OUR VALLEY HISTORY
Chartered on October 16, 1923, the Scottish Rite, Valley of Columbus is a nonprofit fraternal organization of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite (A.A.S.R.) of Freemasonry, Southern Jurisdiction (S.J.), U.S.A. The Scottish Rite Center is the primary facility of the Scottish Rite, Valley of Columbus in Columbus, Georgia and is owned and maintained by the organization's members. In 1932, the Valley of Columbus purchased the original two-story building that dates to the 1880s.
In 1954, the Valley purchased an adjoining building and moved the original two-story building 13 feet forward to make space for a new addition towards the building's rear. The rear portion now houses the auditorium, with stage, the equipment and storage room, the dining room, kitchen, utility room, and restrooms. Two of the upstairs rooms in the old house were remodeled and used in the past for offices and Blue Lodge "Coaching" rooms. Four larger rooms and a smaller room have been left unfinished and used primarily for storage. The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry is commonly known as the Scottish Rite. It is one of the several appendant bodies of the worldwide fraternity known as Freemasonry that a Master Mason can join. Each Valley has up to four Scottish Rite bodies, and each body confers a set of degrees. In the Southern Jurisdiction, these are the Lodge of Perfection (4°–14°), Chapter of Rose Croix (15°–18°), Council of Kadosh (19°–30°), and the Consistory (31°–32°). The Supreme Council confers the 33rd Degree of Sovereign Grand Inspector General.
Freemasonry has existed since time immemorial. The Scottish Rite as we know it today developed from so-called High Degrees from France in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The Scottish Rite has a rich and deep history, which has withstood the test of time and continues to perform its good works today. Since its inception in 1801, the Supreme Council of the Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite has been elevating mankind through its teaching and through its actions.