A MASONIC MYSTERY
In 1898, the Grand Lodge of Florida received a rare, old copy of Preston’s Illustrations from Dr. F. F. Bond of Thorncliff, Brighouse, England. An inscription on its title page read: “The gift of James Murray to Saint Andrews Lodge No. 1, West Florida on June 27, 1776." This was the first reliable evidence that a Masonic lodge had existed in Florida at such an early date. That same year, Deputy Grand Master Silas B. Wright was asked to search for additional records. He found documents held by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, some dating from 1768 to 1785. The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania made them available for research and copying. Wright’s report appeared in the 1899 Grand Lodge Proceedings, and many of the copied records are now held in the Grand Lodge of Florida’s archives.
FLORIDA'S FIRST DOCUMENTED LODGE
The Pennsylvania records show that the Grand Lodge of Scotland issued a charter on March 15, 1768, for Grant’s East Florida Lodge No. 143, to meet in St. Augustine. This is the earliest documented Masonic lodge established in what is now Florida, although Masonry may have existed in the territory before then. On the same date, a Provincial Grand Lodge for the Southern District of North America was established in St. Augustine. James Grant, then governor of East Florida, was appointed its Provincial Grand Master. The Provincial Grand Lodge operated until 1783, when Spanish authorities and the Dominican priesthood suppressed Masonic activity. Its records were destroyed or taken away. Grant’s East Florida Lodge is believed to have been suppressed at the same time, though its exact fate is unknown.
SAINT ANDREW'S LODGE IN PENSACOLA
Florida’s second documented lodge was Saint Andrew’s Lodge No. 1, chartered on May 3, 1771, in Pensacola. When Spain regained control of Pensacola and West Florida, Masons in the area were forced to flee. Before leaving, the members rescued the lodge charter and its records, including the minutes of every meeting held since the lodge was chartered. They reached safety in Charleston, South Carolina, and sent word of their situation to the Provincial Grand Lodge in St. Augustine. In 1772, Saint Andrew’s received permission to work in South Carolina under its Florida charter. After the Provincial Grand Lodge was suppressed in 1783, the lodge no longer had authority to operate. The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania—then based in Philadelphia—helped by issuing a new charter. The lodge became Lodge No. 40. In 1817, Lodge No. 40 joined four other lodges to form the Grand Lodge of South Carolina. It became Saint Andrew’s Lodge No. 10 and continued until surrendering its charter in 1881. Albert G. Mackey, a prominent Masonic writer, was initiated, passed, and raised in the lodge in 1841.
FREEMASONRY IN FLORIDA
Tracing the beginnings of Freemasonry in Florida is difficult. Many early records were never kept, were lost or destroyed, or remained hidden in forgotten archives for years.
With the addition of a third Florida Lodge, a convention was called in July of 1830 which established the Grand Lodge of Florida. This convention was chaired by the senior most Past Master, John Pope Duval, who was elected Florida's first Grand Master.
HARMONY LODGE NO. 3
WASHINGTON LODGE NO. 2
