#192 F.&A.M.
Table Lodge Dinner. 5:30pm Building tour, 6:00pm Lodge open on 1°, 6:15pm dinner. Celebrating Santa Barbara Lodge’s 140th anniversary.
Santa Barbara Masonic Lodge
16 East Carrillo Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
(805) 966-4502
Plans for a Temple building were started on April 12, 1923, and on August 9, 1923, Santa Barbara and Magnolia Lodges held a meeting with Carl Werner, an architect from San Francisco. The building was started in early 1924 and on July 24, 1924, the Grand Lodge Officers assembled and laid the Cornerstone in the North West corner under the direction of Deputy Grand Master, David Reese. He also installed the Officers of all five Lodges of the 67th district at the same time in one Lodge room.
After the present Temple was completed and before it could be occupied it was badly damaged by an earthquake on June 29, 1925, which took twelve lives in Santa Barbara, shattered Sheffield Reservoir, and caused structural damage throughout the community estimated between ten and twenty million dollars. With the assistance of Grand Lodge and through the personal interest of individuals like William Rhodes Hervey the present Temple was re-financed and rebuilt.
It is reported that while administering Masonic Relief and aid after the earthquake, John Reese, Grand Master of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of California & Hawaii, conceived the formation of La Cumbre Lodge. Led by William (Billy) Wallace McKee, a group of Masons from various other jurisdictions who were not affiliated with a Lodge within Santa Barbara met on February 27, 1926 to discuss the formation of a third Lodge in the city. On May 31, 1926. La Cumbre Lodge, under dispensation held its first meeting with a total of twenty five members. Over the years membership grew until in 1965 there were 290 members.
The unusual event of six brothers conferring the third degree on a seventh took place at La Cumbre Lodge one night, when the Erichsen brothers provided the candidate and performed the work. The members of this unique group were all born in Kewaunee, Wisconsin and were then members of various California lodges. The Senior Steward at the time was La Cumbre's own Matt Erichsen, who some fifteen years prior was raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason in La Cumbre Lodge by the other five brothers.