WONDROUS NEW ACQUISITIONS

This post will be a rare treat! After several months since their discovery, we were able to recover three boxes that were stored in the basement of the Valley of Oakland’s old temple on Madison Street. After the valley vacated the premises, it was still in Masonic hands (this is from information I’ve been able to glean from oral histories). Tucked in these records is a fascinating scrapbook dated 1928 until the late 1940s (with photographs) and other written materials belonging to the Oakland Lodge of AMORC (the legendary Ancient and Mystical Order Rosæ Crucis, which owns Rosicrucian Park and the Egyptian Museum in San Jose, California). First convening as a chapter in the Pacific Building in downtown Oakland, they met at an array of Oakland locations, including the Pythian Castle, the Women’s Club, the Bahai Rooms, and even in their own homes (the latter was sternly rebuked in a letter by their grand lodge, which was also included in the collection).

In 1934, they began meeting at the Madison St. Scottish Rite Temple. How long they met at this location is unclear, but the documents’ cold storage at the temple indicates that it was, perhaps, for several years as the group grew from chapter to lodge. The records’ presence might also suggest that some of our Scottish Rite members belonged, and the documents were stored in the temple for safekeeping. During the early 20th century, there were several Oakland Scottish Rite members who belonged to AMORC and other mystical/ philosophical fraternities, such as the Theosophical Society and the Vedanta Society.

Such crossovers are fascinating for our own fraternity, as it reveals the depth and breadth of our members’ interests, including the vast wisdom imparted in the curriculum of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite; it’s a fascinating social network of soul-searching. These documents also feature now-closed or renovated meeting halls that once held an important place in civic life, which patronized and supported a vibrant community of philosophical and social fraternities.

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