Lodge History

Indian River Lodge #90, Free and Accepted Masons was chartered on January 20, 1886 in Titusville, Florida and was named for the Indian River which runs the entire length of Brevard County. It is the only Florida lodge to be assigned the number 90 and is still actively meeting in Titusville

Indian River's first charter members were:

Samuel H. Ray
Andrew Frosher
Charles R. Carlin
M. O. Burnham
William R. Sanders
William S. Norwood
William B. Smith
Freasley J. Mendel

The first worshipful master of the lodge was Brother Alexander A. Stewart. Worshipful Brother Stewart was born December 20, 1840 near Jasper, Florida. Brother Stewart was a Lieutenant in the Confederate Army and moved to Brevard County after the Civil War. In 1871, he was appointed the Clerk of the Court in Brevard County and served until 1912. Brother Stewart died March 9, 1922 and is buried at Oaklawn Memorial Gardens in Titusville.

The lodge first met in the old two story framed courthouse built in 1881 on Palm Ave. This was just north of the Sheriff's residence and jail. When the Indian River Hotel was built around 1886, later to be known as the Dixie Hotel, the lodge moved in and met there for some time while the Masonic Hall was being built on the northwest corner of Julia St. and Hopkins Ave. This was just north of the Magnolia Theater, which is now known as the Emma Parish theater.

The Masonic Hall was completed in 1905 and dedicated by the Grand Master of Florida, M. W. Thomas B. Hutchinson. Meetings were held here until it burned in 1915. After this, the lodge moved to the second floor of the Scobie building, later known as Ford Hardware, on US1 in downtown Titusville. Meetings were held here for several years until the lodge moved to an area above the Davis Drug Store located at Julia St. and US1 and then to third floor of the Bayview Elementary School, on the future site of Titusville City Hall. Lodge meetings were held here until 1953, when construction was completed on the current lodge building located at the corner of Garden St. and US1.

Indian River Lodge #90 was very active in our community from it's very beginning and still is today with over 485 members.

Withover 100 years of Masonic History, we are proud to have been honored with 13 District Deputy Grand Masters:

George Scobie......1922
W. B. Kimble......1941-1943
L. C. Stewart......1947
James L. Carlile......1954
Ronald V. Bakas......1961
Robert W. Moyer......1970
Gerald H. Powell......1973
Gary B. Cull......1980
James A. Johns......1988
Thomas T. Corbin......1993
D. Lamar Surrency......1995
William P. Macken......2001
Roger K. Paul......2003
Gregory L. Davis......2007