Valley Of Jamestown

Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite

of

Freemasonry

Chautauqua District Masonic News Paper

Welcome Since 1859

Inside the Alonzo Kent Mansion

The Alonzo Kent Mansion, built in 1859 and long a Jamestown landmark, was dedicated in 1924 as the Temple for the Valley of Jamestown, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction.

In addition to Consistory activities, the facilities have been enjoyed by many local groups and organizations, including the Little Theatre of Jamestown, the Shoestring Players, and the American Association of Retired Persons.

And so it was in the year 1832 that on a summer night, a youth of 22 years, Alonzo Kent by name, climbed down from the stage coach to establish his future destiny in Jamestown. He had but fifty cents in his pocket, but he possessed a character marked by the sterling qualities of his New England ancestors, for he was a descendant of several generations of Kents, of Royalton, Vermont, where he was born and reared. The Kents landed on these shores shortly after the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers.

On arriving he found a thriving village of 1,000 inhabitants, a dozen or so mercantile establishments, a woolen factory, a sash factory, a grist mill, three saw mills and two printing offices. A steamship of eighty tons capacity plied daily between Jamestown and Mayville.

The mansion was constructed in 1859 and 1860 and was completed prior to the Civil War, by Alonzo Kent. Reported to be the first modern home to be built in Jamestown, the Kent Mansion was one of the most elegant structures of its day and was the mecca of much of the social activities of the times. Many of the early financial and political problems were resolved within its walls. The building stands today as a shrine to the genius and integrity of those early settlers who were the founders of commerce and industry in Jamestown.

On August 14, 1875, President Ulysses S. Grant had a speaking engagement at the S.S. Assembly at Chautauqua. Governor Reuben E. Fenton had tendered the hospitality of his home, Walnut Grove, to the presidential party, but was quite pointedly ignored by the President. He arrived by train at 12:15 PM and was met by Alonzo Kent, who conveyed the President to the Kent residence, where a fine collation was prepared. Mr. Frank E. Felt, former vice president of the First National Bank, tells about how his father was, for many years, employed by Mr. Kent as hostler and gardener. One of his father's treasured experiences was the time he drove Mr. Kent and the President from the Kent home to the boatlanding, where the presidential party embarked on the little steamboat, "Josie Belle" for the trip to Chautauqua. The carriage was a phaeton, with elevated driver's seat, drawn by a beautiful team of clack horses. This luncheon was perhaps the highlight of all the entertainments at the Kent residence.

In 1920, the property was purchased by the Scottish Rite Bodies for $50,000.

WHAT IS THE SCOTTISH RITE?

The Scottish Rite is one of the two branches of Freemasonry in which a Master Mason may proceed after he has completed the three degrees of Symbolic or Blue Lodge Masonry. The other branch is known as the York Rite, consisting of Royal Arch Masons, Royal and Select Masters, and Knights Templar. The Scottish Rite includes the degrees from the 4° to the 32°.

The use of the word "Scottish" has led many Masons to believe that the Rite originated in Scotland. There also was a false belief which persisted for many years, that a man had to go to Scotland to receive the 33°. Neither of these statements is true. Actually, the first reference to the Rite appears in old French records where the word "Ecossais," meaning Scottish, is found. During the latter part of the 17th Century, when the British Isles were torn by strife, many Scots fled to France and resumed their Masonic interests in that country. It is believed that this influence contributed to the use of the word "Scottish."

SCOTTISH RITE CHARITIES

The Scottish Rite Learning Centers provide tutorial assistance for children with dyslexia . Plans call for a total of 110 centers at 55 sites throughout America.

schizophrenia research has been funded by the Scottish Rite for over 60 years.

The Scottish Rite Masonic Museum Of Our National Heritage in Lexington, Mass. perpetuates two basic principles - love Of Our Country and devotion to its ideals.

Too numerous to mention are the hundreds of local charities supported by the Scottish Rite Bodies nationwide.

PLEASE COME BACK

Make your next event a memorable one. Be it a wedding, conference or a seminar, the Scottish Rite home and facilities are available. Call Cindy Brown at (716) 483-1765 for details.