Victoria Lodge No. 56

Established 1854

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Victoria Lodge No. 56

A brief history

The place where Lake Huron empties into the St. Clair River was called The Rapids by the English settlers, and Les Chutes by the French. In 1836 it was given the name Port Sarnia. Pine Grove Lodge No. 11 (Grand Register of Michigan) welcomed and initiated men from Sarnia. Some Masons from afar settled in and around Sarnia. Travel to London or St. Thomas to attend lodge was too far until the railway arrived in 1859.

Victoria Lodge, Port Sarnia, received a dispensation from R. W. Brother Sir Allan Napier MacNab, Provincial Grand Master of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Canada West in 1854 and was instituted on June 10, 1854. Provincial Warrant No. 47 was issued on July 19, 1854. The Lodge was registered with United Grand Lodge of England and received Warrant No. 950 bearing the date August 20, 1855. On September 9, 1857, in Toronto, the Provincial Grand Lodge of Canada West dissolved and formed itself into the Ancient Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Canada with M. W. Bro. Sir Allan Macnab as Grand Master. All subordinate Lodges, including Victoria, were required to surrender their Warrants and received dispensations to work under the new Grand Lodge, Victoria’s being dated September 10, 1857. Victoria continued to be numbered as “47″ on the register. When these two Grand Lodges were united on July 14, 1858, Victoria Lodge affiliated with the Grand Lodge A.F. & A.M. of Canada, receiving a new dispensation dated July 14, 1858. At this time, it retained its original (Provincial and Ancient Grand Lodge) number of “47.” During the general renumbering of 1859 it was renumbered as No. 56. This 1859 dispensation or warrant was destroyed by fire sometime before March 28, 1867, and was replaced by a new Warrant bearing that date.

Victoria Lodge No. 56 has been Warranted under three Grand Lodges: Provincial Grand Lodge of Canada West, United Grand Lodge of England, and the Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario.

The names of early members of Victoria Lodge are remembered in the names of streets in Sarnia: Vidal, Cameron, Mackenzie, Durand, and Mitton. Victoria Lodge No. 56 has supported the growth of Freemasonry in Sarnia by contributing to the formation of Moore Lodge No. 294, Point Edward Lodge No. 419 (now Liberty Lodge), Tuscan Lodge No. 437, and St. Paul Lodge No. 601.

During its existence, eleven members of Victoria Lodge have served as Mayor of Sarnia; five have served as Warden of Lambton County; eight have been parliamentary representatives, two have served as Ontario Judges, and several Chiefs of Police have been members.

Two members of Victoria Lodge No. 56 have gone on to be elected the Grand Master in other jurisdictions. M.W. Bro. Alexander Barclay Taylor was made a Mason in Victoria Lodge No. 56 in 1880. He worked for Great Western Railway, the Grand Trunk Railway, and the Northern Pacific Railway. Though born in London, and working for a while in Sarnia, he also worked in Philadelphia and eventually settled in Fargo, North Dakota. Having entered our Fraternity in Sarnia, he continued his Masonic career in North Dakota. M.W. Bro. Taylor served on the Finance Committee of the Grand Lodge of North Dakota for several years and was elected as the 28th Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of North Dakota for 1916 – 1917.

M.W. Bro. James J. Dunlop grew up in Sarnia. He became a Mason in Victoria Lodge No. 56 1876 and served as Secretary for a while. After high school, he became a jeweller, and eventually moved to Winnipeg for business purposes. He left Winnipeg for Edmonton and in 1900 took a position in the Land Titles Office for the remainder of his working life. He was elected the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Alberta for 1910 – 1911.

Victoria Lodge No. 56 has welcomed other Grand Masters as honourary members including M.W. Bro. Gary L. Atkinson (Grand Master of the Grand Lodge Canada in the Province of Ontario 2005 – 2007) and M.W. Bro. Peter Dunlop (Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Alberta 2011 – 2012).

The William Mercer Wilson Medal was created in 1945 to recognize longstanding extra-ordinary service in Masonry, as well as service in civic, community, and religious aspects of life. Bro. Clarence A. Atmore was presented with the William Mercer Wilson Medal in 1969.

On September 10, 2017, in the presence of the Grand Master, M.W. Bro. John C. Green, Tuscan Lodge amalgamated with Victoria Lodge, No. 56 of Sarnia. The warrant of Tuscan Lodge No. 437 was surrendered.

Victoria Lodge No. 56 meets on the first Tuesday of the month, September through June, at the Sarnia Masonic Hall, 245 Essex Street, Sarnia, Ontario.