Democracy from the
ground up
Perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise that
men who sat in seats of power also served
on the line at Washington Lodge. When the
lodge was founded in 1852 it was at a time
of crisis in the city: A cholera epidemic was
sweeping the city, causing a state of emergency and putting a tremendous burden
on the three established lodges – Tehama,
Jennings, and Sutter Lodges.
Still, the new Washington Lodge, led by
first Master Charles Denscombe, swung into
action. Governor Bigler was active in the relief effort then, as well. Once the epidemic
passed, and as early as 1853, the brothers of
Washington Lodge paid for the schooling of
the children of a brother who had passed.
“Masonry is this kind of mutual, sym-
biotic thing. It makes men great and they
make Masonry great – and that creates a
strong, positive effect on society,” says Past
Master Richard Wilson, 66, who joined the
lodge at age 23. “The fact that we have been
involved in the fabric of the community for
so long means a lot to me.”
“I’m reminded of the past masters in the
pictures on the walls, in the aprons in the
cases out in the lobby,” says Cameron, a
past master himself. “I’m really honored to
be in the position to share space with men
who are governors, attorneys, doctors – men
of various backgrounds, who led with such
great enthusiasm.”
And while current members may not
hold such high profiles outside the lodge
as some of those members from the lodge’s
founding, Cameron says he is as inspired by the current members as by those from history.
“A lot of men are attracted to the lodge for its history, and you
can see the gears turning as they read the list of past masters,”
he says. “But to me, the honor is meeting great men who may
not be ‘great’ to the outside world. They’re great men in their
actions and in their everyday walks of life: honorable, upstanding men who share a common love and respect for each other,
no matter what.”
