# History of PHA Higher Degrees of Freemasonry in Georgia



## Bro.BruceBenjamin (Feb 21, 2011)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/59016670@N07/5465311028/ http://www.flickr.com/people/59016670@N07/


The father of the higher degrees of Freemasonry in Georgia was John Henry Walker.  He was one of the founders and Past Masters of Central City Lodge #199 in Macon.  This Lodge was merged with Phoenix Lodge #12  during the Great Depression and is today known as Central City Lodge #12 in Macon. Past Master J. H. Walker was said to have been a prominent Business man.  He would have been the first Deputy of the Orient for the Scottish Rite Branch of Freemasonry in Georgia around the turn of the 20th Century. In his honor the first Scottish Rite Consistory organized in the State bears his name in Macon as J. H. Walker Consistory #14. Today there is a very strong Lodge in Macon that carries on his name as J. H. Walker Loge #55.  

The John H. DeVeaux Grand Commandery and the Magnanimous Order of Knights Templar Masons was brought to Georgia along with the Scottish Rite Degrees by Bro. John H. Walker of Macon. The John H. DeVeaux Grand Encampment was organized on June 8, 1912 with the assistance from the Jurisdiction of Washington, D. C. The Grand Eminent Commander Peter Walker of D. C. appointed Sir Knight J. H. Walker as the District Deputy Grand Eminent Commander to enhance the growth of Knights Templar Masonry in Georgia.  John H. Walker is considered the father of the Higher Degrees in Georgia including the Shriners. 

For this reason many of our first higher bodies such as the Royal Arch Chapter and the Consistory first came out of Macon. We can not show the exact dates of the first meeting of the Shriners or Scottish Rite Masons in Georgia,  but it is believed to all have been around 1905.  John Henry Walker with his connections and business acumen was the one person responsible for bringing the higher degrees to the State of Georgia.  Notice his photo with the Shrinerâ€™s jewel and Scottish Rite sash, along with the head covering of a leader in the Knightâ€™s of Templar, the chappeaux. Walker was a great gift to our Order from the great city of Macon,  and we are thankful for this great pioneer of Georgia Freemasonry.


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## RockBender (Oct 31, 2011)

Bro Bruce do you personally know any of the menbers of central city?  Im in the army reserves and I drill in Macon once every month would love to fellowship with the bros up there.


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## Bro.BruceBenjamin (Oct 31, 2011)

Bro. Thomas not personally, but I will give you a call after I reach out to these brothers.


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## Brent Heilman (Nov 1, 2011)

Thank you Bro. Bruce for this. As always you bring more light to my education in Masonry every time I read one of your posts like this.


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## Arnold71 (Jul 6, 2015)

Brother Bruce Benjamin and Brother Micheal G Thomas, my name is Brother Arnold Scarbrough Jr and I hail from Central City #12 PHA Macon Ga. I would like to say Thank you Brother Benjamin for that Info about Central City and Phoenix City and the merging of the two to become what we know today as Central City #12. Feel free to contact me whenever you in Macon Brother Thomas. Find me on Facebook under the name "Bushido Brown" and we will go from there.


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## Derinique Kendrick (Sep 2, 2015)

Arnold71 said:


> Brother Bruce Benjamin and Brother Micheal G Thomas, my name is Brother Arnold Scarbrough Jr and I hail from Central City #12 PHA Macon Ga. I would like to say Thank you Brother Benjamin for that Info about Central City and Phoenix City and the merging of the two to become what we know today as Central City #12. Feel free to contact me whenever you in Macon Brother Thomas. Find me on Facebook under the name "Bushido Brown" and we will go from there.


Are you still located in Macon, brother?


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## Ripcord22A (Sep 2, 2015)

Im not that familiar with PHA....do yall have ur own SRandYR?  Can PHA join main stream SRandYR?  If u guys do have ur own branches of SRandYR  can mainstream join?  Is there intervisitation between the two branches?


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## Levelhead (Sep 2, 2015)

jdmadsenCraterlake211 said:


> Im not that familiar with PHA....do yall have ur own SRandYR?  Can PHA join main stream SRandYR?  If u guys do have ur own branches of SRandYR  can mainstream join?  Is there intervisitation between the two branches?


Alot a complicated questions.. 


Sent from Mossy Oak Swamp Bottom.


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## Derinique Kendrick (Sep 3, 2015)

jdmadsenCraterlake211 said:


> Im not that familiar with PHA....do yall have ur own SRandYR?  Can PHA join main stream SRandYR?  If u guys do have ur own branches of SRandYR  can mainstream join?  Is there intervisitation between the two branches?


Gonna take a swing at this one since I am in Ga. If im not mistaken we have our own branches and seeing that Ga PHA isn't recognized I would assume that intervisitation and one affiliation joining another is a no go. I'm still fairly new and have yet to even look into other bodies, so I could be wrong but I have a pretty good feeling that I'm not.


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## dfreybur (Sep 3, 2015)

Illinois answer -

One of the SR reunions I attended in Chicago featured degree teams from all three SR jurisdictions with all 3 Sovereign Grand Commanders in attendance.  My home valley is Pasadena, CA so I attended as a visitor.  The local brothers were unimpressed by having the PHA SR degree team present a degree apparently because visitation happens enough at multiple levels they thought it routine.  To me it was a new degree.  When it came time to see the SJ degree, I was the one unimpressed.  Most of the locals, being members in NJ, had never seen an SJ degree.

In Chicago visits between the Shrine centers are as common as visitors from any other Shrine in the region.

I am not a YR Mason at this point so I can't answer that.  I suspect cross jurisdiction visitation is as routine as it is at the Blue lodge level same as the other appendent bodies.


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## dfreybur (Sep 3, 2015)

Derinique Kendrick said:


> Gonna take a swing at this one since I am in Ga. If im not mistaken we have our own branches and seeing that Ga PHA isn't recognized I would assume that intervisitation and one affiliation joining another is a no go. I'm still fairly new and have yet to even look into other bodies, so I could be wrong but I have a pretty good feeling that I'm not.



Recognition has been in place at the AASR-SJ level for a while.  That announcement came out maybe 3 years ago.  Actual visitation depends on also having recognition in place at the Blue lodge level so that's still pending in certain states.  At the SR level the day visitation is authorized at the Blue lodge level it's already complete at the SR level.  In states with local recognition it is active already.


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