Our journal
2-2 December 12, 2025
Original Research
1. Alexander C. Cherkas
History of El-Aksa Commandery No. 55, KT (Quincy, Illinois)
Recorder. 2025. 1(2-2): 172-212.
Number of views: 39 Download in PDF
Recorder. 2025. 1(2-2): 172-212.
Abstract:
The present study examines the history of El-Aksa Commandery No. 55, a Masonic body of the Knights Templar located in Quincy, Illinois. The research is based on the annual Proceedings of the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of the State of Illinois for the period 1882–1911. In retrospect, El-Aksa Commandery No. 55 maintained an institutional presence in the city of Quincy, Illinois, for twenty-nine years, spanning the period from 1882 to 1911. Over these nearly three decades, a total of 170 individuals were affiliated with the organization. The roster of members included several figures of regional and statewide prominence, among them Brigadier General Elisha Bently Hamilton (1838–1902), a veteran of the Civil War, and Alfred A. Whipple (1845–1928), who subsequently attained the office of Grand Commander of the Grand Commandery of Illinois. As the second commandery established in Quincy, El-Aksa No. 55 played a significant role in shaping the local Templar presence, and its officers undertook sustained efforts to secure wide recognition for the Commandery both within the city and across the state. Reports submitted by various Grand Officers of the Grand Commandery of Illinois throughout the 1880s and 1890s consistently testify to the high regard in which the Commandery was held, identifying it as one of the most active and well-managed bodies in Illinois. The remaining offices, by contrast, were characterized by a pronounced degree of rotation. This pattern can plausibly be interpreted as reflecting a deliberate policy on the part of the leadership to allow a larger number of Sir Knights to advance through the officer line, thereby broadening administrative experience within the membership. Yet such a practice—particularly in relation to the office of Recorder—introduced certain administrative complications. By the late 1890s, the accumulated difficulties associated with maintaining accurate membership records prompted a shift in policy, and from 1899 onward efforts were undertaken to reduce the frequency of turnover in this position. In 1907, the Commandery reached its highest recorded membership, numbering 104 Sir Knights. Thereafter, a gradual decline ensued. At the same time, the city’s older commandery, Beauseant Commandery No. 11, maintained a significantly smaller membership, estimated at approximately 60 Sir Knights. In view of the diminishing numbers and the overlapping constituencies of the two bodies, a decision was reached in 1911 to effect their consolidation. The merger was implemented the following year, resulting in the establishment of Quincy Commandery No. 77 in 1912. With this organizational restructuring, the distinct historical trajectory of El-Aksa Commandery No. 55 came to an end.
The present study examines the history of El-Aksa Commandery No. 55, a Masonic body of the Knights Templar located in Quincy, Illinois. The research is based on the annual Proceedings of the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of the State of Illinois for the period 1882–1911. In retrospect, El-Aksa Commandery No. 55 maintained an institutional presence in the city of Quincy, Illinois, for twenty-nine years, spanning the period from 1882 to 1911. Over these nearly three decades, a total of 170 individuals were affiliated with the organization. The roster of members included several figures of regional and statewide prominence, among them Brigadier General Elisha Bently Hamilton (1838–1902), a veteran of the Civil War, and Alfred A. Whipple (1845–1928), who subsequently attained the office of Grand Commander of the Grand Commandery of Illinois. As the second commandery established in Quincy, El-Aksa No. 55 played a significant role in shaping the local Templar presence, and its officers undertook sustained efforts to secure wide recognition for the Commandery both within the city and across the state. Reports submitted by various Grand Officers of the Grand Commandery of Illinois throughout the 1880s and 1890s consistently testify to the high regard in which the Commandery was held, identifying it as one of the most active and well-managed bodies in Illinois. The remaining offices, by contrast, were characterized by a pronounced degree of rotation. This pattern can plausibly be interpreted as reflecting a deliberate policy on the part of the leadership to allow a larger number of Sir Knights to advance through the officer line, thereby broadening administrative experience within the membership. Yet such a practice—particularly in relation to the office of Recorder—introduced certain administrative complications. By the late 1890s, the accumulated difficulties associated with maintaining accurate membership records prompted a shift in policy, and from 1899 onward efforts were undertaken to reduce the frequency of turnover in this position. In 1907, the Commandery reached its highest recorded membership, numbering 104 Sir Knights. Thereafter, a gradual decline ensued. At the same time, the city’s older commandery, Beauseant Commandery No. 11, maintained a significantly smaller membership, estimated at approximately 60 Sir Knights. In view of the diminishing numbers and the overlapping constituencies of the two bodies, a decision was reached in 1911 to effect their consolidation. The merger was implemented the following year, resulting in the establishment of Quincy Commandery No. 77 in 1912. With this organizational restructuring, the distinct historical trajectory of El-Aksa Commandery No. 55 came to an end.
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2.
Full number
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3.
Cover
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