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GOULD’S FREEMASONRY IN FLORIDA

WALLACE R. CHEVES AND ELY P. HUBBELL

FOR many years doubt and uncertainty overshadowed the origin of Freemasonry in Florida.

1. Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, in an edition as late as that of 1920, lists St.


Fernando Lodge, at St. Augustine, Chartered by the Grand Lodge of Georgia in
18o6, as the first Lodge.
2. A previous American edition of Gould's History of Freemasonry mentions an earlier
Lodge, and says that its origin is unknown though it may be the East Florida Lodge
Chartered by the Grand Lodge of Scotland in 1768, " of which there is now no trace."
Nevertheless there was long-persistent tradition to the effect that a Lodge of Masons
Worked at Pensacola during the English occupation from 1763 to 1781.
3. Happily all doubt about this matter was removed and all uncertainty respecting the origin
and history of early Masonry in Florida was cleared up in 1898. Early that year there
came into the hands of the late Mø Wø James M. Hilliard, then Grand Master, a rare old
copy of Preston's Illustrations, a gift to the Grand Lodge of Florida from Bro. F. F. Bond,
M.D., of Thorncliff, Brighouse, England. On the title-page of the book was this
inscription: The gift of James Murray to St. Andrew's Lodge, No. 1, West Florida,
June 27, 1776.

When this priceless old relic came to the attention of M∴W∴ Bro. Hilliard, he appointed the
late M∴ W∴ Silas B. Wright, then Deputy Grand Master, " as a special committee to prepare and
report at this Grand Lodge (1899) all matters pertaining to this particular subject." This was the
first quasi-authentic information that such a Lodge had ever existed in Florida. It was eagerly
seized upon as a lead in unravelling the mystery of early Masonry in this State.

Knowing that the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania had Chartered many Lodges outside its own
domain during the Colonial period, Bro. Wright sought the help of W∴ Charles E. Meyer, Past
Master of Melitia Lodge, No. 295, of Philadelphia, one of the Board of Editors of The History of
the Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons and Concordant Orders, but
without avail. Having made this failure, and being still unsatisfied, Bro. Wright appealed to the
Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. There he met with success beyond his
fondest hopes. Some two years before that time, R∴W∴ John S. Perry had uncovered some
long-lost original documents dating back to the earliest history of organised Masonry in
Pennsylvania, and probably to the earliest history of organised Masonry on the American
continent. Concerning this happy incident we quote the following from Old Masonic Lodges of

122 FREEMASONRY IN FLORIDA

Pennsylvania. Moderns and Ancients. 1730-1800, compiled by the Library Committee of the
Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania.

Heretofore it was believed that at the burning of the Masonic Hall in Philadelphia . . . on the
night of March, A. D. 1819 (A.L. 5819), that all the old records of the Provincial Grand Lodge . .
. and the records of the present Grand Lodge, were destroyed. . . . Many of these old records and
papers were saved on that eventful night, however, by the then Grand Secretary, R∴W∴George

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GOULD’S FREEMASONRY IN FLORIDA
WALLACE R. CHEVES AND ELY P. HUBBELL

A. Baker, Jr., . . . and were listed and securely locked and sealed in six strong wooden boxes by
R∴W∴Bernard Dahlgren, Bro. Baker's successor, in February, 1824. . . . These boxes were
removed from Hall to Hall through the years . . . and lastly stored in one of the vaults of the new
Masonic Temple at Broad and Filbert Streets in 1873. Here these boxes remained for years,
unknown and forgotten . . . until 1896, when it occurred to Bro. John A. Perry, Deputy Grand
Secretary, to open them and investigate their contents.

Among the old documents found in those boxes was a certified copy of the original Charter of
St. Andrew's Lodge, No. 1, of West Florida, and other Florida Masonic records of the period
between 1768 and 1783. * Bro. Perry kindly loaned all those Florida records and papers to Bro.
Wright for examination, copying, and filing. That was done and the documents are now filed in
the archives of the Grand Lodge of Florida. Together with Bro. Wright's exhaustive report they
were published in the Proceedings of 1899.

The Charter of St. Andrew's Lodge, No. 1, of West Florida, dated May 3, 1771, was issued by
the Provincial Grand Lodge of the Southern District of North America. It was signed thus: "
James Grant, G. M.; William Drayton, D.G.M.; p.t.; Alexr McKenzie, S.G.W. ; Fredk. Geo.
Mulcaster, J.G.W.: David Yates, G.S. and John Faley, G.C." In this Charter it was set out that the
Petitioners for a new Lodge at Pensacola were members of " Lodge No. 108 of the register of
Scotland, attached to the Thirty-First Regiment of Foot of the British army, lately stationed at
Pensacola, but recently transferred." Since this was the first authentic information of the
existence of St. Andrew's Lodge, as well as of the Grand Lodge that Chartered it, and since both
documents were of undoubted Scottish origin, Bro. Wright applied to the Grand Lodge of
Scotland for authoritative data. His request brought the following letter from R∴ W∴ D∴ Murray
Lyon, Grand Secretary, under date of March 17, 1898: In searching our Grand Lodge records I
find under date of 15th March 1768: " Having read a petition from James Grant, Esq., Governor
of the Province of East Florida, Henry Cunningham, late Senior Warden of the Grand Lodge of
Scotland, and many other brethren residing in the province aforesaid, * The original letters and
other papers coming from the Grand Lodge at St. Augustine were kept by the Lodge at
Charleston, since the papers that were sent to the Grand Lodge at Philadelphia were certified as
being true copies by John Troup, Notary Public. The facsimile of the Charter, now on file in
Philadelphia, is so certified.

FREEMASONRY IN FLORIDA 123

craving a Charter for holding a Lodge there by the style and title of Grant's East Florida Lodge,
and also entreating the Grand Lodge would appoint the said Governor James Grant Provincial
Grand Master over the Loges in the Southern District of North America, the Grand Lodge
granted the desire of that petition, and authorised a Charter to be made out accordingly, and
likewise a Commission appointing Governor James Grant, Provincial Grand Master over the
Lodges in the Southern District of North America.

Aside from the Charter of St. Andrew's Lodge, these old documents include much other
interesting matter that reflects the scrupulous care and attention which were given to the Masonic
Institution in those early days.

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GOULD’S FREEMASONRY IN FLORIDA
WALLACE R. CHEVES AND ELY P. HUBBELL

When the Brethren of St. Andrew's Lodge were driven out of Pensacola in 1781 by the
Dominican priests who accompanied the Spanish victors that occupied Pensacola by force of
arms, most of them fled to Charleston, South Carolina, then occupied by the British. They took
pains, however, to take their Lodge's Charter, together with all other records, including the
Minutes of every Communication that had been held since the Lodge was organised. From
Charleston, under date of February 9, 1782, their Master, W∴ Thomas Underwood, the Junior
Warden, H. Beaumont, the Past Master, John Simpson, and Bro. Thomas Pashley, Steward,
communicated the fact of their plight to the Grand Lodge in St. Augustine. The Grand Lodge at
St. Augustine acknowledged receipt of this communication under date of March 14, 1782, and
authorized the writers to constitute and hold a Lodge at Charles Town, South Carolina, " under
your Charter until it shall please God to restore you to the ancient seat of your lodge in West
Florida, provided you have the Master and a sufficient number of members of the same to form a
Lodge." This Dispensation was signed by " John Forbes, D.G.M.; David Yeates, S.G.W.; Henry
Young, J.G.W.; and John Naley, G.S." Before constituting themselves into a Lodge of Masons,
however, those conscientious Brethren " summoned all the Masters of ancient lodges of Free and
Accepted Masons, constituted and warranted in Charles Town," to examine into their regularity
and their right to Work as Masons. This meeting brought a Clean Bill of Regularity signed by
John Kenniburg, Master of Lodge, No. 106; George Carter, Past Master of Lodge, No. 106; H. J.
Rushworth, Master of Lodge, No. 190; Alexander Smith, Past Master of Lodge No. 190, and
Jeremiah Wright, Master of Lodge No. 535. The Brethren then proceeded to meet in Charleston,
South Carolina, and Work as a regular Lodge under a Florida Grand Lodge Warrant until, in the
language of their special Dispensation, " it shall please God to restore you to the ancient seat of
your lodge in West Florida." This was not to be, however, for by the Treaty of Versailles, made
the next year, both the Floridas were ceded back to Spain by England. When the Spaniards again
occupied St. Augustine, Masonry was driven out, as it had been from Pensacola in 1781. The
Florida Grand Lodge then became extinct.

True to their steadfastness of purpose and unyielding devotion to the Ma-

124 FREEMASONRY IN FLORIDA

sonic Fraternity, however, the Brethren of St. Andrew's Lodge turned to the Grand Lodge at
Philadelphia for succor when they found themselves without a head. They surrendered their
Florida Charter and all other records to it, and prayed to be re-Chartered under their original
name and title. After careful inquiry the Philadelphia Grand Lodge granted their prayer. It did
not Charter them as " St. Andrew's Lodge, No. 1, late of West Florida," as had been requested,
but as Lodge No. 40.

Thus the first chapter of Florida's Masonic history closes. Masonry came with the English in
1768 and passed out with the return of the Spanish in 1783. But not for long, as time is
measured. Several attempts were made to revive it during the four decades between 1783 and
1825. None of them was successful, however, until Florida became a territory of the United
States. Bought from Spain in 1819 for $5,000,000, it was the best bargain our country ever
made! In 1825, Warranted by the Grand Lodge of Alabama, Masonry returned to Florida
as a permanent institution. [ed. 8DDGM: Bold added. The Master Mason’s in Tallahassee
were former officers of Gen. Andrew Jackson, M∴W∴ Past Grand Master of Tennessee. The

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WALLACE R. CHEVES AND ELY P. HUBBELL

Grand Lodge of Tennessee advised these Brothers that as the Grand Lodge of Alabama would be
more amenable to the formation of lodges in Florida, and subsequently a Florida Grand Lodge.]

Confident, inspiring, and enduring, then took its proper place in the affairs of men and in the
ranks of advancing civilisation. As has been said, the history of early Freemasonry in Florida,
and Florida's lack of Masonic history contemporary with that of other early settlements in the
New World, are inseparably interwoven with prejudice and antagonism. The Floridas and Cuba
were settled by the Spaniards. A settlement was made at Baracoa, Cuba, in 1511, and another at
1519. The first settlement in Florida was made at Pensacola on August 14, 15 59, by Spaniards
led by Don Tristam de Luna. Spanish explorers were nearly always accompanied by ecclesiastics
and fortune-seekers, and it was they who decided the fate of Pensacola's first settlement. The
latter did not find the gold of their dreams, and the former found the Indians more ready to lift
their scalps than to listen to their sermons. Discontent soon spread and the settlement was
abandoned in 1562. The first permanent settlement in Florida was made at St. Augustine in 1565.
The first permanent settlement at Pensacola was made in 1696 by 300 Spanish soldiers and
settlers led by Don Andres Arriola. He first built a " square fort with bastions " and named it Fort
San Carlos. Afterwards it was called Fort Barrancas.

Except for a short period between 1719 and 1723, when Pensacola was occupied by the
French, Spain uninterruptedly ruled and controlled both the Floridas and Cuba until 1762. Then
the English led by Lord Albemarle took Havana. This incident gave rise to the introduction of
Freemasonry into Florida. By the Treaty of Paris, made on February 1o, 1763, Spain ceded both
the Floridas to England. With the coming of the English, that same year, came Masonry. Its
tenure, however, was not to be continuous until many years after its first advent. The Treaty of
Versailles, made on January 28, 1783, reconstructed the political map of North America, the
Floridas again became a Spanish possession. Since Masonry had come with the English
occupation, so now it went when the Spanish reoccupation took place. Masonry awaited a more
propitious season.

" Grant's East Florida Lodge, No. 143, on the Scottish register," located FREEMASONRY IN
FLORIDA 125 at St. Augustine, was Florida's first Masonic Lodge. It was Chartered by the
Grand Lodge of Scotland on March 15, 1768. James Grant, its Master, was also commissioned
Provincial Grand Master of " The Provincial Grand Lodge over the Lodges of the Southern
District of North America," as it is attested by a copy of a letter from the Grand Secretary of the
Grand Lodge of Scotland. The letter, sent to Bro. Silas B. Wright, is reprinted elsewhere in this
article. So far as is known, that Grand Lodge Warranted only two Lodges. J. Hugo Tatsch's
Freemasonry in the Thirteen Colonies says: Its first warrant was issued to brethren who were
members of St. George's Lodge No. 108, held in the Thirty-first Regiment of Foot, Pensacola,
West Florida. The brethren founded St. Andrew's Lodge No. 1, at Pensacola, by authority of a
charter dated May 3, 1771. The second warrant was issued in 1779 to Mount Moriah Lodge in
the Thirty-fifth Regiment of Foot, stationed at St. Lucia, one of the Windward Islands. St.
Andrew's Lodge was suppressed at Pensacola in 1781 by the Dominican Priests who came with
the Spanish victors, but was revived at Charleston, South Carolina, two years later i.e. the next
year.

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WALLACE R. CHEVES AND ELY P. HUBBELL

By the vicissitudes or war and the machinations of European diplomacy, the whole of Florida
again came under the control of Spain and the Roman Catholic Church in 1783. Masonry was
then interdicted at St. Augustine, as it had been at Pensacola in 1781. Grant's East Florida Lodge
No. 143 and the Grand Lodge of the Southern District of North America were suppressed. All
records of both Lodges were lost. When this happened, St. Andrew's Lodge No. 1, of West
Florida, then Working at Charleston, South Carolina, under special Dispensation from the
Florida Grand Lodge, found itself without a head. In consequence it memorialised the Grand
Lodge at Philadelphia to re-Charter it, as has been explained. On July 12, 1783, it was duly
Chartered as Lodge No. 40, thereby severing the last link that joined the Masonic citadel to the
Floridas. St. Andrew's Lodge, however, continued to function for more than a century after
severing its connection with early Florida Masonry. Under the Philadelphia Grand Lodge it was
known as Lodge No. 40. Later, in 1787, together " with Lodge No. 38 and Lodge No. 47, of
Pennsylvania, and with Lodge No. igo and Lodge No. 236, of the Athol Grand Lodge of
England, it formed the Grand Lodge of South Carolina. . . . At the union of the Grand Lodges of
South Carolina in Charleston in 1817, St. Andrew's Lodge No. 40, became St. Andrew's Lodge
No. 1o. It continued to Work until 1890, when it became dormant and was dropped from the
Roll.

Thus the fledgling of Florida Masonry, after one hundred nineteen years of life, wrote " Finis ''
at the conclusion of its name and record.

There were several attempts to revive Masonry in St. Augustine, and one attempt to revive it at
Pensacola, between the withdrawal of St. Andrew's Lodge, No. 1, in 1783, and the institution of
Jackson Lodge, in 1825 [ed. First Lodge Minutes June 3, 1824]. None of them, however, was
enduring. [Error by authors in that Jackson Lodge continues to exist.] St. Fernando Lodge was
Chartered at St. Augustine in 1806 by the Grand Lodge of Georgia. It became defunct in 1811.
Floridian Virtue Lodge, No. 28, was established at St. Augustine in 1820 by

126 FREEMASONRY IN FLORIDA

the Grand Lodge of South Carolina. After a very short life it ceased to exist. Esperanza Lodge,
established at St. Augustine in 1824 by the Grand Lodge of South Carolina, died the same year.
Montgomery Lodge, No. 30, was Chartered at St. Augustine in 1824 by the Grand Lodge of
Georgia. Though one cannot be certain when this Lodge became defunct, that must have taken
place prior to 1829, for the following appears in the Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Georgia
for the year 1829 under the caption, " Districts " : " District No. 9: Meridian Lodge, No. 30,
Bainbridge; Washington Lodge, No. 1, Quincy, Florida [ed. “in the Territory of Florida”]; and
Harmony Lodge, No. 2, Jackson County, Florida [ed. “in the Territory of Florida”]. Good
Intention Lodge, No. 56 was established at Pensacola in 1809 by the Grand Lodge of South
Carolina. It became defunct in 1827. And so, St. Augustine, the oldest settlement on the Atlantic
seaboard, the birthplace of Florida Masonry, was not destined to be the home of the Mother
Lodge of this Grand Jurisdiction. That distinction and honour was to go to Tallahassee, the home
of Jackson Lodge, No. 1, which was Chartered by the Grand Lodge of Alabama in 1825." The
varied history of St. Augustine's Lodges and their resolute perseverance against recurring
vicissitudes is of compelling interest. Their record may be without a parallel in the annals of the
Masonic Institution. The first Lodge in St. Augustine was Chartered in 1768. The last Lodge,

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GOULD’S FREEMASONRY IN FLORIDA
WALLACE R. CHEVES AND ELY P. HUBBELL

that is, the present Lodge, was Chartered in 1888. In the interim the town witnessed one
Provincial Grand Lodge, and it saw twelve Particular Lodges come and go. Not one of them was
able to withstand the process of change incident to the fortunes of war and of nations, or the
legacy wrought by those mutations, until Ashlar Lodge, No. 98, came into being. It was
Chartered by the Grand Lodge of Florida on January 18, 1888, and is now one of the ranking
Lodges of this Grand Jurisdiction.

Such, in brief, is the chronicle of early Masonry in Florida. It was intermittent and unenduring,
but in time it was to sweep aside every barrier and take its proper place in the scheme of social
and moral uplift in a growing nation. And now we make our bow to the three Mother Lodges of
this Grand Jurisdiction. They are Jackson Lodge, No. 1, originally Lodge No. 23, Chartered by
the Grand Lodge of Alabama; Washington Lodge, No. 2, originally Lodge No. 1, and Harmony
Lodge, No. 3, originally Lodge No. 2. The last two were Chartered by the Grand Lodge of
Georgia [ed. “in the Territory of Florida”].

A list of Officers and original Petitioners for Washington Lodge and Harmony Lodge, U. D.,
are not available. The Grand Secretary of Georgia says that those documents cannot now be
found. The Minutes of the Grand Lodge of Georgia do record, however, that those Lodges were
duly Chartered by the Grand Lodge of Georgia [ed. “in the Territory of Florida”]. The first was
Chartered as Washington Lodge, No. 1, at Quincy, Florida, on December 2, 1828; the second, as
Harmony Lodge, No. 2, of Jackson County, Florida, on December 8, 1829. Of Jackson Lodge,
however, there is a complete record of the original Petition for a U. D. Lodge at Tallahassee, as
well as a record of its being Chartered by the Grand Lodge of Alabama on December 19, 1825.
These records were attested by R∴ W∴

FREEMASONRY IN FLORIDA 127

George A. Beauchamp, Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Alabama, under date of October
26, 1931.

The original petitioners for a U. D. Lodge at Tallahassee were Robert Butler, Robert W.
Williams, Isham Green Searcy, Ede Van Evvier, E. R. Downing, R. D. Jourolmon, David
Thomas, William P. Duval, and B. D. Wright.

The first three of those mentioned were named in the Dispensation as Worshipful Master,
Senior Warden, and Junior Warden, respectively.

[ed. 8DDGM: Jackson Lodge First Lodge Minutes are dated November 21, 1824 requesting
the R∴W∴ Grand Master of Alabama for warrant or charter empowering them to work.]
Jackson Lodge, U. D., was organised on June 3, 1825. It was Chartered on December 19, 1825,
as Jackson Lodge, No. 23. When constituted, the following persons were installed as its first
Officers: Robert Butler, Worshipful Master; Robert W. Williams, Senior Warden; Isham Green
Searcy, Junior Warden; Romeo Lewis, Secretary; Samuel R. Overton, Treasurer; David Thomas,
Senior Deacon; Robert D. Jourolmon, Junior Deacon; Edward Vanevour, Tyler. This Lodge,
with Washington Lodge and Harmony Lodge, still carries on in unbroken continuity. The three
formed the nucleus around which the splendid Masonic system in this State was erected. As

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WALLACE R. CHEVES AND ELY P. HUBBELL

measured by to-day's standard, their membership was small, but what they lacked in numbers
they more than made up in courage, determination, and resourcefulness.

The movement to form an independent Grand Lodge in the Territory of Florida originated
with Jackson Lodge, then Lodge No. 23. At the regular Communication of May 1830, Jackson
Lodge passed a resolution inviting Washington Lodge and Harmony Lodge to appoint Delegates
from each to meet with Delegates from Jackson Lodge on the first Monday of the following July
for the purpose of forming a Grand Lodge. Accordingly, the Delegates of those three Lodges met
in the Hall of Jackson Lodge, on July 5, 1830, and proceeded to the business for which they were
called. Altogether the Delegates numbered twenty-seven. The following nineteen came from
Jackson Lodge: Isham Green Searcy, David M. Sheffield, John Laudaman, William P. Duval,
Robert Butler, Richard K. Call, Romeo Lewis, Lewis Willis, Thomas Monroe, John P. Duval,
Robert W. Williams, Justinian F. Davis, James Hughes, James Bryan, Jr., Burr H. Duval,
Thomas Brown, James G. Ringgold, William G. Burgess, and Richard C. Allen. The five
Delegates from Washington Lodge were Henry Gee, Francis A. Cash, John Lines, James A.
Dunlap, and Isaac Nathans. The three Delegates from Harmony Lodge were James W. Exum,
William J. Watson, and Jacob Robinson. " The oldest Past Master present, John P. Duval, was
elected to the Chair, and Thomas Monroe was appointed Secretary of the convention." After
calling the Roll the Convention proceeded to the business in hand with the decorum and
punctilious technique peculiar to that day. Not a jot of precedent or " Ancient Landmarks " was
overlooked or transcended by those pioneer Brethren.

Resolved. (First), That it is expedient for the convenience, interest, and prosperity of the Craft
in the Territory of Florida, that a Grand Lodge be constituted. (Second), That three regularly
warranted Lodges of Ancient York

128 FREEMASONRY IN FLORIDA

Masons are fully represented in this Convention, and, according to precedent and authority, they
have a right to establish a Grand Lodge for the Territory of Florida. (Third), That a committee be
appointed to draft a form of Constitution for the Grand Lodge of Florida and suitable by-laws
and rules for the government of the same.

The Constitutional Committee was composed of Bro. Robinson, Bro. Searcy, Bro. Gee, Bro.
Brown, Bro. Exum, Bro. Watson, Bro. Nathans, Bro. Lines, Bro. Butler, Bro. Call, and Bro.
Duval, President of the Convention. The Convention then adjourned. It was to meet from time to
time and day to day, until the Constitutional Committee should report. That occurred on Friday,
July 9, 1830. With a few amendments, the report was adopted, and Bro. Brown, Bro. Searcy, and
Bro. Dunlap were appointed to have the report, as amended, enrolled, certified, and signed by the
Chairman.

Pursuant to adjournment, the Convention met on the following day and proceeded to the
election of Grand Officers. The Grand Officers so elected and appointed were " installed
according to ancient usage," and having completed its labours the Convention stood adjourned
sine die. The Grand Lodge was then opened in ample form and on motion of Bro. Thomas
Brown the rules and bylaws of the Grand Lodge of Alabama were adopted, " so far as they are

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applicable to the proceedings of this Grand Lodge." Bro. Cash, Bro. Searcy, Bro. Dunlap, Bro.
Call, Bro. Butler, and Bro. Duval were appointed a Committee to prepare rules and a code of
by-laws for the government of the Grand Lodge. Their action was to be reported to the next
Annual Grand Communication. Warrants were ordered to be issued to the " subordinate " Lodges
represented and to be numbered as follows: Jackson Lodge, No. i; Washington Lodge, No. 2, and
Harmony Lodge, No. 3. Those Lodges were directed to surrender their old Warrants to the Grand
Secretary so that he might return them to the Grand Lodges from which they had been obtained.
The Grand Secretary was directed to procure a Grand Lodge seal having " suitable devices," and
to " draw on the Grand Treasurer for the amount of same." " The Grand Lodge was then closed
in ample form, to meet again on the second Monday after the Annual Session of the Legislative
Council of the Territory of Florida, as provided by the Constitution of the Grand Lodge. " Thus
was the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the Territory of Florida, afterwards the
State of Florida, started upon its way. It was a bulwark of strength for good, and a potential
addition to the social and moral fabric of an advancing civilisation. Except for a few Indian
trading-posts, the interior of Florida was at that time an unreclaimed wilderness, inhabited by
savages and runaway slaves. The fringe of settlements along its northern border comprised the
southern outposts of advancing American civilisation. Into this environment came the Grand
Lodge of Florida, an outgrowth of Jackson Lodge, Washington Lodge, and Harmony Lodge, and
of the towns where they were located. Imbued with energy and vitality, this Grand Lodge entered
upon its beneficent career.

FREEMASONRY IN FLORIDA 129

The beginning of the Florida Grand Lodge was humble and its numbers were few. There were
only three Composite Lodges having a total membership of 76. Now after over a hundred years
of unbroken activity and service it enters upon its second century with an enrollment of ZS i
Lodges and a total membership of over 31,000. The Annual Grand Communication for 1930 was
held in Tallahassee, by special action of the 1929 Grand Lodge. The chief object was to celebrate
in a fitting manner the one hundredth anniversary of the Grand Lodge.

The unveiling exercises were participated in by the mayor of the city of Tallahassee, by the
president of Stetson University at DeLand, and by the governor of the State together with many
of his cabinet. Justices of the Supreme Court and Delegations from the Grand Lodge of Georgia,
the Grand Lodge of Alabama, and the Grand Lodge of Louisiana also attended.

Appropriate historical tablets were erected in honour of the occasion as a memorial to


deceased Past Grand Masters. Tablets contained the names of the first Grand Lodge Officers,
Representatives of first Grand Communication from Jackson Lodge, No. 23, Washington Lodge,
No. 1, Harmony Lodge, No. 2, and the names of present Grand Lodge Officers. On another tablet
were the names of deceased Grand Masters.

The Grand Lodge met in the Hall of Jackson Lodge, No. 1, at Tallahassee, from 1830 to 1869,
inclusive. Then it removed to Jacksonville and met in the Hall of the local Jacksonville Lodges
until that was destroyed by fire in 1891. This left the Grand Lodge as well as the local Bodies
without a home, but fortunately, during the preceding year, the Grand Lodge had authorised the
purchase of a lot and the erection of a four-story Masonic Temple at Forsyth and Bridge Streets,

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WALLACE R. CHEVES AND ELY P. HUBBELL

in Jacksonville. This was to be used by both the Grand and local Masonic Bodies. The Temple
was completed in 1892. The Grand Lodge held its first Annual Grand Communication in the
Temple from January 17 to 19, 1893. In this structure the Grand Lodge and the local Bodies
remained until January, 1909. Then they all removed to the present Grand Lodge Temple at
Main and Monroe Streets. The sixth and seventh floors of this seven-story structure are used
exclusively for Masonic purposes and are very well adapted to the purpose.

Until 1912 there was in Florida no organised system of administering Masonic relief. Each
Lodge administered its own relief from its treasury. If that was inadequate, it called for help from
other Lodges. At the Annual Grand Communication of 1912 a resolution was passed which
forbade among the Lodges any solicitation for assistance, and which provided for a per capita tax
of twenty-five cents upon each dues-paying member, the money thus raised to be administered
by a Grand Lodge Relief Committee. This Committee still functions. From year to year it is
provided with a supplementary appropriation.

In 1892 the Grand Lodge inaugurated a movement to provide a permanent home for indigent
Masons, their widows, and their orphans. This was realised in 1918 by the purchase of suitable
grounds and building at St. Petersburg. The

130 FREEMASONRY IN FLORIDA

establishment opened for guests the following year, and has been in continuous operation since
that time. It is financed by a special per capita assessment against the membership of the Grand
Jurisdiction. There are at present in the Home more than 130 children and adults. All are
splendidly cared for, all seem contented and happy. The children are given a high-school
education in the schools of St. Petersburg, and vocational training at the Home.

In connection with their work for the Masonic Home and other outstanding Grand Lodge
activities, it is fitting to dwell briefly on the services of our two oldest and greatly beloved Past
Grand Masters, M∴ W∴ Marcus Endel, Grand Master in 1893, and M∴ W∴ Elmer E. Haskell,
Grand Master in 1907 and 19o8. M.-.W.-.Bro. Endel enjoys the rare distinction of having
attended fifty-five consecutive Annual Grand Communications of the Grand Lodge of Florida. In
all that time he has ranked high in the Grand Lodge's Councils. He has served on the Masonic
Home Board of Trustees since its creation in 1903 . He has served on the Grand Lodge
Committee on Work since it was created in 1879. Under his tutelage Florida's present system of
Esoteric Work has grown up. We believe no similar Work is superior to this and that it has few
equals. M∴ W∴ Bro. Haskell has seen nearly fifty years of service in the Grand Lodge. Always
he has been at the forefront of every constructive movement. For many years he has been
Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Temple. For many years he was President of the
Masonic Home Board of Trustees, and until 1929, when he had to resign because of ill health.
Both Bro. Endel and Bro. Haskell are known, loved, and revered by the entire Craft of this Grand
Jurisdiction.

Among the organisers of the Grand Lodge of Florida were persons of first rank in the political
organisation and development of Florida Territory and the State of Florida. The Floridas were
ceded to the United States by Spain on January 22, 1819, but the exchange of flags did not take

Origin Of Freemasonry In Florida.Docx Page 9 of 15


GOULD’S FREEMASONRY IN FLORIDA
WALLACE R. CHEVES AND ELY P. HUBBELL

place until 1821, at Pensacola on July 17, and at St. Augustine on July 10. General Andrew
Jackson, Past Grand Master of Tennessee, [ed. And later the seventh President of the United
State] who was later elected to honorary membership in the Grand Lodge of Florida, was the first
and only provisional governor of the region. He resigned when the civil government was
established by an Act of Congress on March 30, 1822. The two Floridas were united by that law.

William P. Duval (1784-1854), who was then United States judge for East Florida, was
appointed as first civil governor by President Monroe. He served four terms, from 1822 to 1834.
Bro. Duval, brother of our first Grand Master, was a Charter member of Jackson Lodge, No. 23,
and one of the Petitioners for Jackson Lodge, U. D. As a Representative of Jackson Lodge, No.
23, he was also one of the Delegates to the Convention that formed the Grand Lodge of Florida.
The Indian situation was troublesome and threatening when Bro. Duval assumed his duties as
governor. All over the Territory the Indians were restless, surly, and bitterly resentful of the
constant encroachment on their wild domain and the announced purpose of the whites to
segregate them beyond the Mississippi River. Nevertheless, by means of tact, fairness, and
square dealing with the wild men of the forest, Bro. Duval succeeded in maintaining friendship

FREEMASONRY IN FLORIDA 131

between them and the settlers. Not once during Bro. Duval's administration of twelve years was
there a serious outbreak. Sadly enough, however, his regime was followed by years of bloody
war.

Richard Keith Call (1791-1862), Grand Master in 1850, was the third civil governor of the
Territory of Florida. He served two terms, from 1836 to 1839 and from 1841 to 1844. Bro. Call
succeeded to the governorship at a troubled time. Since Indian outbreaks overshadowed all else,
most of his first term was spent in military campaigns against the redskins. He was strongly
attached to the Union, as his many letters show, " but when Florida seceded he bowed his head
and went with his State.'' As a Representative of Jackson Lodge No. 23, he was a Delegate to the
Convention that formed the Grand Lodge of Florida.

Thomas Brown (1785-1867), Grand Master in 1849, was the second governor of the State
after Florida was admitted to the Union in 1845. He served one term as governor, from 1849 to
1853. Bro. Brown was " widely known for the charity and hospitality he exercised, "and his
administration has been called an " era of good feeling." He represented Jackson Lodge, No. 23,
as a Delegate to the Convention that formed the Grand Lodge of Florida.

Robert Butler (1786-1860), Grand Master in 1832, was Worshipful Master of Jackson Lodge,
U. D., and the first Worshipful Master of Jackson Lodge of Florida. In political life he was for a
time Adjutant General of the Southern Division of the United States Army, and surveyor-general
in charge of the land survey of the Territory of Florida. " Bro. Butler, while not first Grand
Master, might justly be considered the founder of the Grand Lodge of Florida." Bro. Butler's
grandson, R∴W∴ W. E. Lewis, has been a lifelong member of Bro.

Origin Of Freemasonry In Florida.Docx Page 10 of 15


GOULD’S FREEMASONRY IN FLORIDA
WALLACE R. CHEVES AND ELY P. HUBBELL

Butler's old Lodge, Jackson Lodge No. 1. He is a Past Master of that Lodge, and for many
years he has been R∴ W∴ District Deputy Grand Master of his Masonic District. Like his
illustrious grandfather, he is loved and revered by all who know him.

Samuel Pasco (1834-1917), Grand Master from 1870 till 1872, was twice United States
senator from Florida, from 1887 till 1899. He was president of the State Constitutional
Convention of 1885 that drafted the Constitution under which Florida functions to-day. When he
retired from the Senate, President McKinley appointed him counsel for the Isthmian Canal
Commission. The opinions which he rendered in that capacity have been recognised and cited
from then till now as being sound judicial utterances. Bro. Pasco's son and namesake, M∴W∴
Samuel Pasco, of Pensacola, in 1931 was Grand Master in this jurisdiction, a worthy son of an
illustrious sire.

Albert W. Gilchrist (1858-1926), Grand Master in 1912 and 1913, was noted for his
benevolence and charity. He was the prime mover in establishing a Masonic Home in this State.
He headed the list of voluntary contributors with a donation of a thousand dollars, and gave
much of his time and money toward instituting this philanthropic venture. At his death in 1926
he bequeathed to the Masonic Home almost his entire estate, appraised at that time as being
worth considerably more than $100,000. He was an outstanding po-

132 FREEMASONRY IN FLORIDA

litical figure in this State. He served four terms in the Legislature, was speaker of the House in
1905, and governor of the State from 1909 to 1913.

Dr. John Gorrie (1803-1855), whose statue in the Hall of Fame at Washington, District of
Columbia, is one of Florida's contributions, was a Charter member of Franklin Lodge, No. 6, at
Apalachicola. He wrote the Minutes of that Lodge as Secretary pro tempore. He was Treasurer of
the Lodge during the first two years after it was organised on December 5, 1835. This old
Minutes Book is now one of the prized possessions of the Florida Lodge, which received it as a
gift from Apalachicola Lodge, No. 76. The neatness and diction of the old Minutes in the
handwriting of Dr. Gorrie reflect the culture of the man. He was a practising physician, a
contributor to medical journals, and the inventor of artificial cooling out of which have grown
the ice-making and cooling systems that mean so much to the world to-day.

John P. Duval (1790-1855), first Grand Master of Florida, left a rich legacy to immortalise his
name. He headed an altruistic institution of boundless possibilities and started it on its way down
the centuries.

Stafford Caldwell, sixty-first Grand Master of Florida, left an equally rich legacy. He
stabilised the business administration of the Grand Lodge and by means of his constructive
financial policies he rounded out that Institution's first century of life. It would not be fair to the
Masonry of this Grand jurisdiction were not mention made here of the long, continuous, and
efficient service rendered to the Craft by Wilber P. Webster. In 1890 he was made a Mason in
Duval Lodge, No. 18, which no longer exists. He was a Charter member and first Worshipful

Origin Of Freemasonry In Florida.Docx Page 11 of 15


GOULD’S FREEMASONRY IN FLORIDA
WALLACE R. CHEVES AND ELY P. HUBBELL

Master of Temple Lodge No. 23. At the Annual Grand Communication of 1896 he was elected
Grand Secretary and served as such continuously up to 1934.

In 1926 after the destructive hurricane which devastated a portion of the East Coast and Lake
Okeechobee region Cary B. Fish, who was Grand Master, took personal charge of distributing
Masonic funds for immediate relief and re habilitation and received and disbursed $114,236.97
at a cost of less than one per cent. In 1928 Leroy Brandon was Grand Master at the time of the
hurricane on the East coast and in another part of the Okeechobee Lake region, and he delegated
Past Grand Master Cary B. Fish to proceed to the stricken districts and take charge of the relief
work. This time, Bro. Fish disbursed $107,622.14 at a cost of less than one-half of one per cent.

List of Grand Masters from 1905 to date:


1905 and 1906. Charles W. Johnson, Jacksonville
1907 and 1908. Elmer E. Haskell, Palatka !I;
1909 and 1910. Louis C. Massey, Orlando
1911 and 1912. Albert W. Gilchrist, Punta Gorda
1913- George B. Glover, Monticello
1914 and 1915. Cephus L. Wilson, Mariana
1916. James E. Crane, Tampa
1917. A. S. York, Live Oak

FREEMASONRY IN FLORIDA 133

1918 and 1919. T. Picton Warlow, Orlando


1920. Reginald H. Cooper, Palatka
1921 and 1922-. Charles H. Ketchum, Key West
1923. John L. Hall, Jacksonville
1924- T. T. Todd, Pensacola
1925. Lamar G. Carter, Gainesville
1926. Cary B. Fish, Sarasota
1927. Benjamin E. Dyson, St. Augustine
1928. Leroy Brandon, Clearwater
1929. Stafford Caldwell, Jacksonville
1930- Wallace R. Cheves, Newberry
1931- Samuel Pasco, Pensacola
1932. J. S. B. Moyer, Jacksonville
1933- B. W. Helvenston, Live Oak
1934 Fred W. DeLaney, Miami
1935- Harry G. Taylor, Miami

To make special mention of all members of the Craft who have distinguished themselves in
business, and in professional, political, fraternal, and religious life would in itself require a
volume. Limited space precludes a more extended account of these interesting details.

Origin Of Freemasonry In Florida.Docx Page 12 of 15


GOULD’S FREEMASONRY IN FLORIDA
WALLACE R. CHEVES AND ELY P. HUBBELL

ROYAL ARCH MASONRY The Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of the State of
Florida was formed at Tallahassee on January 11, A.D. 1847 (A. L. 2.377), by Florida Royal
Arch Chapter, No. 4; Magnolia Royal Arch Chapter, No. 16, and Florida Royal Arch Chapter,
No. 32-., when Companion Thomas Douglass was installed as Grand High Priest by Companion
John P. Duval, Past High Priest. The following elective and appointive Officers were also
installed on that occasion: Companion John P. Duval, Deputy Grand High Priest; Companion
Harry R. Taylor, Grand King; Companion George W. Macrae, Grand Scribe; Companion John
B. Taylor, Grand Secretary; Companion Edwin D. Nash, Grand Treasurer; Companion the Rev.
Edwin T. L. Blake, Grand Chaplain. The Order of Priesthood was conferred upon Companion
Thomas Douglass, Most Excellent Grand High Priest, and the Grand Secretary was directed to
communicate with the General Grand Chapter of the United States and to seek membership. The
Grand Chapter is now composed of 51 Subordinate Chapters having a total membership of
nearly 7000.

ROYAL AND SELECT MASTERS The Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters of
Florida was formed at Tallahassee on January 12-, 1858, by Mackey Council, No. 1; Columbia
Council, No. 2-, and Douglass Council, No. 3, all of which had been previously Working under
authority from Charleston. The following Officers were elected and duly installed: Thomas
Hayward, Grand Puissant; E. R. Ives, Deputy

134 FREEMASONRY IN FLORIDA

Grand Puissant; George F. Baltzell, Grand Thrice Illustrious; D. P. Holland, Grand P. C. of


Work; Rev. C. E. Dyke, Grand Treasurer; J. B. Taylor, Grand Recorder; Rev. J. Penny, Grand
Chaplain. There are now 21 Councils, having a total membership of about 1700.

KNIGHTS TEMPLAR The Grand Commandery of the State of Florida was organised at
Jacksonville on August 15, 1885, by Coeur de Lion Commandery, No. I; Damascus
Commandery, No. 2, and Olivet Commandery, No. 4. The election of Grand Officers resulted as
follows: R.-. E.-. Sir William A. McLean, Grand Commander; V.-. E.-. Sir Charles
McKenzie-Oering, Deputy Grand Commander; E.-. Sir Wilber P. Webster, Grand
Generalissimo; E.-. Sir James W. Boyd, Grand Captain General; E.-. Sir Charles R. Oglesby,
Grand Prelate; E.-. Sir William S. Ware, Grand Senior Warden; E.-. Sir Thomas L. Watson,
Grand Junior Warden; E.-. Sir Irving E. Baird, Grand Treasurer; E.-. Sir John D. Sinclair, Grand
Recorder; E.-. Sir Bingham H. Chadwick, Grand Standard Bearer; Sir James R. Keller, Grand
Sword Bearer; Sir Charles A. Clark, Grand Warder; Sir Thomas B. Davis, Grand Captain of the
Guards. Sir Knights W. P. Webster, Charles McKenzieOering, and J. W. Boyd were appointed as
a Committee to frame a Constitution and By-Laws. Their report was unanimously adopted.
There are now 36 Commanderies having a total membership of nearly 5ooo.

ANCIENT ACCEPTED SCOTTISH RITE The first organised Bodies of this Rite in Florida
were a Lodge of Perfection and a Council of Princes of Jerusalem, opened at Alligator, now Lake
City, in April 1853, under Grand Commander John Henry Honour. In 1859 Edward Rutledge
Ives, of Lake City, was crowned an active member of the Supreme Council. He organised a
Lodge of Perfection, a Council of Princes of Jerusalem, and a Chapter of Rose Croix in that city.
Those Bodies did not long survive, for it states in the Records of the Session held in South

Origin Of Freemasonry In Florida.Docx Page 13 of 15


GOULD’S FREEMASONRY IN FLORIDA
WALLACE R. CHEVES AND ELY P. HUBBELL

Carolina in 1874 that the Rite was yet to be planted in North Carolina and Florida. DeWitt C.
Dawkins was crowned an active member of the Supreme Council in 1877, judge William Allen
McLean in 1895, and Dr. Olin Seamore Wright in 1917. The first permanent Lodge of Perfection
was Chartered in 1892 at Ocala. Scottish Rite Degrees were first conferred in 1912, when Grand
Commander James Daniel Richardson brought Workers to Jacksonville, and conferred the
various Degrees from the Fourth to the Thirty-second. There is a Lodge of Perfection, a Chapter
of Rose Croix, a Council of Kadosh, and a Consistory at Jacksonville, Tampa, Pensacola, Key
West, Miami, and Lake Worth. In Ocala and in St. Augustine there is a Lodge of Perfection only.
From a Body having only sixteen members in 1880, the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite in
Florida has come to have some 7500 members.

Origin Of Freemasonry In Florida.Docx Page 14 of 15


M∴W∴ ISHAM GREEN SEARCY, PAST MASTER OF JACKSON LODGE OF TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA

[ed. 8DDGM: Record of the death of M∴W∴ Isham Green Searcy, Past Master of Jackson Lodge
of Tallahassee, Florida. Record became known by the publishing of his daughter’s family bible.]

Isham Green Searcy married Sept. 4th 1837 to Charlotte Pettes Prescott.
Isham Green Searcy died in New Orleans, La. Of Yellow Fever 24th July 1841
Charlotte Pettes Searcy was born at Tallahassee Florida February 21st 1842.

Isham Green Searcy (He was a civil engineer and a captain of the volunteers in the Florida War)

CHILDREN
1. Mary Elizabeth Searcy b. 22/Jun/1838 Tallahassee, FL

2. Lucy Frederic Searcy b. 27/Sep/1840 Tallahassee, FL

3. Charlotte Pettes Searcy b. 21/Feb/1842 Tallahassee, FL

3877. Charlotte Pettes Prescott(32) was born on 22 May 1818 (65) and died on
11 Apr 1907 in Yonkers NY.(65)

Charlotte Pettes married Isham Green Searcy, son of ____________ ____________


and ____________ ____________, on 4 Sep 1837.(65) Isham died on 24 Jul
1841 in New Orleans LA.(65)

Children from this marriage were:


8725 F i. Mary Elizabeth Searcy(32) was born on 22 Jun 1838 (65) and
died on 18 Jan 1897 in New York.(65)
+ 8726 F ii. Lucy Frederic Searcy(32) was born on 27 Sep 1840 (65) and
died on 10 Dec 1909 in Yonkers NY.(65)
8727 F iii. Charlotte Pettes Searcy(32) was born on 21 Feb 1842.(65)

Isham Green Searcy; Charlotte Pettes Prescott, md 04 Sep 1837


gfamilytn (View posts) Posted: 9 May 2006 8:57AM
Classification: Query
Surnames: Pettes, Prescott, Hale, Searcy
Genealogical Records; Manuscript Entries of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Taken from Family
Bibles 1581 - 1917
Name: Joseph Pettes (1757-1811.)

Holy Bible in English; New York, Collins and Perkins, 1806.


Contains the records of the Pettes and Prescott families and has descended in the female line to
the present owner, Miss Elizabeth Prescott Hale, of Yonkers, New York. She is the great-great-
granddaughter of the original owner. Family Record.
Name: Isham Green Searcy; Charlotte Pettes Prescott
Comment: married Sept. 4th 1837
Source: ancestry.com

DEATHS
Isham G. Searcy, July 24, 1841, in the 44th year of his age.

Origin Of Freemasonry In Florida.Docx Page 15 of 15

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