California Masonic Lodges

About Freemasonry in California

A deep look at Masonic history, the oldest lodges, the admission process, and notable Freemasons connected to California.

History of Freemasonry in California

California's Masonic history is one of the most dramatic and consequential in the United States, and it's almost entirely a product of the Gold Rush. Before 1849, there were essentially no permanent Masonic lodges in California. The territory had been Mexican until the conclusion of the Mexican-American War in 1848, and the small Anglo-American population didn't yet support organized Masonry. Then gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill, and within months tens of thousands of men were pouring into California from every corner of the United States and the world.

Many of those men were Masons. Three lodges were chartered almost simultaneously in 1849: California Lodge No. 1 in San Francisco (under the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia), Western Star Lodge No. 2 in Benton City (under the Grand Lodge of Missouri), and Connecticut Lodge No.

75 in Sacramento (under the Grand Lodge of Connecticut). On April 19, 1850, just months before California became a state, these and other lodges met in Sacramento and formed the Grand Lodge of California F&AM, with Jonathan Drake Stevenson as the first Grand Master. The Gold Rush years saw an explosion of lodges; within a decade, California had more than 100 chartered lodges. Civil War tensions ran high in California, but the state remained loyal to the Union and lodges generally weathered the war intact.

The post-Civil War era brought the railroads, agriculture, and the early movie industry, all of which expanded Masonic membership. The 20th century saw California Masonry grow into one of the largest Grand Lodges in the world, peaking at over 200,000 members in the 1960s. The current California Masonic Memorial Temple in San Francisco, built in 1958, is one of the most prominent Masonic buildings on the West Coast.

Oldest and Most Historic Lodges in California

California Lodge No. 1 in San Francisco was chartered in November 1849 under the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia, and at the formation of the California Grand Lodge in 1850 it was renumbered as No. 1. It is the oldest continuously operating Masonic lodge in California and remains active in San Francisco today.

Western Star Lodge No. 2, originally chartered in 1849 under the Grand Lodge of Missouri and based in what is now Shasta County, holds the second-oldest lineage. Tehama Lodge No. 3 in Tehama (Northern California) was chartered shortly after, also from the rush of 1849.

Connecticut Lodge No. 75 (renumbered No. 4 in California) in Sacramento was chartered under the Grand Lodge of Connecticut in 1849 and was foundational to early Sacramento Masonry. Davis Lodge No.

4 in Davis (chartered later in the 1850s) was a hub of agricultural-region Masonry. Yerba Buena Lodge No. 15 in San Francisco, chartered in 1851, was named for the original Spanish settlement that became San Francisco and served the booming city through the 1850s. Sonoma Lodge No.

28 in Sonoma, chartered in the early 1850s, met in the historic mission town that had been the site of the Bear Flag Revolt. Marysville Lodge No. 9 in Marysville and Stockton Lodge No. 11 in Stockton both date to the early 1850s and served the agricultural communities along the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys.

Each of these lodges represents a slice of Gold Rush California, and most of them still meet regularly today, with original lodge buildings preserved as historical landmarks in some cases.

California Masonic Lodges by the Numbers

The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of California F&AM is one of the largest Grand Lodges in the world. It oversees approximately 320 to 340 active subordinate lodges across the state, organized into around 50 to 55 districts. Total mainstream Masonic membership in California sits at roughly 50,000 to 55,000 Master Masons, a number that has declined from a 1960s peak of over 200,000 but remains the second or third largest of any U.S. Grand Lodge.

Lodge density is highest in the San Francisco Bay Area, the greater Los Angeles basin, San Diego County, and the Sacramento metropolitan area, with smaller historical lodges throughout the Central Valley and the Sierra Nevada Gold Rush country. The Grand Lodge meets annually, typically in October in San Francisco. The California Masonic Memorial Temple at 1111 California Street in San Francisco serves as the headquarters and houses Grand Lodge offices. The Masonic Homes of California (in Union City and Covina) provide senior care, and the California Masonic Foundation funds extensive educational and youth programs.

For current lodge listings, see freemason.org.

How to Become a Freemason in California

Joining a California Masonic lodge follows the mainstream three-degree path with California-specific protocols set by the Grand Lodge of California F&AM. The first step is finding a lodge near you through freemason.org's lodge locator or LodgeFinder. California has perhaps the most sophisticated public-facing Masonic outreach of any U.S. Grand Lodge, with extensive online resources and 'inquirer programs' that allow prospective members to learn about Masonry before committing.

As always, you must ask to join. After expressing interest, you'll typically attend an inquirer event or 'Friend to Friend' meeting at a lodge. When ready to petition, you'll need two current California Master Masons in good standing to sign as recommenders. California requires petitioners to be at least 18 years old, of good moral character, a believer in a Supreme Being, and to meet residency requirements.

The lodge appoints an investigating committee of three Master Masons who will interview you (and often your spouse, if applicable) at your home. After their report, the lodge votes by secret ballot. Total fees for the three degrees in California typically range from $300 to $700, depending on the lodge, with annual dues often in the $150 to $400 range. The Grand Lodge of California has historically been progressive about membership outreach and has launched several public-awareness campaigns to demystify Freemasonry for prospective members.

Notable California Freemasons in History

California has an enormous list of notable Masons because of its size and history. Earl Warren, 14th Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and three-term governor of California, was a member of Sequoia Lodge No. 349 in Oakland and served as Grand Master of California in 1935.

Audie Murphy, the most decorated American combat soldier of WWII and later a Hollywood actor, was a Mason associated with California lodges. John Wayne, the iconic actor, was a member of Marion McDaniel Lodge No. 56 in Tucson, Arizona, but maintained California connections throughout his career. Cecil B.

DeMille, the legendary film director, was a Mason. Walt Disney was not a Mason (despite frequent rumors), though his father Elias Disney was. Buzz Aldrin, the Apollo 11 astronaut, has California ties and is a Mason in good standing. James Doohan ('Scotty' on Star Trek) was a California Mason.

Mel Blanc, the voice actor behind Bugs Bunny and countless others, was a Mason. Stan Lee's Marvel co-creator Jack Kirby was a Mason. Beyond entertainment, California has produced numerous Masonic governors, U.S. senators, university presidents, and business leaders.

The breadth of California Masonry's reach into mid-20th-century American culture is genuinely remarkable, and many of those connections trace through Hollywood-area lodges and the political networks of mid-century San Francisco.

Prince Hall Freemasonry in California

The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of California F&AM was chartered in 1855, an extraordinarily early date for a Prince Hall Grand Lodge in the western United States and one of the first west of the Mississippi. Its founding came during the Gold Rush era when small but active African American communities in San Francisco, Sacramento, and Marysville organized civic and religious institutions in parallel with white Masonry. The Prince Hall Grand Lodge of California oversees more than 60 active subordinate lodges, with concentrations in Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco, Sacramento, and the Inland Empire. Recognition between the Grand Lodge of California F&AM and the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of California was extended in 1995, making California one of the earlier western states to recognize Prince Hall.

Inter-visitation between the two jurisdictions is regularly practiced. California Prince Hall Masonry has played a significant role in West Coast civil rights history, with members involved in the NAACP, the Urban League, and a wide range of California civic organizations from the late 19th century through the present. Notable California Prince Hall Masons have included Mervyn Dymally (former California Lieutenant Governor and U.S. Congressman), numerous state legislators, judges, and ministers.

The Prince Hall Grand Lodge of California maintains scholarship programs, youth initiatives, and senior care programs and remains a cornerstone of Black civic life in California.

Frequently Asked Questions about Masonic Lodges in California

Sources & Further Reading

• https://freemason.org
• https://www.calmasonic.org
• https://californiahistoricalsociety.org
• https://www.mwphglcal.org