A brief history of the Oakland Scottish Rite

(This article first appeared in California’s First Century of Scottish Rite Masonry, compiled by Arthur R. Andersen, 33° and Leon O. Whitsell, 33°. It was edited and updated in 2023 by Adam Kendall, 32°, KCCH.) 

ORIGIN 

IN THE YEAR 1883, Oakland was only thirty years old. Due to sustained development from 1870 to 1880, the city rose to a position of importance in California and had a population of approximately forty thousand. Improved transportation facilities, especially those connecting the East Bay with San Francisco, made this remarkable growth possible. Industrial development had been fostered by estuary and harbor improvements. The transcontinental trains were arriving at Seventh and Broadway. Mansions, houses, and cottages dotted the beautiful oak groves that had given the city its name. Oakland streets and many buildings and homes were lit by gas lamps, and the horse cars were providing what was then considered fine service out Broadway, Telegraph Avenue, San Pablo Avenue, Piedmont Avenue, and east across the Twelfth Street Dam to East Oakland. There were 91 telephones in the city. The Masonic Temple at Twelfth and Washington Streets had just been completed, and several lodges occupied the building. The new Temple created much interest in lodge activities. A vibrant atmosphere hung over this bustling little city among the oaks. 

In the summer of 1883, Albert Pike,33°, Sovereign Grand Commander of the Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, was visiting the City of Oakland. He was accompanied by Thomas H. Caswell, 33°, James S. Lawson, 33°, and Charles R. Brown, 33°, all active members of the Supreme Council. Their mission was to plant the seed of Scottish Rite Masonry in the Eastbay. Upon the recommendation of Edwin A. Sherman, 32°, Past Grand Registrar of the Grand Consistory of California [and later awarded the 33° and Grand Cross], twelve men were selected to receive the degrees of the Scottish Rite from the fourth to the thirty-second. Arrangements were made, and the initiation was held in the new Masonic Temple at Twelfth and Washington Streets. It was Pike’s fervent hope that these brethren would petition the Grand Consistory of California for Charters for a Lodge of Perfection, Chapter, and Council and establish the Scottish Rite in Oakland. 

Edwin A. Sherman, who assisted Pike in selecting the candidates, was well versed in the Rite’s ritual, rules, and regulations. He had received the degrees in 1868-69 in the Sacramento Bodies. When the Grand Consistory of California was established in San Francisco in 1870, Sherman became the first Grand Registrar and held that position for three years. He was also a Deputy Inspector General for the Grand Consistory and did much to establish many of the Bodies in California. His broad knowledge of Masonry—especially the Scottish Rite—was of valuable assistance in organizing the Scottish Rite in Oakland and procuring charters for the three bodies of the Rite. 

The newly created Masters of the Royal Secret were men from all walks of life and all parts of the East Bay. They were very enthusiastic about their advancement in the Rite. They had become well acquainted with Sherman and his activities in Scottish Rite Masonry when, in 1871, as a special deputy of the Grand Consistory, he was commissioned to confer by communication the fourth to the fourteenth decrees upon twelve Master Masons in Eureka. At the same time, he was commissioned to communicate the fifteenth to the thirty-second decrees on three members who might be chosen to fill the principal offices in the Lodge of Perfection. He then constituted the lodge and presented them with a dispensation. He also visited and assisted other Lodges of Perfection, such as Marysville, Grass Valley, Vallejo, Petaluma, Placerville, and Nevada City. Sherman was now to become the leader in organizing the Rite in Oakland.  

Several days after the initiation, these new members learned that nineteen other Scottish Rite Masons were residing in the East Bay. Some were members of the San Francisco Bodies, while some were from out-of-state. There was much fraternizing and discussion about instituting the Scottish Rite in Oakland. Some opined that only a Lodge of Perfection should be established; others thought the Chapter and Council should also be included. A meeting was called on September 2, 1883, at the Masonic Temple, Twelfth, and Washington Streets, and all Scottish Rite Masons were asked to be present. 

The Masonic Temple at Twelfth and Washington Streets and the First Congregational Church at Twelfth and Clay Streets.