A Short History of Orinda Lodge

In the year 1857, there were 3 Masonic Lodges that were located in the East Bay. They were Martinez No. 41 (Martinez, CA), Live Oak No. 61 (Oakland, CA) and Eden Lodge No. 113 (San Leandro, CA). The Martinez Lodge was not large and had not reached a point in its development where another Lodge was needed in the vicinity. However, during the late 1850s and through most of the 1860s, there were unsettled growing pains happening within our great nation and the related tensions would finally result in the Civil War. Many of the settlers who lived in the San Ramon Valley and also near the town of Martinez, were already Master Masons that had been raised in eastern lodges. To their credit they were men of fine principles, upright, honest, God-fearing, intelligent, stern and unrelenting. Underneath their course exterior there ran threads of kindness, and where charity was called for, their generosity knew no bounds regardless of their personal, political leanings.

The history outlines several reasons why some of the members of the Martinez Lodge may have wanted to have their own lodge located near their homes in the San Ramon Valley about where the town of Alamo is situated. Others may have felt that it resulted from an emotional reaction when the Senior Warden and a charter member, Bro. John E. Mitchell was passed over for election as Master in the year 1857 and the Senior Deacon elected Master. He asked for and was granted a dimit.

What happened next was very interesting for while he was an unaffiliated Mason he happened to appear at a Martinez Lodge meeting on November 28, 1857, and introduced a motion calling for approval of the formation of a lodge in the San Ramon valley. One might conjecture that he did so because if approved he could become the Master of the new Lodge. However, I personally am not sure that to be the case as he was joined in his proposal by several other brethren at the meeting. Furthermore, the motion was unanimously approved without argument or much discussion. A dispensation was granted the following month on December 12, 1857 by Grand Master N. Greene Curtis to form Alamo Lodge.

There is no explanation written in the record for the name "e;Alamo"e;, other than it was decided that the new lodge would meet in the town having that name, which was at the time an important stage coach stop between Martinez and San Jose. County records show the town was given the Spanish name for the "e;Poplar"e; trees found growing in the area. The first meeting of the Lodge was held on the evening of January 9th, 1858 in a framed building on the east side of the stage coach route and the minutes show that Bro. John E. Mitchell sitting as the Worshipful Master and the lodge opened on the Third Degree of Masonry and the dispensation from the Grand Lodge was read. The process for becoming a chartered lodge thus started.

At the Grand Lodge communication on May 13, 1858, the Lodge was officially admitted to the jurisdiction as number One Hundred Twenty-Two. Sixteen days later on May 29th a special meeting was called for the purpose of organizing the lodge and electing and installing the officers-elect.

I next read what I thought was a thoughtful and wise decision on the part of the Grand Master as it illustrated the use of the principal of "e;Who Best Can Work and Best Agree"e; to unify Masonry and the relationship between the two lodges. He deputized Worshipful Master Thomas A. Brown of Martinez Lodge to conduct the first election of officers for Alamo and to install them. Bro. John E. Mitchell was elected Worshipful Master as were other officers and then they were duly installed. The special meeting was concluded and the first 'Stated Meeting' immediately followed during which 3 petitions for degrees were introduced.

As an officially Chartered California Lodge, Alamo No. 122, F&AM was now operational and positive support was being provided by Martinez Lodge No. 41 who had, as we fraternally say; "e;mothered"e; its creation.

During its developmental years, the members kept looking for newer and better facilities to hold meeting. At different times properties were purchased and then sold to raise money to pay for a building to house a lodge hall or to construct a new temple. This activity has been described in sections of the booklet titled "e;Middle years in Danville, CA"e; and "e;Later years in Walnut Creek"e;. Additional property searches that followed are summarized at the end of the 125 year section titled "e;The Search for a New Lodge"e;. I encourage you to read these sections.

One of the early relocations occurred in 1878 when a member, Bro. James S. Stow purchased a building in downtown Walnut Creek located on Main Street. He sold the upper floor to the Lodge for $800 and the brethren were established in a new home.

In 1910 the members felt the need for a new and larger meeting hall and discussed plans for building one. They accordingly formed the Walnut Creek Masonic Hall Association and authorized two thousand shares of stock to be sold to the brethren at $5 a share, payable in monthly installments. They calculated that $6,000 would be needed to carry out the plans. In 1911, they purchased a lot downtown at the corner of Locust Street and Mount Diablo Boulevard for $700.

It took some time to raise sufficient funds through the sale of shares to start construction of the new Masonic Temple. The cornerstone was laid on October 1, 1916 for a structure measuring 70 feet by 43 feet. The completed building was first used February 10, 1917 for the installation of officers for that Masonic year.

The Lodge was very busy during the first years at this location and following the First World War, petitions for the degrees began to come in thick and fast and the brethren were kept busy for several years with many special meetings. Also, many notable events occurred while occupying this temple and are detailed within the written record.

For example: A unique 'Tradition' was started in the most casual fashion. In 1927, 80 years ago, Brother Jesse B. Near, Worshipful Master, through a mutual friend, met Bro. George Porter, Worshipful Master of Live Oak Lodge No. 61, in Oakland. The friendship ripened, and the members of Live Oak Lodge were invited to visit Alamo Lodge in the fall of that year. Live Oak was a large lodge and financially stable, whereas Alamo was small and relatively poor.

So, Bro Near supplied 'ripe' tomatoes from his farm for the refreshment table. The following spring of 1928, Alamo visited Live Oak. The exchange of visits was popular from the start and they have continued without a break to this day. It is believed that this visitation tradition is the longest running exchange in the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of California. Furthermore, those ripe tomatoes made a big hit and have continued to form the principal part of the menu on Live Oak night and visitors are offered extra tomatoes to take home with them.

The most active degree year was 1946. Let me take the liberty to quote the exact words written to describe this activity. I quote: "e;There was a flood crest of a deluge of petitions that sweep over the lodge as approximately 100 meetings were held that year and 40 brethren were raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason. When the year ended there were still 20 degrees to be conferred"e;. I would suspect that the Lodge Officers were exhausted by the end of that Masonic year, but very proficient in the ritual work.

There was a significant event that occurred in April of 1949 and probably the most important up to that time. It was the approval of the formation of a new lodge at Orinda, CA. Grand Master Siems granted the dispensation for Orinda Lodge that month and on September 28, 1949, their institution was held in the hall of Alamo Lodge. A large group of visitors from many area lodges were present. On November 10, 1950, Orinda Lodge No. 704 was constituted in the same place. This was the first lodge in 91 years that Alamo had "e;mothered"e;. It later proved to be a unique historical event for both lodges.

Now let us review some of the history of Orinda Lodge and in doing so think about the various ways history repeats itself especially regarding why Master Mason's decided to meet to establish a new Lodge.

In 1936, a new four-lane highway tunnel under the Berkeley Hills was completed and opened to traffic. It replaced an old winding road through the hills. The tunnel opened up the area for development and gave easy access to the San Francisco Bay region from eastern Contra Costa County. One of the first communities to be developed as a result of this new tunnel access was the village of Orinda. Homes and stores were erected and many were occupied by Masons who belonged to Lodges in Oakland and the East Bay area and many others who were raised in various jurisdictions. For them, attendance at lodge became a problem because once they had completed their work commute; they wanted to stay at home. In addition, as World War II drew to a close, returning veterans who possessed the qualifications of good Masons, hesitated to join the Fraternity because it meant petitioning a lodge outside of Orinda.

For these two reasons, the idea of forming a new Lodge was taking hold. A US Postal employee, Bro.Wilbur D. Crosby, who had been transferred to Orinda from Yosemite Park, CA, was persuaded to take charge of a movement to establish such a lodge. Bro. Crosby had prior experience in these matters as he had been instrumental in forming lodges in Livingston, CA and Yosemite, CA. Letters to known Master Masons in the immediate vicinity were mailed calling them to a meeting to discuss the issue. Bro. Crosby proposed that a committee of 3 be formed and they visit Alamo Lodge to outline their plan. Several subsequent meetings were held and the name Orinda Lodge was chosen and officers elected with Bro. Crosby as Master. However due to illness, Bro.

Crosby had to resign as Master-Elect and Bro. Sherer G. Culver was nominated for the position of Master and unanimously elected. A side room of a community church was chosen for a meeting hall and after needed alterations were completed the site was approved by the Grand Master. He issued a dispensation and Orinda Lodge, F&AM was started. As aforementioned, On November 10, 1950, Orinda Lodge No. 704 was chartered and began operations. The first stated meeting however, was held while the lodge was still under dispensation on Monday, November 7, 1949 in the little lodge room adjoining the Orinda Community Church. There were 46 Master Masons present and the small space was full. Equipment for the lodge room during the first 4 months was borrowed from Alamo each meeting night and returned the next morning. Subsequently, many other area lodges provided new equipment to Orinda and it was no longer necessary to borrow items.

A few years later Orinda Lodge constructed a new temple building at 9-Altarinda Road. Many members worked on the construction of this structure.

One item that caught my attention occurred during the years from 1967 through 1980. The Gordon Ball Company had secured the construction contract for the re-aligned Highway 24 project. A project engineer was assigned the task of finding short-haul disposal areas for excess material. That engineer was a member of Alamo Lodge and had visited the Orinda Lodge and knew of their restricted parking capability. He saw the opportunity of getting rid of a lot of surplus soil using scrapers instead of trucks, thus conserving costs. Also it could provide a benefit to the lodge and to the Catholic Church located to the north by placing fill material on the site and thus solving the lodge's parking lot problem. That engineer was Bro. Carl Culberson, who is present tonight.

I next noted that from 1966 through 1992, five lodges, for various reasons, could not sustain themselves in an active status, so they consolidated with either Alamo or Orinda as follows: Hillcrest No. 573 consolidated with East Bay No. 489 in 1967 and then East Bay consolidated with Alamo in 1977. Orinda Lodge No. 704 had three consolidations; Piedmont No. 521 in 1966, Plymonth #560 in 1985 and Acorn No. 494 in 1992. As the earliest lodge number is retained when these events occur, Orinda became No. 494 in 1992. Each of these named lodges has a history outline in your booklet which makes for fascinating reading.

Continuing forward, let us take a look at how Alamo and Orinda became consolidated to form Orinda Lodge No. 122, F&AM.

In 1981, the idea of finding a larger building with potential for providing enhanced space and parking capacity again surfaced among the members of Alamo Lodge. The Bekins building on Mt. Diablo Boulevard in Walnut Creek became available for purchase. Negotiations were started and a presentation was made to Grand Lodge and a favorable commitment was obtained. In November of that year the membership approved unanimously that the existing temple building be sold and the Bekins building purchased. The Walnut Creek property was sold and the installation of officers for 1985 was held at the Orinda Masonic Center.

The cost of rebuilding the inside of the Bekins building was grossly underestimated and in January 1985 when the adverse financial situation became evident, it was decided to find a buyer for the building. Alamo received approval to hold its meetings in the Acalanes-Fellowship Lodge in Lafayette. In 1986 the installation ceremony was held at the Valley Masonic Temple in Concord, although regular meetings were still being held in Lafayette. In April of that year the members voted to move their meeting place to the Valley Temple on Treat Boulevard in Concord. The first deed of trust on the Bekins property was paid off in July resulting in the Hall Association owning no real property, but it did have approximately $400,000 to apply toward a new temple.

In August, the Grand Lodge approved the request to purchase the Almond Street property in Walnut Creek. This property site had zoning and easement concerns that took a lot of effort on the part of a few members to address with the City of Walnut Creek Planning Commission and the City Council and the Utility Company. This resulted in the property remaining undeveloped for an extended time and it was eventually sold.

During this same period, membership was decreasing, lodge expenses increasing and it was difficult to find members to fill various officer chairs and other stations; therefore a committee was formed to visit neighboring lodges to determine which would be most compatible to consolidate with. At the December 2nd, 1997 stated meeting, a resolution was adopted to the effect that consolidation with Orinda Lodge No. 494 was expedient and the lodges subsequently meet and exchanged consolidation terms. This resulted in ballots being sent to the respective members of both lodges and a combined count of votes returned showed a total of nearly 80% approval. On July 7th, 1998 Alamo Lodge held its last meeting under that name. As of August 1st, 1998 the members would be consolidated as Orinda Lodge No. 122, F&AM. Since then, Orinda Lodge has been very active and remains so to this day.

James D. Gibson, Past Master (1988)
Orinda Lodge No. 122, F&AM
Orinda, California

A presentation given at the 150th Anniversary Celebration and Installation of Lodge Officers, December 16, 2007

PIEDMONT № 521 • PLYMOUTH № 560 • ORINDA № 704 • ACORN № 494
ALAMO № 122 • EAST BAY № 489 • HILLCREST № 573

© 1998–2009 Orinda Lodge
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