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

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