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Prince Hall Scottish Rite History
The first Scottish Rite organization among African-Americans was the
African Grand Council of 1820 in Philadelphia, which was referred to
as a Council of Princes of Jerusalem. This Council arose through
West Indian migration, for Stephen Morin had propagated the Rite
there. The Organization of the King David Supreme Council grew out
of the conferring in Philadelphia (1850) of the 33rd Degree by Count
DeSaint Laurent (also, Larine) of the Supreme Council of France and
the Grand Commander of the Council of Spain on David Leary, the
first Black Inspector-General of the Prince Hall Scottish Rite.
In New York City, a Supreme Council of the United States was
established in 1864. Also in 1864, a separate Supreme Council was
formed in New York, which was made up of members from the National
Compact Grand Lodge, from which a Southern Jurisdiction split off
with the Headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland. From the Philadelphia
Council, a Southern and Western Jurisdiction defected with
Headquarters at Washington, D.C. In 1871 a fifth was established in
Philadelphia, and was named King Fredrick Supreme Council. In
1881-1887, these five merged into 2 United Supreme Councils of the
33rd Degree: one for Northern Jurisdiction and one for Southern
Jurisdiction.
Ill. Edward M. Thomas petitioned the King David Council, since he
was residing in the District of Columbia, for the 33rd degree to be
conferred on representative Masons in D.C., and on May 5, 1856, the
conferment was made and a council was established. A fourth council
was set up in Baltimore, Maryland and a fifth Council in
Philadelphia. These 5 Councils petitioned for unity in a conference
in New York City on January 13, 1881, and was responsible for the
Articles of Union and two Supreme Councils of the Northern
Jurisdiction (PHA) and the United Supreme Council of the Southern
Jurisdiction (PHA).
The constitutions for the Southern Jurisdiction were established in
1887 and revised in 1917 and 1955. The Southern Jurisdiction for the
United Supreme Council, PHA, consists of the states: AL, AR, FL, GA,
KT, LA, MD, MS, Missouri, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV, the
territories of Arizona, New Mexico, the District of Columbia, and
Alaska. The Northern Jurisdiction consists of the following states:
CO, Connecticut, DE, ID, Illinois, IN, IO, KA, Maine, Mass, MI,
Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, NH, NJ, NY, ND, OH, OR,
Pennsylvania, RI, SD, UT, VT, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and
that of the states outside Continental United States. Alaska shall
belong to the Northern also. |
