Joan K. Sansbury
Librarian/Curator, Library of the Supreme Council, 33°
1733 16th Street, NW, Washington, D.C., 20009–3103

Like the Scottish Rite itself, our Library had humble beginnings. The collection of records and books kept during the earliest days of the Supreme Council were unfortunately lost as a result of several fires. What survived the fires was largely scattered during the anti-Masonic "Morgan affair" (1830–1840) as members lost interest in Freemasonry, and their collections were either sold, lost, or intentionally destroyed. It is true that individual members of the Supreme Council had a few books, but these were personal property.

Albert Pike stated, "when I became Grand Commander in 1859, the Supreme Council was not the acknowledged owner and proprietor of a single printed book or pamphlet and that, up to the year 1878, the only printed pamphlets that it owned were such as had been received from foreign bodies." These few pamphlets consisted mainly of unbound bulletins and Transactions.

In 1878, realizing the importance of establishing a library, Pike transferred all of his Masonic books, some two or three hundred volumes, to the Supreme Council. In 1881, he began adding volumes to what he referred to as an "embryo library." Working hard at trying to get as many volumes for the library as possible, Pike was able to secure copies of several of the most rare and valuable books in the Masonic world. Soon thereafter, the House of the Temple was located at the southeast corner of Third and E Streets, NW, Washington, D.C. The building was purchased on February 28, 1883 for $17,000 dollars, and an addition was constructed for the library at a cost of $4,204.

In 1888, the formation of the Supreme Council Library was enhanced by the acquisition of the private library of Grand Commander Pike. His library consisted of six to seven thousand volumes of miscellaneous works he had been acquiring throughout his life. The books are of the best editions, handsomely bound in Russian leather, and were received by the Supreme Council at an appraised value of $30,000 dollars. (1890 Transactions of the Supreme Council, p. 43)

The Victorian House of the Temple, located at the SW corner of Third and E Streets, NW, Washington, D.C.

Frederick Webber, Librarian in 1897, stated that "it would be a great mistake to ever mix the 'Pike Library' with the other books purchased, and as opportunity offers and place is provided, that his library should be put by itself, so that, whatever in the future may be the fate of the books purchased, we may honor the sentiment that surrounds the name of Albert Pike and his collections, which form the foundation of this Library, that no book of his should ever be permitted to go on the shelves of a second-hand book store, or be scattered, as libraries too often have been." (1897 Transactions of the Supreme Council, p. 32) Unfortunately, this happened at one point when someone separated Pike's library and placed the books throughout the open stacks. Today, Pike's volumes are scattered according to classification in both the General and Masonic Collections of the Supreme Council Library.

Since the library's existence, it has been open to Freemasons, their families, and others who wanted to use its books. In fact, the Supreme Council Library was the first library open to the public in the District of Columbia outside the Congressional Library. (1890 Transactions of the Supreme Council, p. 48) Today, the library is still open to the public, and we are trying harder then ever to extend our services and make the public aware of our existence.

To achieve these goals, ever since I became the Librarian/Curator of the Supreme Council seven years ago, I have set goals ranging from one year to 20 years in length. My first goal was to get the correct type of lighting, replace the library's windows, and install proper equipment to regulate the air temperature and humidity. This required complete renovation of the library between 1993–1994. Also, the old carpet was pulled up, and the hardwood floors were sanded and treated. In addition, new furniture and area carpeting were provided throughout.

The setting and physical plant were now perfect, but this was just the beginning; for a library is not a room, but rather a collection of books. Then it was time to organize the collection. Prior to doing so, however, every single volume needed to be cleaned and arranged alphabetically within its appropriate classification number. For years, the House of the Temple was heated with coal, and a fine layer of coal dust, better known as soot, had settled throughout the library. Many of the books were practically unusable, as they blackened the hands of every patron who touched them. The systematic cleaning and organizing of the collection took about three years.

After the collection was cleaned and in order, I wanted to increase library usage. Although the building is open to the public, it was apparent that, over the years, the library had never really reached out to the local community. One way to do this was to form the "Children's Hour." This program involves different nursery schools from the metropolitan area. The children come for a short visit to the building, participate in story time, an art activity, and light refreshments. Since initiating this program, we have received many positive responses from the community.

Next, I wanted to make more adults aware of our building, library, and collection. We began inviting students from The George Washington University to come after hours for a specialized tour of the building. The students often come back throughout the academic year and use the library for different school projects or to have a quiet place to study. This program is now an annual event.

Also, the Washington Rare Book Group was invited to hold its monthly meeting in the Robert Burns Room of the House of the Temple. The group consists, generally, of about 30 people, and, before visiting, not one of them was aware that we had such a marvelous collection of books or that we were open to the public.

Also, the new "Friends of the Library" group makes our own members more aware of our collection and how to benefit it. Ill. Bro. Art deHoyos, 33°, now Grand Archivist and Grand Historian, first suggested this program. We were aware the Supreme Council Library includes many rare and valuable books that have been neglected and are deteriorating. The money raised through donations by the Friends of the Library group goes toward the preservation and restoration of these books. Members also receive a quarterly newsletter and an occasional special token of appreciation.

Recently, a vault was built to accommodate the library's rare book collection. Called the Special Collections Vault, it contains the library's rarest holdings and valuable Masonic items as well as precious books from the general collection that have been restored. These books may still be used with permission. A new research room has been added next to the Special Collections Vault to provide an ideal setting for research. The room has a microfiche reader for studying a new collection called Freemasonry–Early Sources on Microfiche 1717–1870. This collection contains 651 titles.

There are still several ideas focused on making more people aware of our building and promoting use of the library. I will name two. First, we will invite different specialized libraries and museums in for an open house. Second, we would like to initiate a monthly program where different guest speakers give lectures on Masonic subjects. Masons, guests, and members of appropriate organizations would be invited to these lectures.

The library has come a long way since its beginning and still has a long way to go in the future. One of our main endeavors is to get the Masonic library catalog online. This will permit members and patrons from around the world to access our database. Larissa Watkins, as a library assistant, and I are working hard, adding entries, and editing the existing entries so that this can happen. Hopefully, this will be accomplished by the next Biennial Session in the year 2001.

Joan K. Sansbury is a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, and has her Master's Degree in Library Science at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. She is a member of the American Library Association, the District of Columbia Library Association, the Masonic Library and Museum Association, and the Rare Book Group of Washington, D.C.