Read more in the latest feature of California Freemason
“Favorable” lodge numbers are no guarantee of anything, of course. Lucky lodge № 7 in 1851 folded after just three years, making it California’s first to relinquish its charter.
Meanwhile, Nevada № 13 has remained active and thriving for 175 years despite—or maybe because of—its infamous number. Though it was the 13th lodge chartered in California, it’s now the eighth oldest, as several earlier single‑digit lodges have since closed.
Past master Lee Wilbourne says the lodge nearly ended up with an even lower number. “The story, or the urban legend, is that the water was too high on the river in Marysville, so they couldn’t get the charter to San Francisco in time, and a few other lodges got in before us,” he explains. “That’s how we ended up with 13.”
Explore more California lodges with especially memorable numbers: californiafreemason.org/lodge-numbers