"The La Candeur Lodge Minutes Book, Pt. 1: Finding the Eleven Gentlemen of Charleston”

From the September/October 2025 edition of The Scottish Rite Journal.  Any accompanying photographs or citations for this article can be found in the corresponding print edition.


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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to the Scottish Right Journal podcast and audio presentation
of the Scottish Righte Journal, brought to you by the
Supreme Council of the Scottish Right Southern Jurisdiction Mother Supreme
Council of the World. This week's article is Illuminating our
History the Lochandor Lodge Minutes Book Part one, Finding the
Eleven Gentlemen of Charleston by Brother Maynard Edward's thirty third

(00:24):
degree and comes from the September October twenty twenty five
issue of the Scottish Rite Journal. As I walked into
Charleston International Airport with the nondescript document under my arm,
a surreal feeling hit me. How did a Facebook comment
turn into all this? I clutched the document more tightly,
knowing full well that my usual nature as a bowl

(00:47):
in a china shop was incongruous with having a box
of such importance in my hands. In this box was
a two hundred nine year old Lodge Minutes book that
could very well contain the answers to several key questions
about the early history of the Supreme Council. How it
ended up in my possession and on its way to
the House of the Temple in Washington, d C. Is
a story that will be told fully in our upcoming

(01:09):
documentary Finding the Eleven Gentlemen. Here we will share the
back story for readers of the Scottish Right Journal. In
planning the content for the twenty twenty five Biennial Session,
our production team realized a video preview of the Scottish
Rights upcoming two hundred twenty fifth anniversary celebration in Charleston
in May twenty twenty six would be an ideal addition

(01:30):
to the slate of videos to be shown during the
public session. With cameras in hand, I took a quick
trip to South Carolina in late May. The goal was
to film some local footage, visit the Brothers in the
Valley of Charleston, and get back to Washington after a
quick overnight visit to the Scottish Rights Holy City. When
people talk about Southern charm, Charleston, South Carolina is likely

(01:52):
the prototype of what they are envisioning. It is a
beautiful and fascinating port city and its people have a
way about them that made me feel at home as
soon as I got to town. In addition to this,
the Masonic history of Charleston is nothing short of catnip
to Masonic nerds like me. As I toured the Masonic
sites of Charleston, I took the chance not only to

(02:13):
shoot video for the biennial session, but also to produce
a few clips for YouTube and other social media. One
clip attracted the keen eye of historian and author Brother
Joe Wage's thirty second degree. In the video, I narrate
some Scottish rite history at the corner of Broad and
Church Streets, which today there is a bank. In front
of the bank is a marker noting that the corner

(02:35):
was formerly occupied by the legendary Shepherd's Tavern, where the
Supreme Council first met in eighteen oh one. Over my
shoulder in the video was a three story building with
a handsome iron facade. It was this building that prompted
Joe's comment, which has since gone viral. Funny enough, brother,
the building you passed before it was there was la

(02:56):
candour both French and English speaking ors. The the Grand
Lodge of South Carolina, Ancient York Masons and four of
its lodges met from seventeen ninety six to eighteen hundred.
To translate from geek speak, to English. This ironclad building,
which I had not even noticed, once housed two Orders
of the Royal secret the Grand Lodge of South Carolina,

(03:18):
Ancient York Masons, and four of its constituent lodges. By
the time I read Joe's comment, I was already back
at the House of the Temple behind my desk, so
I called him. Although he is a regular contributor to
Scottish rape media and other Masonic publications, as well as
a collaborator with some of my House of the Temple colleagues,
this was the first time I had ever spoken to

(03:39):
Brother Joe. As soon as we connected, it felt like
our discussion was of sincere importance. As we spoke, Joe
told me about the blue building I originally had overlooked
at forty two Broad Street. This would have been right
next door to Shepherd's Tavern, and the building itself had
been the home of Lacandor Lodge Number twelve beginning in
seventeen ninety six. The building continued to be used as

(04:02):
a lodge until well into the nineteenth century. In the
many published histories of the Scottish Rite, Lacandor Lodge is
little more than a glorified footnote, it earns only a
few paragraphs which tend to focus on the fact that
two of the so called eleven Gentlemen of Charleston were
founding members of the lodge. However, in the Scottish Write

(04:22):
Research Society articles in both the plumb Line and Heredom
Brother Joe explored the history of Lacandor Lodge more thoroughly.
According to Joe, the significance of this lodge has been
overlooked somewhat. There are many unanswered questions about the formation
of the Mother Council of the World, and the first
minutes of the Book of Lacandor Lodge could hold the
answers to those questions. The minute's book is just there

(04:45):
in a rubber made tote in an unconditioned space. This
is the early history of Scottish rite, just deteriorating every day.
Joe spoke, without a hint of hyperbole. I've been begging
for someone to go to Charleston and get these documents
back to the House of the Temple so they can
be fully translated and restored. The answers are in there,

(05:06):
but I am not sure where the book is at
this point. I don't think anyone has seen it for
a few years. I made up my mind then and
there I would be the one to bring the first
Minutes Book of lochandor Lodge back home to the House
of the Temple for translation and restoration. How I found
the Minutes Book, got it back to Washington, and solved
other Masonic mysteries along the way is a great story

(05:28):
of brotherhood history, interfaith, cooperation, and plain dumb luck. To
be continued next issue. Like and share this article and
don't forget to subscribe to the channel. If you wish
to comment, please leave one and as a reminder, hit
the notifications bell. Any accompanying photographs or citations for this

(05:50):
article can be found in the corresponding print edition. The
Scottish Rite Journal is published by the Supreme Council of
the Scottish Right Southern Jurisdiction Mother Supreme Council of the World.
Mark Dreisenstock, thirty third degree, Managing Editor. I'm your host,
Matt Bauers