Formally established in 1933, the
International Collection was dedicated with the following
words: “To Universal Freemasonry and especially to
those Masonic Bodies with which this Supreme Council holds
fraternal intercourse and representation.”
It consists of five sections: (1)
Manuscripts and correspondence submitted to the Supreme
Council (2) Photographs stored in archival-quality boxes
in areas with controlled temperature and humidity (3) Material
objects displayed in secure cases (4) Foreign periodicals
located in the main stacks (5) The Library itself now filling
numerous bookcases in the large reading room on the north
side of the House of the Temple’s first floor.
With more than 4,000 volumes from
68 countries, the number of items on each country varies
widely and ranges from a single book for countries such
as Zambia, Korea, and Malta to several bookshelves for
countries such as Canada, England, and Germany. Topics
cover a broad spectrum of Masonic interest and make this
collection a unique source of information about the worldwide
Masonic Fraternity. The countries represented are:
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Barbados
Belgium
Bolivia
Brazil
Bulgaria
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba
Czechoslovakia
Denmark
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
England
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Guatemala
Haiti
Honduras
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
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Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Korea
Malta
Mexico
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Norway
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Rumania
Russia
Scotland
South Africa
Spain
Sudan
Sweden
Switzerland
Tasmania
Togo
Tunisia
Turkey
Ukraine
Uruguay
Venezuela
Yugoslavia
Zambia
|
The International
Room also contains the Bicentennial Commemorative Exhibit
which was displayed at the Charleston, South Carolina,
Museum as part of the celebration of the 2001 Bicentennial
Session of the Supreme Council, 33°. The exhibit’s
several colorful panels, each complemented by a specially
designed display case with actual artifacts, trace the
history of the Supreme Council from its founding on May
31, 1801, in Charleston to the Scottish Rite today. Articles
on display range from antique examples of Masonic china
and glassware to rare books, unusual gavels, historic Scottish
Rite jewels, and even the boots worn on stage by the well-known
contemporary entertainer Ill. Mel Tillis, Grand Cross.
