Florida Masonic Lodges

About Freemasonry in Florida

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

History of Freemasonry in Florida

Freemasonry arrived in Florida well before statehood. The earliest documented lodge in the territory was Floridian Virtues Lodge No. 28, chartered by the Grand Lodge of Alabama in 1820 in St. Augustine, just one year after Spain ceded Florida to the United States.

Other early lodges followed under warrants from Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. By the late 1820s and early 1830s, enough Florida lodges existed to consider forming an independent body, and on July 5, 1830, delegates met in Tallahassee and organized the Grand Lodge of Florida. Florida's Masonic story is tightly bound up with the territorial frontier; lodges met in courthouses, taverns, and private homes long before they had purpose-built temples. The Anti-Masonic period slowed growth, and so did the Second Seminole War, which depopulated parts of the peninsula.

After statehood in 1845, Florida Masonry stabilized and grew through the antebellum cotton economy. The Civil War devastated Florida lodges, and Reconstruction was uneven. Many lodges shut down for years before reopening in the 1870s and 1880s. The early 20th century saw enormous expansion as Florida's population boomed: the railroad pushed south, citrus and tourism transformed the coastlines, and Masonic temples sprang up in cities like Tampa, Jacksonville, Miami, and Orlando.

The Masonic Home of Florida, established in St. Petersburg in 1916, became one of the great charitable institutions of the fraternity, providing care for elderly Masons and their families to this day.

Oldest and Most Historic Lodges in Florida

Florida's oldest still-operating lodges trace back to the territorial and early statehood eras. Jackson Lodge No. 1 in Tallahassee is the senior constituent lodge, chartered in 1825 under the Grand Lodge of Alabama and renumbered when Florida formed its own Grand Lodge in 1830. Washington Lodge No.

2 in Quincy and Harmony Lodge No. 3, also in Tallahassee, complete the trio of original chartering lodges. Marion Lodge No. 19 in Ocala is among the older central Florida lodges.

Solomon Lodge No. 20 in Jacksonville, dating to the 1840s, is one of the major historic urban lodges. Excelsior Lodge No. 23 in Apalachicola served the Gulf Coast cotton trade community.

Hillsborough Lodge No. 25 in Tampa was chartered in 1850 and grew with the city. St. Andrew's Bay Lodge in the Panhandle, Indian River Lodge in the citrus belt, and Miami Lodge No.

64 (chartered shortly after Miami's incorporation in 1896) are each tied to the development of their regions. Each of these lodges holds substantial archival material going back generations. If you're researching Florida pioneer history, the older lodge minute books are often the best primary source for who lived where, who married whom, and which families ran which businesses.

Florida Masonic Lodges by the Numbers

Florida is one of the largest Masonic jurisdictions in the country. The Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Florida currently oversees approximately 300 to 320 constituent lodges spread across the state, with active membership estimated in the 35,000 to 45,000 range. Florida is divided into Masonic Districts, currently numbering more than 30, each headed by a District Deputy Grand Master and meeting on a regular schedule. Major concentrations of lodges are found in the Tampa Bay area, Greater Miami and South Florida, the Jacksonville metro, Orlando and Central Florida, and the Panhandle from Pensacola to Tallahassee.

The Grand Lodge office is located in Jacksonville, and the official website at glflamason.org is the primary source for lodge directories, calendars, and membership information. Florida also operates the Masonic Home of Florida in St. Petersburg, one of the most significant Masonic retirement and care institutions in the country.

How to Become a Freemason in Florida

Becoming a Mason in Florida follows the standard mainstream process with a few state-specific requirements. You must be a man at least 18 years of age, of good moral character, who believes in a Supreme Being. You start by visiting a lodge near you, having dinner before a stated meeting, and getting to know the members. To formally apply, you submit a petition signed by two Master Masons in good standing of that lodge.

The petition is read in open lodge, an investigation committee is appointed and visits with you (and typically your family) at home, and then the lodge takes a secret ballot that must be unanimously favorable under Florida Masonic Code. Initiation fees vary by lodge but generally fall between $250 and $600 for the three degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason. Annual dues run from about $100 to $300 depending on the lodge. From petition to becoming a Master Mason typically takes six months to a year, partly because Florida requires proficiency examinations between degrees.

The Grand Lodge of Florida is the sole authority for issuing charters and conferring the three Symbolic Lodge degrees in the state, and only lodges under its jurisdiction (or recognized Prince Hall lodges) are considered regular Masonic bodies in Florida.

Notable Florida Freemasons in History

Florida has produced or claimed many notable Freemasons. Andrew Jackson, although primarily associated with Tennessee Masonry, served as Florida's first territorial governor and is part of Florida Masonic lore. David Levy Yulee, Florida's first U.S. Senator and a major figure in early Florida railroads, was a Mason.

William Dunn Moseley, the first Governor of the State of Florida, was a Mason and active in Tallahassee lodges. Henry Plant and Henry Flagler, the railroad magnates whose lines built modern Florida, both had Masonic affiliations and donated to Masonic causes. Spessard Holland, a 20th-century Governor and U.S. Senator from Florida, was a Mason.

Reubin Askew, Governor in the 1970s and a major reform figure, was a Mason. Lawton Chiles, U.S. Senator and Governor of Florida, was associated with Florida Masonry. Doyle Carlton, Florida Governor during the early Depression years, was a Mason.

Jeb Stuart's brother and several Confederate Florida officers were on Masonic rolls during the Civil War. Astronaut Edgar Mitchell of Apollo 14, who lived in Florida for years and walked on the moon during the 1971 mission, was a Mason raised in Artesia Lodge in New Mexico but long active in Florida lodge life. Several Florida federal judges, university presidents, and citrus, cattle, and shipping magnates appear on Masonic rolls. The list runs deep through politicians, engineers, civil servants, and military officers from the Spanish-American War through the Cold War, with Florida lodges historically attracting transplants from across the Eastern Seaboard who brought their home-state Masonic affiliations with them when they settled in the Sunshine State.

Prince Hall Freemasonry in Florida

Prince Hall Masonry has been a foundational institution in Florida's African American community for well over a century. The Most Worshipful Union Grand Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, Prince Hall Affiliation, Florida and Belize was chartered in 1870, making it one of the oldest Prince Hall Grand Lodges in the South. The 'Belize' addition reflects historical jurisdictional ties extending into the Caribbean basin. Prince Hall Masonry was a vital network during the Jim Crow era, providing economic mutual aid, business credit, scholarships, and meeting spaces when Black Floridians were excluded from many civic institutions.

Lodges flourished in cities like Jacksonville, Pensacola, Tampa, Miami, and Tallahassee, often connected to Black colleges, churches, and fraternal life. The relationship between the mainstream Grand Lodge of Florida and the Prince Hall Grand Lodge has been complicated and at times tense. Mainstream-Prince Hall recognition in Florida was achieved in the 21st century, with formal mutual recognition extended after years of dialogue. Prominent Prince Hall Masons in Florida have included civil rights leaders, educators at HBCUs like Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman, and Black municipal officials throughout the state's history.

The Prince Hall Grand Lodge maintains its headquarters in Jacksonville and oversees the parallel structure of Eastern Star, youth orders, and appendant bodies.

Frequently Asked Questions about Masonic Lodges in Florida

Sources & Further Reading

• https://glflamason.org/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Lodge_of_Florida
• https://www.mhfl.org/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Most_Worshipful_Union_Grand_Lodge_of_Florida