Levant Preceptory

12/02/2025

I believe this report was made by Jim to Grand Commander Andy Jackson in 2007 when we were first organizing as a proposal to secure permission for conferring the Order of the Temple in period garb. While he doesn't identify all of us by name, he mentions the various commandaries we were getting participants from::

From: James Dillman

Subject: Re: Report on Levant Preceptory
Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 12:54:06 +0000

Report on Levant Preceptory

Mission: Our mission is to confer the Order of the Temple, in an outdoor setting when feasible, in authentic period costumes. In doing so, we hope to impress upon our candidates and remind our fellow Sir Knights that, as modern-day Knights Templar, we should ever strive to be recognized as beacons of knightly virtue and chivalrous conduct, crusaders for the highest moral standards, and fierce defenders of our Christian beliefs. We also hope to broaden our minds, fortify our characters, and strengthen our faith through the study of the historical, chivalric, and religious aspects of the ancient Knights Templar. Finally, we believe the period costumes offer the young men we hope to attract something that they can immediately relate to. It is our goal to promote Masonic Templary and Freemasonry in general by taking advantage of recent books, movies, and television shows that refer to the Knights Templar.

Background: Levant Preceptory was born at a Meeting of Battalion V on Thursday, March 15, 2007, that was held in the R***r Commandery asylum. In attendance were several Sir Knights who were members of two separate factions that, each unknown to the other, had been discussing the prospect of conferring the Order of the Temple in period costumes for quite sometime. The topic came up, ideas were exchanged, and the rest, as they say, is history. Eminent Grand Commander Andy Jackson was contacted about the necessary permissions and dispensations and he has been an ardent supporter of the group, as have several other members of the Grand Commandery.

Timeline: The word spread through e-mails, posting on Hiram's Forum, and word of mouth. We have since met on three occasions and have focused on obtaining the costumes and accessories, Our Armorer, Sir Knight Robert Coleman, has been instrumental in providing sources for the necessary equipment such as chain mail armor, swords, helmets, etc. Sir Knight Coleman is an experienced reenactor as are a few of our other members. We are building all of the necessary furniture for an outdoor conferral, including a triangular table.

This project is not something that can be put together in a short period of time. We are making every effort to move as quickly as possible as we are very excited about conferring the Order of the Temple for the first time. We hope to confer the Order outdoors for the first time this fall. There has been some difficulty getting the entire cast together due to the busy schedules of our members, all of whom are very active Freemasons. The one thing that we are adamant about is that we will not attempt to confer the Order until every detail is in place and we can confer it in a very impressive manner. As such, we have yet to set a firm date for our first conferral. We understand that a lot of people are very excited about this venture and we hope that patience will prevail as we work on getting things exactly right.
Membership: At this time we have approximately twenty-three Sir Knights who are actively taking part or indicated that they intend to. Several others have expressed interest and are on the mailing list, but their present circumstances are preventing their participation. We could still use a few more Sir Knights to fill out the cast and avoid having to double up on any parts. We also need Sir Knights who can perform different parts as it will be quite difficult to select dates that will always accommodate every member of the group.

Officers:

SK Jim Dillman, R***r Commandery, Director of Work
SK Robert Coleman, Trinity Commandery, Armorer
SK Chris Head, Trinity Commandery , Secretary-Treasurer
SK Chris Hodapp, R***r Commandery, Historian

Commanderies Represented: Sir Knights from the following Commanderies are actively participating.

Anderson #32
Baldwin #2
Crawfordsville #25
Greenfield #39
H.E. Lackey #67
Muncie #18
R***r #1
Trinity #62

Et Cetera: This project seems to be generating quite a buzz around the state. The help and support of our Eminent Grand Commander Andy Jackson and the Grand Commandery of Indiana has been invaluable. We also wish to thank Eminent Grand Recorder Larry Kaminsky for mentioning us in the Grand Commandery Newsletter that goes out around the entire state.

A lot of people are working very hard on this project and we're very anxious to confer the Order of the Temple. We will make every effort to get the word around to the entire state once we have set a firm date. As noted in our Mission Statement, we believe that this will be a very effective tool for promoting Masonic Templary, particularly to younger men. The future of Masonic Templary depends upon our ability to attract young men and keep them interested. We hope that Levant Preceptory is the first of several of these groups to ultimately spring up around the state. It is not merely an educational endeavor or a way to recruit members, but also a chance to share some great Masonic fellowship and fun.

12/02/2025

Levant's Knights featured in the Canadian documentary 'Templars Last Stand' made by Arcadia Entertainment in 2010 and aired in 2011, later sold to NatGeo for rebroadcast. Featured in closeups were were Jim Dillman, John Bridegroom and Aaron Taylor.

12/02/2025

Levant Preceptory conferred the Order of the Temple at the Indiana Masonic Home in April 2008. Photo by Sir Knight Randy Ellington.

12/02/2025

From the Knights Templar Magazine in 2010:

Medieval Knighthood Lives In Indiana’s Levant Preceptory
by Sir Knight Christopher L. Hodapp, KCT


“Grandpa, are we knights?
“Do you want to be?”
—National Treasure

Blame it on Sir Walter Scott, who helped to usher in the Romantic period in the 1800s with his novel Ivanhoe. Or Masonically, go back to Chevalier Michael Ramsay for his oration in 1736 that claimed Freemasonry was brought from the Holy Land by medieval knights. But no matter who’s to blame, nothing seems to charge the imagination in boys or men like chainmaille, broadswords and steel helmets.

That was the conclusion of a group of Indiana Knights Templar at R***r Commandery No. 1 in Indianapolis in 2007. The Commandery was named after Reverend William R***r, an Ohio Methodist minister, and is among the most decorated commanderies in the country for its celebrated drill team. But as with Templary everywhere in the U.S., times have changed for R***r No. 1.

Unfortunately, by the turn of the newest century, many young members entering R***r Commandery expressed fading interest in the paramilitary customs of marching in drill teams and rehearsing twelve-man openings. When new members who were not participating were questioned informally, there was an overriding melancholia in their explanations of why commandery had not excited their interest. When they thought of knights, they had images of chainmaille, broadswords and steel helmets. Nearly all mentioned the lack of connection to the medieval order of warrior monks who had inspired the creation of the Masonic Templars in the first place. They had envisioned studying, or at least hearing about, the crusading orders of knighthood, even if only occasionally. Dull business meetings held no attraction, and guilt-ridden entreaties for joining the drill team cemented the sense for many that commandery was a place to avoid.

Thus, Levant Preceptory was born. The goal was to create a medieval period degree team for conferring the Order of the Temple, as well as a promotional public face for Indiana Templary. After discussing the concept with the Grand Commander of Indiana at that time, SK Andrew Jackson, along with the Grand Master of the Grand Encampment, dispensation was given so the group could perform the Order of the Temple in costume.

The decision was specifically made not to seek a charter as a new commandery, but to simply remain informally organized under R***r’s existing charter. If it had sought a charter as its own commandery, the little group would have been required to purchase regulation uniforms, hold business meetings, rehearse openings and stand regular inspection—the very things many non-participating members had fled from in the first place. And the group had no desire to weaken any existing commanderies by siphoning off members into a brand new and otherwise unneeded one.

As an informal club, Levant has no separate officers, bylaws, dues, regulations or requirements. Knights are simply expected to provide their own medieval uniforms and equipment, and to know their assigned cast parts in the standard ritual of the Order of the Temple.

While Levant technically operates under R***r No. 1’s charter, the group has encouraged participation from Sir Knights from all over Indiana. This was key, as the concept was an unusual one that raised some objections across the state, at first. The goal was never to draw dedicated drill team members or active officers away from other commanderies. Levant was always designed, rather, to provide a very different and unique experience for its participants and for candidates on whom the group conferred the Order, as well as to attract Knights who were staying away from other Templar activities. Part of that design was the decision to perform the Order of the Temple no more than twice a year, in an effort to keep it a unique event.

Levant’s Armorer, SK Robert Coleman, has a background in medieval period reenactment and Renaissance fairs, and provided a wealth of knowledge for outfitting a troupe of knights on a budget. Broadswords (either sharp-edged or blunted), Norman-styled steel helmets, chainmaille hauberks, gauntlets and coifs, and other equipment was cobbled together from a wide variety of Internet sources, with a rapidly changing landscape of Ebay dealers who come and go.

White tunics made of heavy canvas duck material were hand-sewn by Robert’s wife Rebecca, custom fit for the height and girth of each Knight. Tunics are lined with black to absorb the oils and dirt from the maille, so as to not stain the white material. Older or less spry Knights prefer aluminum maille over the steel version, which can weigh considerably more—a real consideration when kneeling, or marching on a hot day in an un-air conditioned tent whole wearing up to 70 pounds of steel.

SK Dale Adams created a set of easily transportable medieval-styled camp chairs and a sturdy altar and triangular table for use in non-traditional locations outside of an indoor asylum or lodge room. SK Coleman provided a medieval tent for conferrals outside, and one such event was appropriately accompanied afterwards by a hog roast feast.

The greatest surprise to most participants is that equipment can be had to fully outfit a medieval knight for as little as $300, not much more than the cost of a regulation chapeau these days. It is common for Knights who are unable to arrange their schedule for every event to share their equipment among new men entering the group. It is truly a cooperative effort. To date, Knights from nine Indiana commanderies have taken part in its ritual work.

Levant has attracted attention all around Indiana, and has performed in Illinois, with a trip planned to Detroit in 2011. In addition to conferring the Order of the Temple, SK James Dillman created a public ceremony suitable for non-Masons, in which the Knights dramatize the night before the arrest of the Order in France in 1307. At its first public presentation for a statewide gathering of DeMolay members and parents on the 700th anniversary of the arrests on October 13, 2007, the enthusiastic audience spent two hours afterwards asking questions, trying on the equipment, and bursting with excitement over seeing Templar Knights assembled as they had always imagined them.

Levant Preceptory Knights have appeared at community events, marched in parades, and are planning an outreach for Indiana Templary at Renaissance fairs. The mission is not to represent modern Masonic Knights Templar as a variation on the Society for Creative Anachronism, but to spread the word that Christian chivalry and knighthood still exists in a modern world, as an active part within the fraternity of Freemasonry.

In addition, the group has appeared in Templars Last Stand, a documentary produced for Canadian TV by Arcadia Entertainment in Nova Scotia, which will air later in 2011 in the U.S. on the National Geographic Channel.

The members of Levant Preceptory have no illusion that what they are doing is a magic bullet solution that will bring a stampede of excited new Knights back to meetings. What works in one commandery may not work in another. But their model is part of a growing desire to seek innovative ways to stir men’s blood and bring them back to the doors of our commanderies by tapping into the romance of our historic heritage. And it seems to be working.


(Sir Knight Christopher L. Hodapp, KCT, is a member of R***r Commandery No. 1 in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is the author of The Templar Code For Dummies, and the editor of the Journal of the Masonic Society. He can be contacted at [email protected])

12/01/2025

SK Carson Smith has been working to identify the Knights who were at Levant's first public program at Baldwin Commandery in Shelbyville, Indiana on October 13, 2007.

Levant 2007-10-13 Shelbyville Photo 01

At the Triangle left to right
(Unknown in back row), Carson Smith (in front row), (Unknown in back row), Terry Turner (in front row), Christopher Roscher (in back row), Robert Coleman (in front row), (Unknown in back row), Jim Dillman? (in front row at the point of the Triangle?), Andy Jackson (in back row), Mark Haworth (in monk's habit in front row), John Bridegroom (behind Mark Haworth in jester's coif)

Levant 2007-10-13 Shelbyville Photo 02
Front row left to right
(Unknown kneeling), Carson Smith (kneeling), James Chris Chief Lawson (kneeling), Christopher Roscher (hand on knee)

Back row left to right
Robert Coleman, (Unknown), Andy Jackson, Terry Turner, (Unknown), John Bridegroom (behind Unknown in jester's coif), Chris Hodapp, Mark Haworth (in monk's habit)

Clearly Identified
John Bridegroom
Robert Coleman
Jim Dillman
Mark Haworth
Chris Hodapp
Andy Jackson
James Chris Chief Lawson
Christopher Roscher ✠
Carson Smith
Terry Turner ✠

Unknown Unidentified?
Chris Head?
Ryan Lentz?
Aaron Taylor?
Tom Tuttle?
Others?

Note: Christopher Roscher of Crawfordsville, who is now deceased, is easy to identify because he always had his hands up fighting with his full-face steel helmet.

12/01/2025

Memories fade and names slip away as we all age. Some have asked about the origin of Levant Preceptory. The earliest discussions in Indiana regarding a period recreation degree team of Masonic Knights Templar came on the Masonic Light online discussion forum in the mid- to late 2000s. The germ of the idea came from Jeffrey Naylor not long after the chartering of Lodge Vitruvian 767 in 2002, and the Masonic Light forum became a popular place for discussing everyone's 'crazy ideas' for improving the fraternity.

(Masonic Light had been created by Jeff and gained a national following for several years, despite being dominated by Indiana Masons. The Masonic Light Forum fell victim to controversy in 2003 or so and was replaced by Hiram's Forum, which was overseen by the Grand Lodge of Indiana.)

There had been talk of creating a Vitruvian Royal Arch Chapter using the English model of aligning a Chapter with a lodge as a continuation of the Master Mason degree. That ultimately didn't happen, but those conversations led to an overall exploration of how to improve the York Rite experience as a whole. When the topic of the KT came up, the first question was inevitably, why are we doing this dressed as Civil War veterans when the Templars were a medieval order? And the kernel of that idea simmered for a couple of years, until the early days of 2007.

Jim Dillman took the bull by the horns, and our first organizational meeting took place on March 7th, 2007. The following is a summary written in 2008 by Jim, who was our original Director of Work:

The Founding of Levant Preceptory

Levant Preceptory was born at a meeting of Indiana Battalion V held in the Asylum of R***r Commandery No. 1 on Thursday, March 15, 2007. In attendance were several Sir Knights who were members of two separate factions that, each unknown to the other, had been discussing the possibility of conferring the Order of the Temple in authentic period Templar dress complete with chainmail, helmets, and broadswords. The subject arose in a casual conversation between several of the Sir Knights present and the wheels were set in motion. Clearly, this was an idea whose time had come.

The call went out by word of mouth, e-mail, and posts on Hiram's Forum, (an internet forum for Indiana Freemasons), and approximately twenty (20) Sir Knights expressed interest. Inquiries were made to the Grand Commandery, and the Grand Encampment, and there appeared to be no conflict with any regulations. REGC Andy Jackson offered his support and assured us that the necessary dispensations to confer the Order of the Temple in an outdoor setting could be obtained. We are also indebted to our Eminent Grand Recorder Larry Kaminsky for promoting the period Templars in the newsletter of the Indiana Grand Commandery.

The first organizational meeting was held at the Asylum of R***r Commandery No. 1. Sir Knight Robert Coleman, a veteran reenactor of over twenty years with the SCA, (Society for Creative Anachronism), made a PowerPoint presentation which detailed authentic Templar costume, weaponry and accessories. He provided information on a number of different vendors who deal in the period items that would be needed to completely outfit a knight.

It was decided that this group would remain informal and that a full complement of officers was not necessary at this point in time. Obviously, there was a need to keep the group organized, as well as to address issues pertaining to historical accuracy, and the accuracy of the period costumes. Toward that end, three Sir Knights were elected to the following positions:

Director of Work, Jim Dillman, R***r Commandery No. 1

Armorer, Robert Coleman, R***r Commandery No. 1

Historian, Chris Hodapp, R***r Commandery No. 1

Over the course of the next several months we adopted the name, Levant Preceptory, deriving our name from what the Templar Knights would have called “the East,” and dedicated ourselves to getting everyone outfitted in their period gear. We also began discussing the construction of some crude furniture such as a triangular table and officer’s chairs that could be used in an outdoor conferral of the Order of the Temple. Several new members were added and we now have knights from nine different Commanderies including R***r No. 1, Baldwin No. 2, Muncie No. 18, Crawfordsville No. 25, Anderson No. 32, Greenfield No. 39, Hammond No. 41, Trinity No. 62, and H.E. Lackey No. 67.

In late summer, REGC Andy Jackson requested that Levant Preceptory appear at a reception for the Grand Commander to be held in the Asylum of Baldwin Commandery No. 2 in Shelbyville on Saturday, October 13, 2007, the date which coincided with the 700th Anniversary of the Suppression of the Knights Templar. An appropriate ceremony commemorating the occasion was conceived and written and ultimately presented that evening in front of a packed room of Sir Knights, a group of young men representing several De Molay Chapters, and guests. The presentation consisted of an opening ceremony, a brief history of the Knights Templar from the founding of the Order to the time of their arrest, a fictional reenactment of what might have occurred in a Templar Preceptory subsequent to the arrests, another brief historical account of the Templars from the time of their arrest to their disbandment, and a closing ceremony.

The program was conducted entirely by candlelight. The ceremonial portions and reenactment were presented flawlessly by eleven (11) Sir Knights in period costume. Historian Chris Hodapp delivered an impressive extemporaneous account of the history of the Knights Templar. Many of those who witnessed the presentation seemed somewhat awestruck and the excitement in the room at the close of the ceremony was palpable.

REGC Andy Jackson presented each of the members of Levant Preceptory with a Certificate of Appreciation. Many in the crowd were anxious to get a closer look at the period costumes and to feel the chainmail. Many of the young men from De Molay were examining the broadswords, trying on the helmets and armor, and asking a lot of questions. Several of them wanted their pictures taken wearing parts of the costume or wielding a broadsword. Clearly, the evening was a huge success. We enjoyed putting on this presentation tremendously and we have subsequently been told that we made a lasting impression on everyone in attendance.

Earlier that same afternoon, members of Levant Preceptory attended a De Molay degree conferral at Englewood Lodge No. 715. Several of our Sir Knights arrived in period Templar costume, two of whom actually sat in on the degree. Levant Preceptory members participated in the parade at the Indiana Masonic Home Festival on Sunday, August 19 and, more recently, in Sir Knight Austin Gray’s installation as Worshipful Master of Martinsville Lodge No. 74 on Saturday, December 29. We have been well received on every occasion.

The members of Levant Preceptory are delighted to have been featured in the Indiana Supplement of the January 2008 issue of the Knight Templar Magazine. We extend our thanks to our Eminent Grand Prelate and Supplement Editor Ed Sebring for the well written article.

We now have our sights set on Saturday, April 12, 2008. This will be Levant Preceptory’s first conferral of the Order of the Temple and we hope to make this a very special day for Masonic Templary. It will be an outdoor conferral held at the Indiana Masonic Home in Franklin. Final details are yet to be worked out, but the tentative plan is to create an authentic Templar village complete with tents and perhaps partake in an authentic Templar feast.

To confer the Order of the Temple in authentic period costume will always be the signature purpose of Levant Preceptory. We will, however, continue to be at the disposal of the Grand Commandery of Indiana, local Commanderies, and all other Masonic organizations in whatever fashion deemed necessary to promote Freemasonry in general and Masonic Templary in particular. We want to make it absolutely clear that we have no intention of infringing on the long-held traditions of the Masonic Knights Templar.

Levant Preceptory is simply a means of inculcating the Chivalric and Masonic virtues that we hold dear, while portraying the original Order of the Knights Templar, whose name we have adopted as our own. We are extremely grateful for the assistance and support of the Grand Commandery of Indiana, and we are particularly indebted to REGC Andy Jackson, Eminent Grand Recorder Larry Kaminsky, and Eminent Grand Prelate and Supplement Editor Ed Sebring, who have been our biggest cheerleaders. We are determined to make every effort to remain worthy of your confidence and to bring honor to the Fraternity.

Yours in Templary,

Sir Knight James R. Dillman, Director of Work
On Behalf of the Members of Levant Preceptory
Friday, January 4, 2008

03/18/2019

Despite receiving fairly rotten critical reviews, the History™ Knight Templar miniseries Knightfall turned out to be fabulously successful for the channel, proving once again that there remains an unwavering public interest in timeless notions of brotherhood, chivalry, honor and bravery (along with a little secrecy and slow motion blood spurts from battle wounds). Audiences often tend to confound critics.

March 18th, 2019 marks the 705th anniversary of the death of Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon – better known to history as the Knights Templar. So, Season 2 of the show is set to premiere on March 23rd, 2019, the week of De Molay's death.

The big news is that Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, now strides in as Talus, Landry's new "initiate master," to aid in his reformation and redemption from last season's fall from grace. According to press releases, Talus is "a battle-hardened Knight Templar veteran of the Crusades, who survived captivity for 10 years in the Holy Land and is tasked with training the new initiates to the Order." ...[more]

Freemasonry around the world, featuring Masonic news, history, trivia, and more. By the author of 'Freemasons For Dummies,' Christopher Hodapp.

10/05/2018

Levant Peceptory Practice

Sunday, October 7, 2018
3:00 PM Assemble

Millersville Masonic Temple
4990 Kessler Blvd. E. Dr.
Indianapolis, IN 46220-5351

Contact
Carson Smith
[email protected]