Escambia Lodge No. 15 F&AM was chartered in Pensacola, Florida, on December 9th, 1846. Over the many years, the Lodge has met in 12 different locations throughout Pensacola, showcasing our rich history and commitment to our members and community.
A Brief History that we celebrated in 2021 during our 175th year as Freemasonry under the Leadership of Worshipful James Scott Phillips.
Masonic history has existed in Northwest Florida since around 1771 when England was in control of the City of Pensacola. Ten Brothers petitioned the Grand Lodge of Scotland and were granted a charter on May 3, 1771. That Lodge was designated "St. Andrew’s Lodge No. 1 of West Florida." But in 1781, when the city and port came under Spanish rule, Masonry scattered, with St. Andrew’s Lodge moving to Charleston, South Carolina. It wasn't until 1807 that Masonry returned to Pensacola via the South Carolina influence, for in March of that year a Lodge was chartered and known as Good Intentions Lodge No. 56, of Pensacola, Florida.
The duration of this Lodge's existence is not known. The last mention of this Lodge appeared in the 1932 Proceedings of the M.W. Grand Lodge F. & A. M. of the State of Florida, Page 53, under Relics, "Brother Bleeker Forbes of Escambia Lodge No. 15, presented to the Grand Lodge the original patent, aprons and collars of our late Brother Ferdinand Moreno of Good Intentions Lodge No. 56, of Pensacola, Florida." There is no further mention of the existence of Masonry in Northwest Florida until 1845 when Benjamin Overman was granted a Dispensation from the Grand Lodge of Florida to establish Escambia Lodge No. 15, U.D. Exactly what month this dispensation was granted is not known, the Grand Lodge Proceedings of December 1845 shows that our lodge was in attendance and that the Dispensation had been granted by Grand Master Jesse Coe.
On December 9. 1846, at the 3:00 PM session of Grand Lodge, Escambia Lodge No.15 A.F.A.M received its Charter (reference: Page 122 of the 1846 Grand Lodge Proceedings). This Lodge has been in existence since that date and is the seventh oldest Lodge in the Grand Lodge of Florida jurisdiction.
During the Civil War our original Charter was lost, and a new one was issued on January 11, 1866. It was also during the Civil War, according to an article in Book No. 9, from the Pensacola Museum of History and reprinted in several Lodge publications, that "practically all official records including the Minute books were lost in the burning of the Lodge in Greenville, Alabama, to which they had been moved for temporary storage." Ironically as it may seem, when we were reviewing our Minutes book of 1866, the secretary recorded, "the Worshipful Master said he had lost our Charter, but our records were safe in Greenville, Alabama." That statement was worth checking out.
In 1886, a few of our brothers ventured to Greenville and met with a member of Eureka Lodge No. 64, in Greenville, who had been Secretary of that Lodge for almost 50 years, and he stated that to his knowledge there had never been a fire in either the old Lodge building or the new one. The City Court House burned down during the Civil War, but not the Lodge. When asked what happened to the old records, he replied that they were sent to Grand Lodge in Montgomery right before moving into their new Lodge building. In June of 1896, we requested the Grand Secretary of Alabama if he would see if by chance our old records were included in the old records of Eureka Lodge No. 64. As of this date we have not received any report from the Grand Secretary. But realizing the task we set before him, it could be a while before we hear anything. Eureka Lodge is quite a bit older than our Lodge. During the first years of our existence the Lodge rented rooms from the City of Pensacola, as well as over S. Z. Gonzalez's, George Pfeiffer’s, and Charles Peterson's businesses. In 1867 the City of Pensacola deeded Lot K to the Lodge for the purpose of erecting a Lodge building. At least two other buildings were erected as the home of Escambia Lodge No. 15, one in 1870 and another in 1876. It was in 1896 that we purchased the lot situated on Garden Street, at a cost of $3,750.00.
In the year 1999, Worshipful Robert R. Pilgrim Jr received recommendations from both the Building and Finance Committees members of Escambia Lodge No. 15 F&AM to sell the downtown location and start construction on our present-day site at 2920 Lodge Leaf Drive, Pensacola Fl. 32526. The new site is 11000 sq ft. The old Lodge room located at 5 1/4 Garden st as we knew it was replicated to the same dimensions; everything was removed from the lodge room refinished and installed to our specifications. The dining hall and library was enlarged to accommodate large groups. as well, we currently own over 6.25 acres along with plenty of parking. Note: Special Thanks to our Brother Albert William Schonberg who was raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason on February 13th, 1920, for his generous donation to our Lodge.
John Appleyard’s Published this Article in the Pensacola News Journal June 25th, 2017
One of downtown Pensacola's most iconic structures stands on the southeast corner of Palafox and Garden streets.
At the turn of the 20th century this building, erected as the Masonic Lodge, helped set an architectural standard, for it did — and still does — encompass design and style which were unique. When constructed, the handsome building was a new site for local Masons, who had been part of life here since Revolutionary War times.
Worldwide Masonic traditions date from June 24, 1717, when four groups joined forces in London to become the Grand Lodge. Freemasonry was a concept which combined spiritual, patriotic and domestic principles which helped establish and sustain high quality citizenship. The concept moved rapidly across the Atlantic.
Membership was in evidence throughout the British colonies when war began in 1775, and a lodge was present in Pensacola in the early 1790s as evidenced by the Masonic honors presented at the funeral of Alexander McGillivray.
McGillivray had been chief of the Creek nation for some years. His death had come here, and burial was in the garden of the waterfront Panton-Leslie Trading Company. Note was made at the time that, while McGillivray was a Mason, the local Catholic clergy would not permit his interment in the community cemetery because of the chief's ties to the native Americans.
Into the 19th century, there were further lodge charters here, some coming from stations in South Carolina. The first was noted in 1807. The growing lodge, which occupied a variety of headquarters, was disrupted by the War Between the States but resumed activity soon after.
Beginning with the 1870s, new "homes" were leased or erected; then, in 1896 the lot at the southeast corner of Palafox and Garden streets was purchased for $3,750. Available data does not identify the architect of the structure to be built. The builders were the Turner Construction Company. The facility would rise to three full stories, and the front would be capped by the Masonic seal, readily viewable from the street.
The lower floor would provide a funding source for many of the lodge's needs. Initially the Avery Hardware Company was located there; in later times clothing stores and a variety of firms would be present, prior to the sale of the property to James Richardson, whose firm presided over the handsome recent remodeling. It was then that the Masonic Lodge building was turned to new uses.
Through the structure's life it was headquarters for Escambia Lodge 15, F & AM, its administrative functions, regular meetings and assemblies, and also was used periodically as the site for community functions. The roster of lodge members included, over time, many of the community's best-known men.
Over time many of the lodge members elected to also become part of other Masonic functions, such as the Scottish Rite and the York Rite. (The Scottish Rite proceeded early in the 20th century to acquire the historic home of Gov. Edward Perry.)
The historic value of the Masonic Lodge Hall is illustrated by its location. Located on the city's most targeted four-corner intersection, there has been a church and parsonage, a hotel, a theater, commercial offices, the three-and-seven storied Blount buildings and the Mason's Lodge.
Time, fires, purposes and usage all have seen other structures come and go. However, when the community takes note of its buildings of greater than 100 years it is the Mason's Lodge which has been the survivor. Viewed today, it sustains a character which places it well in its time frame, worthy of notice.
PAST LOCATIONS OF ESCAMBIA LODGE No.15 F&AM
IN THE YEAR 1999 A SEARCH OF THE RECORDS REVEALED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF WEST FLORIDA THAT OVER OUR LONG-STORIED HISTORY, ESCAMBIA LODGE No.15 F&AM HAS MET IN 12 DIFFERENT LOCATIONS.
*PRIOR TO APRIL 1861 OUR HISTROY IS UNKNOWN,
*FROM APRIL 1861 TIL MARCH 1, 1866, WE RENTED A ROOM DOWNTOWN OVER S.C. GONZALEZ’S STORE,
*FROM MARCH 1866 TIL NOV 1877 WE LEASED A ROOM DOWNTOWN FROM GEORGE PFEIFFER,
*FROM NOV 1867 TIL DEC 1868 WE LEASED A ROOM DOWNTOWN FROM CHARLES PETERSON,
*FROM JAN 1869 TIL 1870 WE USED THE I.O.O.F. HALL DOWNTOWN.
*ON 12/ 19/ 1870 WE LAYIED THE FIRST CORNERSTONE ON LAND PURCHASED FROM ANTHONY W. & MARY E. HORTON IN THE AMOUNT OF $70.00. ON MAR 1ST 1875 THAT PROPERTY SOLD.
*ON MAY 6TH 1876 WE PURCHASED A PARCEL OF LAND FROM WILLIAM A. & LOUIS A. BOOTH LOCATED ON NORTH SIMPSON STREET FOR THE AMOUNT OF $200.00. SIMPSON STREET IS NOW WRIGHT STREET, WE REMAIND THERE UNTIL 1884.
*ON APRIL 21ST 1884 TIL JULY 1885 WE USED THE PYTHIAS HALL TO MEET.
*FROM JULY 1885 THE LODGE MET ON THE CORNER OF EAST SARRAGOSA AND THEN COMMANDENCIA STREET AND REMAIND THERE UNTIL 1899.
*IN DECEMBER 1896 THE MEMBERS PURCHASED LAND FROM NELLIE H. ROSS A WIDOW, THE LAND GENERATIONS WOULD LOVE AND ADMIRE, AS WELL ENJOY VISITING STILL STANDS ON THE CORNER OF 5 ¼ EAST GARDEN ST AND PALAFOX, THE LAND WAS PURCHASED FOR SUM OF $3,750.00, THEN IN JAN 1897 WE PURCHASED 10’ WHICH IS CALLED THE OLD PIPE RACK.
*ON JUNE 26TH 1899 THE LODGE WAS OFFICIALLY DEDICATED.
*IT WAS ALSO ON THAT DATE THE FIRST DEGREE WAS CONFFERRED, A MASTER MASON DEGREE WAS THEN CONFFERRED UPON BROTHER W.W. WATSON WHO LATER BECAME WORSHIPFUL MASTER IN 1907.
*IN 1999 THE WORSHIPFUL MASTER, ROBERT PILGRIM JR AS WELL, THE LODGE MEMBERS WERE TASK WITH RECEIVING COST TO UPGRADE THE EXSISTING BUILDING TO COMPLY WITH ALL CODES AS WELL THE ADA ACT AS WELL FOUNDATION ISSUES AND THE OVERALL CONDITION THE LODGE BUILDING (STRUCTURAL) WASN’T SUBSTAINABLE FROM OUR FUNDING SOURCES, AFTER MONTHS OF MEETING THE BUILDING/ FINANCE COMMITTEE AGREED IT WAS
TIME TO CONSTRUCT A NEW LODGE ELSEWHERE. THE PROPERTY COMMITTEE WAS CHARGED WITH FINDING THE LOCATION OF THE NEW BUILDING, A VAST NUMBER OF LOCATIONS WERE PRESENT BUT, ALL AGREED THE 2920 LONGLEAF DRIVE LOCATION BEST SUITED OUR NEEDS. IN 1999 THE OLD LODGE BUILDING WAS PLACE ON THE MARKET TO SALE.
*THE MASTER, WARDENS AND BUILDING COMMITTEE WERE AGAIN TASK WITH FINDING A TEMPORARY MEETING PLACE, THE KIND BRETHERN FROM NAVAL LODGE No. 24 F&AM HEARD OF THE ISSUES FACING US DURING THIS TIME AND FORMALLY MADE AN OFFER TO USE THEIR MASONIC HALL FOR OUR MEETING’S UNTIL OUR NEW BUILDING WAS COMPLETED.
*IN THE YEAR 2000, OUR NEW LODGE BUILDING WAS COMPLETED AND THUS WE STARTED A NEW BEGINNING AT 2920 LONGLEAF DRIVE PENSACOLA FLORIDA 32526.
* SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR LATE HONORABLE BROTHER ALBERT WILLIAM SHONBERG FOR HIS GENERIOUS CONTRIBUTION AND FORSITE, KNOWING EVEN BACK IN THE EARLY 1920’S, ONE DAY ESCAMBIA LODGE No. 15 F&AM WOULD HAVE TO AGAIN MOVE AND BUILD A NEW LODGE.
At Escambia Lodge No.15 F&AM, our mission is to provide education and resources to support mental health and wellness in our community.
We offer a variety of programs and services to support mental health, including counseling, support groups, and educational workshops.
Over the past year, we have helped over 1,000 individuals in our community improve their mental health and well-being.
Your generous donations help us continue our mission of providing much needed support to our community. Join us in making a difference in Pensacola and preserving our rich history since 1846. Every contribution counts, no matter the size. Thank you for your support!