April 10, 1850
The Grand Lodge of California officially opens in Sacramento, bringing together members for the first time from three charter lodges. Jonathan Drake Stevenson is elected as grand master..
A Timeline of 175 Years of California Masonic History
IN AN ERA of new beginnings and endless possibilities, California Masons left an indelible mark on their nascent state, helping to build vital civic infrastructure. At the same time, they faced innumerable challenges. The unrest of the Civil War complicated relationships between members carrying a polyphony of perspectives. Communities strained under the pressure of the vast influx of new arrivals and a dearth of facilities. Despite all that, California Masons made good on their historic pledge to band together in difficult times and work for the common good. As a result, this period saw a meteoric rise in membership and heightened Masonic influence. Masonry found its place in California, and the rest was history. —Timelines by Jeanette Yu
The Grand Lodge of California officially opens in Sacramento, bringing together members for the first time from three charter lodges. Jonathan Drake Stevenson is elected as grand master..
Sacramento Masons raise a staggering $32,000 (equivalent to $1.2 million today) to open a hospital at Sutter’s Fort, one of the first in the state — and the first mass Masonic charity effort in California.
The Benicia Masonic Temple opens, the first purpose-built lodge in California.
A dispensation is issued to San Diego № 35, the first Southern California lodge. The second, Los Angeles № 42, will open in 1853.
Membership more than doubles to 500.
B.D. Hyam, a founding member of Benicia № 3, becomes the third grand master and the first Jewish one. A controversial figure, he is the first and only grand master to be brought up on charges of unmasonic conduct.
A short-lived California dispensation is issued for Pacific Lodge № 1 in Valparaiso, Chile.
Three charter lodges join to form the first Prince Hall Grand Lodge of California.
The San Francisco Masonic Board of Relief is established to pool charitable donations for indigent members. Similar boards are later founded in Sacramento, Oakland, Stockton, Los Angeles, and San Diego. In its first decade, the board distributes the equivalent of $1 million in relief.
Masons lay the cornerstone for a new Grand Lodge temple in San Francisco. The temple is later destroyed by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire.
California Masons including Gov. John G. Downey lay the cornerstone for the new state capitol in Sacramento.
Abolitionist Thomas Starr King, a Unitarian minister and a member of Oriental № 144, one of the fiercest defenders of the Union during the Civil War, serves as grand orator. In 1864, at age 39, he dies of diphtheria.
Golden Gate № 1, the first local chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star, opens in San Francisco.
The Great Fire of Chicago ravages that city; in response, California Masons raise more than $13,000 to provide relief.
Grand Master Leonidas Pratt lays the cornerstone for the new San Francisco City Hall building.
By the end of its first quarter-century, the Grand Lodge of California has chartered nearly 200 lodges and membership stands at 11,000.
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