Summit Lodge of Knights Ferry was instituted and the
charter was granted on May 14, 1857, under the
authority of J. K. Shafter, acting as Deputy Grand
Master. Originally the meeting nights were on the
first Saturday on or before the full of the moon.
In the month of March of 1860, a committee of seven
was appointed by the Master of the Lodge to procure
such furniture as in their judgement was most needed
for the Hall. The amount was not to exceed $250.00.
However, the actual amount spent reached $251.50.
Apparently there was no objection to the over
expenditure. Most of those same furnishings are
still in use in the Lodge today.
One of the earliest orders of business, while the
Lodge was under dispensation, was the taking of a
note in the amount of $500.00 toward the erection of
a Masonic Hall. However, the members of the Lodge
continued to meet in the old school house in Knights
Ferry for thirteen years.
In December of 1868, it was decided that a committee
be formed to investigate the possibility of
negotiating with the Supervisors of Stanislaus
County to erect a Masonic Hall on top of the County
court House in Knights Ferry. Another committee was
formed to ascertain the cost of a suitable site for
the erection of its own building. The Supervisors
gave their permission to allow the Masons to build
on top of the Court House. However, other
circumstances must have prevailed because it was
decided not to build there, but rather to erect a
"suitable house" on their own land. This latter
decision proved to be wise. The Court House was
eventually destroyed by fire and most assuredly
would have destroyed the Lodge with it. In 1870 they
completed the present hall we use today.
As time passed, it became necessary to purchase
various pieces of equipment and furniture for use in
the Hall. In February of 1872, it was noted that one
and a half dozen spittoons were purchased. In April
of the same year, two pillars and a carpet for the
Second Degree work were purchased. The carpet and
the pillars are still in use, but not a single
spittoon can be found today.
On December 24, 1887, Summit Lodge was presented
with a "magnificent copy of the Holy Bible" by
Brother O. C. Drew. The members of the Lodge
expressed their heart-felt appreciation by an
appropriate notation in the Lodge minutes. The same
Bible has been used regularly in all of the Lodge's
activities ever since that date.
Thus it was in the Spring of 1968, Grand Master
Eugene S. Hopp suggested that Summit Lodge mine the
necessary gold and create from it a new Grand
Master's lapel pin. The pin to be passed from Grand
Master to Grand Master with the proceeding years.
The pin itself was made by Summit Lodge Past Master
William L. Waggle. It was cast in sand made from
clay of the same variety found in the clay grounds
of Jordan. No modern tools were used and it was hand
carved. An alloy of gold and brass creates the
yellow background. The rose color is the result of
the combining of copper, brass, and gold. A
combination of gold and silver provides the
mountings for the three diamonds. A close
examination of the pin will disclose a number of
Masonic symbols. If anyone should have the
opportunity to meet the Grand Master and observe the
pin, he will notice a small crack near the letter "C" in the word "California". This crack is
emblematic of the destruction of King Solomon's
Temple.
It was with great honor and pride that the new Grand
Master's pin, made from pure California Mother Lode
Gold, was presented to our Most Worshipful Grand
Master at the 1968 Proceedings of the Grand Lodge.
Probably from this historic event, it has been a
tradition for many years in Summit Lodge for the
members to mine for gold for a jewel to present to their outgoing Master.
