Oregon Masonic Lodges

About Freemasonry in Oregon

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

History of Freemasonry in Oregon

Oregon Masonry began with the trail. In the 1840s, as wagon trains rolled west on the Oregon Trail, several traveling brothers carried Masonic charters in their saddlebags or trunks. The earliest documented Masonic meeting in what is now Oregon took place at Oregon City in 1846, when a group of pioneer Masons gathered for fellowship before any lodge had been formally chartered. Multnomah Lodge No.

84 in Oregon City received its charter from the Grand Lodge of Missouri in 1848 and is recognized as the first regularly chartered Masonic lodge on the Pacific Coast of the United States. That fact alone gives Oregon a special place in West Coast Masonic history. Willamette Lodge in Portland followed in 1850, and Lafayette Lodge in Yamhill County was chartered shortly after. By 1851, four chartered Oregon lodges had enough strength and motivation to form their own Grand Lodge.

On August 16, 1851, delegates met in Oregon City and constituted the Grand Lodge of Oregon, with Berryman Jennings elected as the first Grand Master. Oregon's Grand Lodge was therefore the first organized west of the Rocky Mountains, predating California's by about a year (depending on how you count) and predating Washington, Idaho, Nevada, and the rest of the western jurisdictions by years or decades. Through the second half of the 19th century, Masonry spread with settlement, mining camps, and the railroad. Lodges popped up in The Dalles, Salem, Eugene, Roseburg, Jacksonville, and Astoria.

The Civil War split families but did not break Oregon Masonry, which was geographically distant enough from the conflict to keep functioning. The 20th century brought the usual cycle of growth and consolidation, with peak membership in the 1950s. Today the Grand Lodge of Oregon is headquartered in Forest Grove, where it operates the Masonic Lodge and the Oregon Masonic Library and Museum.

Oldest and Most Historic Lodges in Oregon

Multnomah Lodge No. 1 in Oregon City is the cornerstone. Originally chartered as No. 84 by the Grand Lodge of Missouri in 1848, the lodge became No.

1 on the new Oregon register in 1851. It still meets in Oregon City and is recognized as the oldest continuously operating Masonic lodge on the Pacific Coast. Willamette Lodge No. 2 in Portland, chartered in 1850, is the second-oldest.

Lafayette Lodge No. 3 in Lafayette and Salem Lodge No. 4 in Salem rounded out the founding four. Beyond those, several other 19th-century lodges have remarkable continuity: Pacific Lodge No.

50 in Forest Grove (now home to the Grand Lodge offices), Jacksonville Lodge No. 10 in the southern Oregon gold-rush town, and Warren Lodge No. 10 in The Dalles. The Astoria Masonic Temple, dating to the late 1800s, sits on the Columbia River near where Lewis and Clark wintered, and its lodge has unusual ties to the salmon canning and shipping industries that built that town.

Pendleton Lodge No. 52 in eastern Oregon's wheat country, chartered in the 1870s, has been a community fixture in Pendleton for more than 150 years. Several Oregon lodge buildings are themselves landmarks. The Portland Masonic Temple, completed in 1924 on Southwest Park Avenue, is a massive Egyptian Revival structure that hosts Scottish Rite, York Rite, and several Blue Lodge meetings.

The Salem Scottish Rite Temple and the Eugene Masonic Temple are both early-20th-century buildings still in use. The Oregon Masonic Library and Museum, located at the Grand Lodge in Forest Grove, holds one of the more significant collections of West Coast Masonic artifacts and pioneer-era documents in the country.

Oregon Masonic Lodges by the Numbers

Oregon is a mid-sized Masonic jurisdiction. Active membership currently runs around 7,500 to 8,500 master Masons across approximately 110 chartered lodges. That's down from a 20th-century peak of more than 30,000 members in the 1950s. The largest concentrations of Masons are in the Portland metro area, Salem, Eugene, Bend, and Medford.

The Grand Lodge holds its annual communication each June, traditionally rotating between Oregon cities though more recently settling at Forest Grove. Oregon Masonic charity is anchored by the Oregon Masonic Charitable and Educational Foundation, which funds scholarships and youth programs. The state's Scottish Rite is active in Portland, Salem, and Eugene, with the Portland Valley being one of the larger Scottish Rite organizations in the Pacific Northwest. The Shrine maintains the Al Kader Shriners Hospitals for Children, which serves families across Oregon and Southwest Washington.

How to Become a Freemason in Oregon

Joining a Masonic lodge in Oregon is a friendly, straightforward process. The qualifications are standard: a man at least 18 years of age, of good moral character, professing belief in a Supreme Being, and a resident of Oregon or a nearby jurisdiction with permission. The first step is to find a lodge. The Grand Lodge of Oregon's website features a lodge locator, and most lodges hold open events that anyone can attend.

Many Oregon lodges run periodic Information Nights or open houses specifically aimed at curious would-be candidates. After meeting some brothers and getting a feel for the lodge, an interested candidate can request a petition. Two members in good standing must sign as recommenders. Petition fees in Oregon vary by lodge but typically run between 200 and 400 dollars, with the first year's dues often included.

Once the petition is filed, an investigation committee meets with the candidate, often at his home, to discuss expectations on both sides and confirm the candidate's understanding of what membership involves. The lodge then votes by secret ballot. If the ballot is favorable, the candidate is scheduled for the Entered Apprentice degree. Oregon works the standard three Blue Lodge degrees, with proficiency catechisms between each step.

The full process from petition to Master Mason typically takes six to twelve months. After raising, a new Master Mason is free to pursue Scottish Rite, York Rite, the Shrine, or any of the appendant bodies he wants.

Notable Oregon Freemasons in History

Oregon has produced and hosted a number of nationally famous Masons. Joe Lane, Oregon's first territorial governor and later a U.S. Senator and vice presidential candidate, was a Mason. Mark Hatfield, the longtime U.S.

Senator and former Oregon governor, was a member of an Oregon lodge. Wayne Morse, another long-serving senator famous for his independence, was a Mason. Tom McCall, the colorful environmentalist governor who made Oregon famous for the Bottle Bill and beach access laws, was a Mason. Glenn L.

Jackson, the powerful Oregon civic leader for whom the Glenn Jackson Bridge across the Columbia River is named, was a Past Grand Master. In the arts, James Beard, the famous chef and food writer, was raised in Portland and was reportedly a Mason. Several early Hollywood-connected Oregonians were Masons, including a few of the founders of the Oregon film industry. The Portland and Salem lodges have always counted business leaders among their membership: timber barons, shipping magnates, and bankers who built modern Oregon.

The state's lodges also include a notable lineup of Native American leaders from the eastern Oregon and southern Oregon tribes, who were welcomed into Oregon Masonry in the 19th and 20th centuries. Oregon Masonry was relatively progressive about Native American membership compared to some Eastern jurisdictions, though Prince Hall recognition came later.

Prince Hall Freemasonry in Oregon

Prince Hall Freemasonry in Oregon is administered by the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Washington and Jurisdiction. Oregon does not have its own separate Prince Hall Grand Lodge. Instead, Prince Hall lodges in Portland, Salem, Eugene, and other Oregon cities operate as subordinate lodges under the Washington Grand Lodge, which has long-standing authority over Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska as well. The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Washington and Jurisdiction was chartered in 1903 in Seattle and has continuously included Oregon under its umbrella.

The Prince Hall presence in Portland is the strongest in Oregon, with several active lodges, an Eastern Star chapter, and a Shrine temple under the Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. Mutual recognition between the Grand Lodge of Oregon (mainstream) and the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Washington and Jurisdiction was extended in the early 1990s, putting Oregon among the earlier Western states to formalize that relationship. The two bodies permit inter-visitation, and Oregon Masons regularly participate in joint cornerstone ceremonies, charitable events, and educational programs with their Prince Hall counterparts. Prince Hall Masonry in Oregon has been deeply involved in civic life, civil rights advocacy, and scholarship support for African American students attending Oregon colleges and universities, and Portland's Prince Hall lodges have been an organizing center for Black community life since the early 20th century.

Frequently Asked Questions about Masonic Lodges in Oregon

Sources & Further Reading

• https://www.masonic-oregon.com/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Lodge_of_Oregon
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multnomah_Lodge_No._1
• https://www.mwphglwa.org/
• https://www.alkadershrine.org/