NEWPORT MESA No.604

To give a background of the make-up of this Lodge, we will give a history of each of the three Lodges that have consolidated:

Jubilee Lodge No. 604, Seafaring Lodge No. 708 and Mar Vista Lodge No. 820.

July 25, 1924, The first meeting for the purpose of organizing a third Masonic Blue Lodge in the city of Santa Ana was held at Kitner’s cafe, Santa Ana. Present were some 13 Masons who desired to form a new Lodge.  Bro. Roy Horton was called to chair the meeting and Bro. Carl E. Carlson was named Secretary.  The Lodge was to be named Jubilee to commemorate the Golden Jubilee or 75th year of Masonry in California.  The chairman proposed that an election be held to name the three pedestal officers. He appointed three brother as Tellers. A vote was taken and it resulted in the election of Bro. Robert Speed as Worshipful Master, Bro. Carl E. Cowles, Senior Warden, and Bro. Lawrence L. Trickey, Junior Warden. At the second meeting held on July 27, 1924, Bro. Lawrence Trickey declined the election and Bro. Judson G. Sutherland was elected in his place.  After the request for Dispensation was signed by the three officers and some 22 charter members, it was forwarded to the Grand Lodge of California. Silver Cord Lodge let the proposed Lodge meet on one of their nights at the Santa Ana Temple.

December 18, 1924, Inspector Trago sent the certificates of qualifications for the officers of Jubilee Lodge to the Grand Master, together with a request that a dispensation be granted.

February 28, 1925, Jubilee Lodge, Under Dispensation (U.D.), was instituted by the Most Grand Master David J. Reese.

November 7, 1925, Jubilee Lodge, U.D., received its Charter at the Grand Lodge Communication of October 1925, and held its first meeting as Jubilee Lodge, No. 604.

May 7, 1927, it was resolved to change the meeting night to Monday, and the place to the Knights of Pythias Hall in Tustin. Meetings were held there until November 1, 1928, when Jubilee Lodge changed its meetings back to Saturday nights, and the Santa Ana Temple as the meeting place. It remained there until July 26, 1930, when by special dispensation it began meeting at Masonic Temple in the city of Orange during the period of construction of a new Masonic Temple in Santa Ana. Jubilee’s first meeting in the new Temple was held on September 3, 1931.  Since that time, the Santa Ana Temple was condemned for seismic reasons, even though it withstood, without damage, the Long Beach earthquake in 1933. The temple is still standing on the corner of 5th and Sycmaore in Santa Ana.

October 15, 1986, Jubilee Lodge moved out of Santa Ana to Westminster Temple, then to Seafaring Temple, Newport Beach, on October 10, 1988. There were two other Lodges meeting at Seafaring Temple: Seafaring Lodge, No. 708, and Mar Vista Lodge, No. 820.

September 1, 1996, Seafaring Lodge No. 708 and Jubilee Lodge No. 604, consolidated to become Seafaring Lodge No. 604.

July 1, 2005, Seafaring Lodge No. 640 and Mar Vista Lodge No. 708 consolidated into Newport Mesa Lodge No. 604.

In its 74 years, Jubilee Lodge No. 604 has had a total of seven secretaries, one serving as little as four months and one serving as long as 35 years.  Worshipful Warner Stenberg, P.M., prepared a two volume set of books on the history of Jubilee Lodge. My thanks and appreciation go out to him in his final resting place.