Preserving the PAst in McAlester, Oklahoma by Wendy Waszut-Barrett A B C F Masonic temples, or lodges, are familiar landmarks in many American cities. Not so familiar are the elaborate Freemason initiation ceremonies conducted in these edifices. Known as the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, these dramatizations of historical and religious journeys were undertaken by members seeking advancement through the rite's twenty-nine esoteric degrees. As the Scottish Rite became popular in American Freemasonry in the late nineteenth century, it adopted highly D 58 theatre design & technology spring 2011