SPACER

News from the East

Brethren, have you ever wondered how our Grand Lodge got started? Well, here it is:

The Grand Lodge of the Territory of Florida (Spanish for Land of Flowers) was organized in Tallahassee on July 5, 1830. (It is interesting to note that the US Federal Census for that year indicated the population of Florida Territory to be 34,730, all rural residents.)

Earlier that year, a resolution was presented before Jackson Lodge No. 23 in Tallahassee operating under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Alabama. It resolved to invite the members of Washington Lodge of Quincy and Harmony Lodge of Marianna to send delegates to Jackson Lodge to meet on the first Monday in July, 1830 for the purpose of discussing and organizing a Grand Lodge for the Territory of Florida.

On the afternoon of that day a sufficient number of delegates from those three lodges of Ancient York Masons had assembled for the business at hand. The convention was formally opened and it was resolved that a Grand Lodge be constituted for the convention, interest, and prosperity of the craft in the Territory of Florida.

The following day a Constitution was adopted and the first Grand Lodge officers were elected and appointed in ample form. The first Grand Master, John P. Duval, ordered Warrants to be issued to the three represented lodges, Jackson Lodge No. 1, of Tallahassee, Washington Lodge No. 2, of Quincy, and Harmony Lodge No. 3 of Marianna. The original Warrants of these three lodges were returned to the issuing Grand Lodge along with letters requesting recognition and correspondence with them. Thus the Grand Lodge of the Territory of Florida was born. Florida was admitted to the union 15 years later on 3 March, 1845 to become the 27th State.

From those three original Lodges, Florida Masonry has grown to nearly 50,000 Masons in our 293 Lodges organized into 35 Districts.