Mark Masonry

By Ward K. St. Clair

Past Master, Lodge of United Services No. 1118, New York, and a Past High Priest of his Chapter.

Major, United States Signal Corps

The legend of the degree of Mark Master Mason is contained in a number of degrees, and the name forms a part of several others. In the United States, we consider it as a single degree, it being the first in the Capitular series. Most of the Mark degrees belong the past and are now of historical interest only. In fact, a number of cases exist where the name only exists, while in other instances we find copies of old rituals, or records of the degree having been conferred.

Be that as it may, the earliest record of the degree in the United States is contained in the minutes of the Old Mark Lodge at Middleton, Connecticut, for September 13, 1783. These minutes report the formation of a Mark Lodge, under the sanction of St. John’s Lodge, by three Mark Master Masons. This Mark Lodge continued as an independent body until its merger with Washington Chapter on August 12, 1812.