The Archives of The Supreme Council are a priceless repository
for correspondence, rare documents, important proceedings,
and general information about Masonry and the Scottish Rite.
Over three million items make up the valuable collection,
with the oldest dating back to the early part of the 16th
century. The four rooms that house the Archives are climate
controlled for an optimal temperature of 68 degrees and
relative humidity of 50 percent. The facility holds records
from the Grand Commander’s office for the last 20 years
and additional rare documents are stored in a large walk-in
vault on the lower level of the House of the Temple. The
most modern archival techniques and supplies are used for
the preservation of items to be placed in the Archives.
Documents, photographs, and
imprints are filed in special protective boxes. Among the
many papers neatly stored in the boxes, arranged on steel
shelving, are rare books and old Rituals. Everything is
cataloged and cross-referenced on cards. In 1987, part of
this card file system was transferred to electronic format.
Ultimately, record retrieval will be entirely computer-based
though file cards will always be nearby. The Archives of
The Supreme Council contain one of the best historical repositories
of Masonry and the Scottish Rite in the world. Naturally,
it corresponds to the history of the United States. As the
history of The Supreme Council advances, it does so in parallel
with the contribuworldtions of the Scottish Rite to our
nation. The important material in the Archives holds the
key to that story.
* * *
Art deHoyos, 33°, Grand Archivist and Grand Historian
Mark Fastoso, M.A., Assistant to the Grand Historian
