of Knights Templar, 1964
- Folder 25: Grand Commandery of Knights Templar, 1965
- Folder 26: Grand Commandery of Knights Templar, 1967
- Folder 27: Grand Commandery of Knights Templar, 1968
- Folder 28: Grand Commandery of Knights Templar, 1970
- Folder 29: Grand Commandery of Knights Templar, 1972
- Folder 30: Order of the Eastern Star, 1961
- Folder 31: Order of the Eastern Star, 1965
- Folder 32: Memoriam of Frank Sprague (1938) and Alfred Steel (1929)
- Folder 33: Masonic Biographical Sketches - 1954
- Folder 34: "From Whence Came We?" - 1941
- Folder 35: Demolay Torch for March - 1925
- Folder 36: Masonic Membership Record - 1915
- Folder 37: Masonic Homes, 1908
- Folder 38: Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter - 1970
- Folder 39: Fiftieth Anniversary - Crescent Lodge 1933, Temple Lodge 1938, Fidelity Lodge 1899
- Folder 40: Grand Council Proceedings - 1970-1971
- Folder 41: Grand Chapter / Council Proceedings - 1967
- Folder 1: Masonic Code Books, 1876-1886
Browse by Box:
[Box 1],
[Box 2],
[Box 3],
[All]