The founding of H. B. Masonic Lodge

A few days ago Charles Grosman reminded me that his lodge had reached the century mark and his organization, the Huntington Beach Masonic Lodge #380, will celebrate its 100th birthday June 25.

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It was in the early 1900s that several of our male residents joined the Santa Ana Masonic Lodge.

Traveling in those days would take the best part of the day just to reach Santa Ana from Huntington Beach by horse and carriage.

Because the Santa Ana River bed that separates our town from Santa Ana was too soft to cross directly, one would have to travel up to Westminster and then out to Santa Ana.

It was in January or February of 1906 on just such a trip that a group of masons were leaving that lodge in Santa Ana to return to their homes in our town.

The prospect of a long, cold, rainy ride back got the men to thinking about forming a lodge in Huntington Beach that would be easier for them to reach.

A meeting of several masons interested in forming a local lodge was called on April 26, 1906. This meeting was held in the office of the Huntington Beach Lumber Co. and was attended by George A. Cobert; James A. Day; Julius Gillispie; Andrew Griffith, the manager of the lumber company; John J. Goetz; Fredrick E. Harrison; C.T. Ingersall; H.J. Pollard; Dr. George A. Shank; and Foster Wilson. Griffith was named chair and Wilson elected secretary for this meeting.

It was decided the time was right for Huntington Beach to have its own Masonic Lodge. These founding members decided to name the lodge the Huntington Beach Lodge.

The next order of business was the election of officers, and it was voted that Andrew Griffith would be master, John Goetz would serve as senior warden and George Shank as junior warden.

After the election, Griffith appointed two committees. The first, comprised of Fredrick Harrison and Julius Gillispie, was charged with preparing a petition to the Grand Lodge for dispensation. Foster Wilson headed the second committee. It was responsible for finding a suitable meeting hall in town for the membership to use.

At the next meeting Wilson reported that the Odd Fellows had offered to rent the use of their hall. Wilson told Gillispie and the others that the rent for the Odd Fellows hall would be $3 for one meeting a month, or, if the masons wanted to meet once a week, the rent would be $10 a month, including lights and janitorial services. It was agreed they would rent the hall for $10.

Griffith, the Lodge’s first master, had quite a life history himself. Born Andrew Wiley Griffith in Cheshire County, England, he was for most of his young life raised aboard a sailing ship. Before he was halfway into his teen years, Griffith had visited nearly all the principal ports and countries in the civilized world.

He had rounded the Horn twice before his ship docked in San Francisco, and the 15-year-old Griffith left the sea and headed for Southern California.

He arrived in Long Beach, where he entered grammar school and continued to live after graduating from high school. Coming to Huntington Beach, Griffith would marry and attend law school. In 1911, he was admitted to the bar.

Griffith would serve as Lodge Master from 1906 to 1908 and would remain an active lodge member until his passing.

Next week we’ll continue looking at the rich history of its members and our town as it grows up.