Washington Lodge #20 Free & Accepted Masons

     Washington Lodge has had many distinguished Members from the past including four Governors of California : John Bigler was the first California Senator from Sacramento John Bigler, Governor, also member of Tehama #3

On Public Schools:  As early as 1853 Washington 20 was much concerned with schooling of the children of our deceased Brother Powell late of New York City. Six years later Chico Lodge #11provided scholarships for some Masonic Orphans at the Alameda Institute for young Ladies and Gents.  Many other references to Lodges providing funds for board and room and tuition. Martinez Lodge was used as a public school.

     On restoring a Brother:  In 1871 Washington Lodge #20, on February 2, 1871, acting against better judgment, restored a Brother who had been suspended for non payment of dues since 1862.  The restoration was made at the earnest solicitation of the Master of Western Star # 2 , of Shasta, in whose jurisdiction the Brother was living at that time.  Ten days later the Brother was dead, and on April 6, Washington Lodge received a bill from Western Star for $ 135.50 for his funeral expense including $ 20 for music of a brass band.  The bill was rejected.

     Grand Lodge of California opened for the first time April 19,1850,  12:00 noon.  At that meeting Connecticut Lodge was changed to Tehama #3 .  The first Lodge was in the attic of a store building called the Red House on the southeast corner of Fifth and J Streets.  This Temple was described as follows:  " The second story was kept as a lodging house and beds were let at $ 5 per night.   Masonry being a progressive and moral science taught by degrees only; To ascend where the craft were to receive their wages was found to be occupied by those who from their sex and morals, were ineligible to receive the degrees of Masonry; thus the Lodge found it necessary to vacate and find other quarters.”

     In 1849 and 1850 Sacramento was described as a Lazar-house, defined as an institution of derelicts, diseased beggars and from the bible the brother of Mary and Martha whom Jesus raised from the dead.   Sacramento had hundreds of sick and dying, needing relief.   Most had cholera from drinking contaminated water on the overland journey to California.  Several Brethren exemplified the tenets of brotherly love, relief and truth.   They were Dr. Morse of Essex, Vermont graduate of New York College of Medicine 1844, came to Sacramento in 1849;  Brother J. D. B. Stillman organizer of Masons and Oddfellows Hospital at Sutters Fort;  Brother Albert Maver Winn President of Masons and Oddfellows Relief Association.   Col. Winn was commissioned Colonel of the 1st Regular Mississippi Militia.  These Brothers were men of means and dug deep in there pockets and gave much of their time.    Brother Winn was later commissioned a Brigadier General by Governor Peter H. Burnett and reappointed by Governor Bigler.    General Winn submitted a bill to the Legislature for reimbursement of $14,000, which was denied.   Winn’s actual expenditures came to $21,500.  Think of it in terms of about 50 times that much in today's dollars.    Governor Bigler, a member of Washington #20, was very active in relief work during the crisis, and was also very active in local and State politics, elected Governor in 1851 and serving two terms.  Bigler was charter member of Tehama #3 but let his dues lapse and was suspended.  He quickly set things aright and became a member of our Lodge until his death.

     Washington was the fourth Lodge organized in Sacramento -- it came into being in a difficult time.   Tehama, Jennings & Sutter, sister Lodges, were in dire straits.   Tehama and Jennings were staggering under a huge relief debt.   Jennings went under both from debt and the floods.

     Our first Master, under dispensation received February 19, 1852, was Charles Denscombe; Senior Warden was Jesse Morrill; and Junior Warden Jeb Thompson .  On May 5, 1852 we received our charter and on May 13, Nathaniel Green Curtis was elected master under the charter.  Brother Curtis later became Grand Master of  Masons in California.

    In Section #2 above, the reader was introduced to General Winn.   An interesting aside concerning General Winn is that he lived in Vicksburg, Mississippi from 1834 until 1849 and was appointed a Colonel in the Regular Mississippi Militia.  Who appoints colonels in State Militias ?   We know Winn was a Mason in Vicks-burg, Mississippi when John Anthony Quitman was Grand Master of Masons in Mississippi, 1820-1837 and Governor of Mississippi 1835 until 1839 or longer. so it  is a good assumption that Quitman appointed Winn a Colonel.  Winn was a prominent City Councilman  in Sacramento and the Mayor.  In 1850 Governor Burnett commissioned Winn a Brigadier in  California State Militia, and was reappointed by Governor Bigler in 1854.  In August 1850 there was a squatters revolt and armed squatters killed the elected sheriff of Sacramento.  Governor Burnett ordered General Winn to take over the City under Martial Law, to put down the squatters riot, which was done rapidly and efficiently restoring peace and harmony .  General Winn moved to San Francisco in 1860 and  in 1875 founded The Native Sons of Golden West.  He moved to Sonoma late 1875, died August 26, 1883 at age 73 years. 
     Going back to Washington Lodge in the early 1850's a quote from 100 years of Freemasonry in California is as follows: "One of the earliest noticeable characteristics of Washington Lodge was the general level headedness and solid business methods of its guiding spirits.  As early as the second meeting under dispensation they concerned themselves not only with obtaining just a meeting place, but with obtaining a meeting place of their own.  They appointed Joel Bell, J.A. Bullard, and Curtis as a Committee to confer with various Masonic and Odd Fellows Lodges of the city on purchasing a suitable lot  on which to build a Masons and Odd Fellows Hall.  They carried the same practicality into their charitable works.  The charity box was on the alter at every meeting. "

     Washington Lodge had 39 Master Masons in May 1853; 94 in 1854 -- most of the1854 gains were by initiation.  In the period of 1854 to 1857 three new Lodges were formed: Sacramento 40, Union 58, and Concord.  The falling off of gold production and the Civil War made things even worse, bringing numerous withdrawals and suspensions for non payment of dues.  By 1865 we only had 52 members on the roll.  By 1900 we climbed back to 85 members.  Note that this number grew to 705 members in 1949.

     Frequently in a burst of enthusiasm, many a Secretary will refer to his own Lodge as a Mother of Lodges.  No Secretary had any more right to do so than that of Washington Lodge.  A survey of Washington's minutes will show it recommended dispensation for no less than nine Lodges in and around Sacramento from 1852 to 1864, and one in Virginia City, NV.  (The recommendation for the Virginia City  Lodge was probably the cause of the old time rumor that an early Sacramento Lodge assumed the prerogative of Grand Lodge  and issued a dispensation to a lodge in Nevada.  It was dated January 1,1863.)

     In 1930 Charles Igram making a digest of our Lodges minutes for Grand Lodge History Committee, observed: This Lodge was the Mother Lodge of perhaps a score (20), of Lodges in all directions from Sacramento.  In 1872 we refused to recommend several unaffiliated brothers of Sacramento who wished to open a lodge to be known as Industrial Lodge.

     Our minutes have little to say about the Civil War aside from an allusion or two to the public enemy.  There were some strong feelings one way and  another, and it is known one of the most distinguished of Masons was denied a high state appointment, as late as 1883 , for alleged pro-Southern sentiment during the war.  The only time the Lodge itself officially went on record was May 4, 1865, when it passed a long rhetoric filled resolution condemning the assassination of Lincoln.  It was perhaps the strongest resolution of its kind passed by any Lodge in the State.

     Another thing noticeably absent from the records of Washington Lodge in the early years is the naive humor found in the minutes of other less erudite Lodges of mining and agricultural districts. The word "erudite" means "deeply learned, polished or taught." Its use is probably affirmed by a large number of the brethren at the time being in law and other Learned professions."