Month: April 2026

Spring Issue of California Freemason: Masonic Style

Personal style speaks volumes about the person you are, and Masons across California have style in spades. In the new issue of California Freemason, feast your eyes on the many ways lodges express their Masonic pride. Some draw from local history, the spirit of their hometown, or even pop culture references. Others reflect shared heritage or the unique backgrounds of the brothers who gather there.

Whether it’s Highland tartan, Gold Rush-era attire, blue-collar workwear, leather jackets patched with miles of road, style is a connecting thread that ties individuals to something bigger—our communities, our histories, and the enduring legacy of the Craft itself. This inspired collection of lodge looks prove the square and compasses over our hearts unite us in ways that will always be in style.

Digging Up the Past at a Masonic Cemetery

This year, the Grand Lodge of California is working to uncover more local history contained within the small Jamestown Masonic Cemetery. Built in 1854, it served the membership of St. James № 54 until 1875, when the lodge disbanded. Today it’s one of two GoldRush-era cemeteries owned by Grand Lodge, which has set out to clean up and make repairs to the site, and to catalogue all known and unknown remains there.
So far, the effort has included using a canine forensic team to locate unmarked burials, developing boundary and topographical reports, and engaging a team of researchers to dig up the stories behind the burials including the mausoleum of John Pereira, one of Jamestown’s leading figures.
An early miner in the area, he later distinguished himself as an orchard owner, winemaker, and a real estate magnate. He built the Jamestown Hotel, where President McKinley once stayed, and helped establish the Sierra Railway depot, transforming Jamestown from a humble mining camp into a proper little city.