History of Naval Lodge No. 24 F&AM

  Pensacola Naval Lodge No. 24, Free and Accepted Masons, Warrington, Florida was organized under a dispensation granted in 1849 by Most Worshipful Grand Master Thomas Brown of the Grand Lodge of Florida to Brothers William Morrill, Robert Joyner, and John Jenkins.  The appointed offices at the time were Thomas Sterns, Treasurer; William F. Youngblood, Secretary; Jacob Z. Davis, Senior Deacon; and Thomas Whistler, Junior Deacon.  Work was carried on under the above dispensation and on January 20, 1851, Pensacola Naval Lodge was granted a charter.  At this time the membership was somewhere between seven and ten members.

Naval Lodge worked in peace and harmony and held its communications from the date of institution to the 10th day of March, 1861, when a regular communication was held with the officers and a small number of members and decided that labor should be suspended on account of military hostilities and the occupation of the Naval Reserve by the Army of General Bragg, which rendered the continuance of the lodge meetings impossible.  To add to the misfortune of the craft, the lodge room was shortly after broken open, and the Masonic jewels extracted, but through the assistance of some of the brethren were officers in the army, a portion of them were, with difficulty, recovered.  Shortly after that the lodge was visited a second time and the furniture and other regalia shared the same fate as the jewels.  Fires were extinguished on the Masonic Alter and the Brethren driven into exile.  After the struggle of the internal war had ceased, the charter, seal and remnant of the jewels and records that had been carefully preserved from the widespread ruin were returned to the naval Lodge by the Father of the Lodge, W. Bro. William Morrill, who had carefully guarded them from the destroyers and he, with the cooperation of the remaining brethren re-established the lodge and relit the Masonic Alter.  Labor had remained suspended until the 3rd day of July 1866, when communication once again took place with the following officers presiding:  William Morrill, W.M.; Thomas Devery, S.W.; Thomas J. Stearns, J.W.; Sam Glass, Tr.; W.T. Morrill, Sec.; Thomas Walch, S.D.; George Jenny, J.D.; and Hugh Simmons, Tyler.

Naval Lodge held their communications continuously from July 3rd, 1866, until the 24th day of February, 1931.  At this time the Lodge received a notification from the Navy Department that the lease held would be cancelled in thirty days.  This was due to the expansion of the naval Air activities in the area and the lodge was compelled to look for new quarters.  The membership at this time had grown to approximately 353.

Escambia Lodge No. 15 and the Scottish Rite Masons came to the relief and offered the use of their lodge buildings without cost and Naval Lodge gratefully accepted their splendid offer of assistance.  On March 10th, 1931, naval Lodge moved their charter, etc. to the Hall of Escambia Lodge No. 15, Pensacola Florida.  The furniture and other material were moved to the Scottish Rite Temple, Pensacola, Florida.

On June 9, 1931, a contract was entered into with Brother and Past Master, James W. Eley, to erect a two-story brick building in New Warrington on a site that had been purchased there.  It was on August 12th, 1931, that the Most Worshipful Grand Master Samuel Pasco called a special communication of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of the State of Florida for the purpose of dedicating and laying the cornerstone of the new temple building in New Warrington.  This ceremony was performed in a most splendid and dignified manner with the following serving as Grand and acting Grand Officers:
Samuel Pasco, Most Worshipful Grand Master
R. W. Wesley, Acting Rite Worshipful Deputy Grand Master
F. M. Weston, Acting Rite Worshipful Senior Grand Warden
L. E. Goodnight, (Acting) Rite Worshipful Junior Grand Warden
G. W. Bauer, (Acting) Rite Worshipful Grand Treasurer
William F. Hansen, (Acting) Rite Worshipful Grand Secretary
E. E. Roberts, (Acting) Rite Worshipful Reverend Grand Chaplain
Mose Penton, (Acting) Rite Worshipful Grand Marshall
J. R. Keller, (Acting) Rite Worshipful Grand Senior Deacon
J. H. Dieckman, (Acting) Rite Worshipful Grand Junior Deacon
G. F. Clifford, (Acting) Rite Worshipful Grand Standard Bearer
J. W. Parker, (Acting) Rite Worshipful Grand Sword Bearer
F. W. Temple, (Acting) Rite Worshipful Grand Senior Steward
J. N. Frisbie, (Acting) Rite Worshipful Grand Junior Steward
J. A. Lyle, (Acting) Rite Worshipful Grand Pursuvivant
J. W. Eley, (Acting) Rite Worshipful Grand Architect
William McLean, (Acting) Rite Worshipful Master with Great Lights
and Lewis Marshall, (Acting)
Grand Tyler.

Naval Lodge No. 24 has faithfully worked in continued peace and harmony in this Temple in New Warrington since that date.

 

Past Masters of Naval Lodge No. 24 F&AM

1851 William Morrill
1852 Robert Joyner
1853 William Morrill
1854 William Morrill
1855 W. H. James
1856 William Morrill
1857 William Morrill
1858 William Morrill
1859 William Morrill

1860 George S. Hallmark (PGM)
1861 George S. Hallmark (PGM)
1862 George S. Hallmark (PGM)
1863 George S. Hallmark (PGM)
1864 George S. Hallmark (PGM)
1865 George S. Hallmark (PGM)
1866 George S. Hallmark (PGM)
1867 Thomas Devery
1868 Thomas Devery
1869 E. McConnin

1870 James A. McCoy
1871 James A. McCoy
1872 J. L. Porter
1873 J. L. Porter
1874 James A. McCoy
1875 A. L. Williams
1876 C. A. Thompson
1877 Charles B. McGruder
1878 George S. Hallmark (PGM)
1879 C. M. Oerting

1880 C. M. Oerting
1881 C. M. Oerting
1882 George S. Hallmark (PGM)
1883 George S. Hallmark (PGM)
1884 Charles B MacGruder
1885 Cornelius A. Higgins
1886 Cornelius A. Higgins
1887 Cornelius A. Higgins
1888 Cornelius A. Higgins
1889 Cornelius A. Higgins

1890 Cornelius A. Higgins
1891 Cornelius A. Higgins
1892 Alex G. Fell
1893 Alex G. Fell
1894 Alex G. Fell
1895 Hugh Simmons
1896 Cornelius A. Higgins
1897 Cornelius A. Higgins
1898 Cornelius A. Higgins
1899 Cornelius A. Higgins

1900 Alex G. Fell
1901 Ernest Grossjohann
1902 Alex G. Fell
1903 Alex G. Fell
1904 Alex G. Fell
1905 Alex G. Fell
1906 James W. Eley
1907 Milton W. Watkins
1908 Edward W. Higgins
1909 Harrison P Merrill

1910 Harrison P Merrill
1911 James W. Eley
1912 Harrison P Merrill
1913 J. D. Miller
1914 William F. Hanson
1915 Fred Ott
1916 James W. Eley
1917 J. Christensen
1918 James W. Eley
1919 Francis M. Weston

1920 Francis M. Weston
1921 Lewis Marshall
1922 William WIlkenson
1923 William WIlkenson
1924 George A. Fell
1925 P. C. Weeks
1926 J. W. Burnette
1927 Paul Witham
1928 George W. Ames
1929 Floyd W. Temple

1930 Goodridge Frazier Clifford
1931 Loverne A. Pope
1932 Lyman E. Goodnight
1933 Ernest E. Roberts
1934 Robert G Crawford
1935 Horace . Goss
1936 Alfred Szarmandki
1937 David W. Menge
1938 Ladislaus Witek
1939 Edgar MacRee

1940 S. T. Smith
1941 Albert R. Patterson
1942 Albert R. Patterson
1943 Albert R. Patterson
1944 Albert R. Patterson
1945 Elmer C. Boos
1946 Wiliam R. Bailey
1947 Leward J. Lirette
1948 Jent P. Mitchell Jr.
1949 Paul E. Redette

1950 H. Chandler Thaxton
1951 Robert H. Arnold
1952 Walter Sandon
1953 Alexander Campbell
1954 Eugene E. Smith
1955 Pasco J. Lewis
1956 Jonnie B. Roberts Sr.
1957 Raymond L. Larson
1958 Robert P. Shore
1959 Burl S. Garrett

1960 Hubert E. Dillard
1961 Curtis L. Martin
1962 Clearoe Allen
1963 Herbert. S. Poe
1964 Curtis L. Wyatt
1965 Dent L. Tullis
1966 David A. Hathaway
1967 Marshall J. Brackett
1968 Vernon E. Whitten
1969 Sherman R. Flowers

1970 Burton W. Wilson
1971 John H. Stafford
1972 Bartley T. Stokes
1973 James M. Harden, Sr.
1974 Fredrick B. Doss
1975 Roy B. Brittingham
1976 Alfred O. DeWeese III
1977 Robert A. Williams
1978 Stanley L. Sewell
1979 Geroge R. Creighton

1980 Joe R Gage
1981 Walton B. Colvin III
1982 Wayne A. Drown
1983 Ruben A. Jaquez
1984 Ralph H. Tucker
1985 Harold C. Detling
1986 Joseph E. Barbaree
1987 James D. Robinson
1988 Alexander H. Stuckey
1989 Charles W. Case, Sr.

1990 Thomas D. Carroll
1991 Michael E. Bartenhouse
1992 Michael E. Bartenhouse
1993 Ray Blackwell
1994 Kenneth M. Wilson, Jr.
1995 Robert A. Williams
1996 Billy E. Jacobs
1997 William R. Jacobs
1998 Paul E. Kime, Jr.
1999 Dwight A. Wilson

2000 John N. Phillips
2001 Joseph J. Kent
2002 John N. Phillips
2003 Wayne A. Drown

 


 

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