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BRIEF HISTORY OF NEMESIS TEMPLE
The history of Nemesis Temple is a long and illustrious one, having its beginnings sometime before 1911. The Nobles of the Parkersburg area met in the Masonic Lodge rooms at Parkersburg and formed the Nemesis Shrine Association with the Illustrious Noble L. N. Tavenner as the association’s president, and the llustrious Jas. A. Bryan as Secretary. The jurisdiction that Nemesis Shrine Association was in at that time was that of Osiris Temple, and a petition for consent of Osiris Temple was presented to the said temple at a ceremonial held at Sistersville, West Virginia on May 19, 1910. Osiris at that time was acting under a special dispensation of the Imperial Potentate to ballot on petitions and receive candidates and for that reason did not have the power to act upon the petition.
While the first effort to secure a temple for Nemesis failed, the members of the Nemesis Shrine Association redoubled their efforts and presented a petition signed by 417 Nobles to the Imperial Council in session at Los Angeles, California on May 7-8, 1912. In that session the Committee on Dispensations and Charters reported favorable on the petition. However, after the favorable initial report by the committee, it was opposed in the Imperial Council by Imperial Deputy Irvin, Potentate Darrah and representative Adams of Osiris Temple. However, Noble A. B. White, the fourth representative from Osiris secured the floor and presented the claims of Nemesis in such an able and elegant manner that the report of the Charter Committee was adopted with only four dissenting votes and a dispensation was granted to the Nobility living in and near Parkersburg.
The following year at the session of the Imperial Council held in Dallas, Texas in May 1913, Nemesis Temple was granted a Charter and is listed as Number 132 in the Order of Rank according to the date of the Charter. Illustrious Noble L. N. Tavenner was named therein as the first Illustrious Potentate of Nemesis Temple. Nemesis now has over 94 years of history, heritage and pride in service to its credit.