By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
NOV. 17, 2023 | With the closing of the Masonic Lodge in Norcross (No. 228) back in 2022, it made us curious about other Masonic lodges in Gwinnett.
Turns out that Masonic lodges have been in Gwinnett County since before the Civil War. The two oldest lodges in the county, in Snellville (No. 99) and Lawrenceville (No. 131), were both chartered by the Grand Lodge of Georgia, Free and Accepted Masons, on October 30, 1850. And presently, there are still 10 Masonic lodges functioning in the county.
So why did the Norcross Lodge close? In talking with its previous secretary, J.P. Maier of Norcross, he said that the upkeep on its two story building on South Peachtree Street, had a lot to do with it. Joe Brown of Lawrenceville was the lodge’s worshipful master when it closed. Another reason: over the years the lodge had a declining and much older membership.
The Norcross lodge was once known as the Yellow River Lodge, which was founded in 1858 in a more central part of the county. But by the 1870s, when the railroad came through Gwinnett, the lodge started meeting in Norcross, and eventually purchased its own building there.
“When we surrendered our charter,” Maier says, “that building needed substantial work for it to function as it should. In the past, we Masons would roll up our sleeves and do much of the work ourselves. Our membership being an aging group, finding it tough to crawl around in close spaces, we couldn’t do the work ourselves. And with current regulations, having to have licensed people come in for such work, it drove up the cost of maintaining the building.”
Lawrenceville Masonic Lodge on South Perry Street
So the membership, which counted 116 at the time, decided to sell the building and surrender its charter. The company that bought the site is currently remodeling the two story building.
The price of the sale was $1.1 million, which was distributed to individual charities. The Masons donated the biggest part of that money to the Masonic Home of Georgia. However, individual Masons determined which charities would receive money from the sale.
Meanwhile, 100 percent of the membership transferred to other lodges, primarily in Duluth, Lawrenceville or Chamblee.
Masonic activities continue briskly in Gwinnett, with most lodges holding twice a week meetings. The Masonic lodges in Gwinnett are:
- Snellville Lodge No. 99 – 119 members;
- Lawrenceville Lodge No. 131 – 113 members;
- Loganville (Fergus) Lodge No. 135 – 250 members;
- Buford Lodge No. 292 – 150 members;
- Sweetwater Lodge No. 421 – 110 members;
- Dacula Lodge No. 433 – 72 members;
- Duluth Lodge No. 480 – 162 members;
- Grayson Lodge No. 549 – 51 members;
- Mountain Park Lodge No. 729 – 126 members; and
- Gwinnett Daylight Lodge (Lawrenceville) No. 744 – 52 members.
Altogether in the state of Georgia, there are 27,116 freemasons, in 384 lodges, with membership holding steady.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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