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History of Anaheim No. 207 |
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 Anaheim Lodge No. 207 was formed by a group of Free and Accepted Masons on February 27, 1870. These Masons met for the purpose of aiding a distressed Worthy Brother Mason who was newly arrived from Texas.
On March 12th, 1870 the same Brethren assembled and ordered that a petition for dispensation be prepared. The dispensation was granted by Grand Master Leonidas E. Pratt on May 17th, 1870. The first meeting of Anaheim Lodge No. 207 under dispensation was held on May 28th of that year.
The Lodge Charter was granted on October 14th, 1870 at the 21st Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of California.
By 1876, the Brethren were meeting regularly at the Lodge, then located on Los Angeles Street at the end of First Street in the new - but rapidly growing - city of Anaheim, California. Anaheim 207 was a bustling Lodge. As one of the oldest Lodges in Orange County, it and it's members have been instrumental in the formation of numerous other area Lodges, and it has helped it's surrounding city grow into the metropolis it has become today.
In 1913 work was begun on a larger Temple building at 104 North Emily Street in downtown Anaheim. The cornerstone was properly laid, and work began in earnest on June 20th of that year. The Masonic Building Association of Anaheim was founded a the completion of the Temple, and was incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1959.
Because of the continued growth of the Lodge and the surrounding city, plans were begun in 1978 to build a new Temple. By 1982, City of Anaheim redevelopment work forced a move by the Lodge to temporary quarters at 232 South Lemon Street.
The construction for the newest Temple building was begun on May 5th, 1983 at our present location of 303 West Lincoln Ave. The cornerstone was officially laid on August 23rd, 1983. Laid with the cornerstone was a Masonic Building Time Capsule constructed of #304 stainless steel containing twelve sealed canisters filled with inert gas. |
