Deadwood Masonic Temple

Deadwood's Masonic Temple was built from 1900 to 1910, and the building still operates today. This temple, along with the one in Yankton, has been noted by historians for its artistically significant backdrops, which the temple has used in the many plays it puts on over the years. Additionally, Deadwood's Jewish community held its High Holiday services here from the late nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth, making this the closest thing to a synagogue that Deadwood has had.

The Scottish Rite Temple of Deadwood was chartered in 1893, but construction on the temple did not begin until 1900 and took ten years to complete. The early members included several famous Deadwood citizens, including Sheriff Seth Bullock, his partner Sol Star, and Commissioner George Ayers. The building is also home to one of the oldest elevators in South Dakota, which was made by the Otis Company, which continues to inspect and maintain it to this day. Over the years, the temple made a name for itself as an important community and charitable organization that people of different backgrounds and genders could contribute to.

Notably, the Masonic Temple also hosted worship services for the area Jewish community, as they did not have their own synagogue building. The first mention of services being held here at the Temple was as far back as 1878 with Rosh Hashanah services, and services were held at least twice a year after this for this holiday and Yom Kippur. Other Jewish events were also held here, including weddings. Shabbat services were held in members' homes. The congregation's Torah, known as the Deadwood Torah, was brought here from Königsberg by Frieda Lowenberg. At first, they did not have their own rabbi; early services were led by community members like "Mr. Reubens," who led Yom Kippur the first year to a congregation of 50 or 60 people. Local judge Nathan Colman eventually took on the role, acting as the community's rabbi until he died in 1906. In 1911, as the community had grown, Jews from Deadwood and nearby Lead organized the Black Hills Hebrew Congregation with the official intent to hold high holiday services, led by a traveling rabbi, every year. From then on, student rabbis would travel here from the rabbinical school in Cincinnati to lead the high holiday services, sometimes staying the whole ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Over the years, the Deadwood Temple has been noted for its theater. While most Masonic temples regularly perform plays, usually related to the organization's beliefs and practices, this temple possesses famous, rare backdrops essential to their productions. These backdrops are of "uniquely high artistic merit" and "unusually well-preserved," causing art historians to take notice and study the temple and its history. The Deadwood Masonic Temple organization celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2018. Today, it is one of the few historic buildings in Deadwood to still serve the same purpose for the same organization that originally built it.

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