09/26/2026
Built on an 80-Mile Carpool, Bake Sales, and Pure Brotherhood: The Untold Origin of Surfside Lodge #112.
Great institutions don’t start with large budgets or grand buildings. They start with dedicated men who refuse to let distance stand in the way of purpose.
According to the official 1982 Grand Inspector report by R.W. John A. Dickey, Surfside Lodge began with a simple reality: several brothers living in Oceanside were driving an 80-mile round trip, 3 to 4 times every month, to attend lodge meetings at Starling J. Hopkins Lodge No. 83.
During one of those long drives home, an idea was born in a carpool: Why not bring Prince Hall Freemasonry home to North County?
Before Grand Master William D. Leach granted our dispensation on December 30, 1981, the founding brothers formed the "Square Masonic Study and Social Club of North County" and went to work:
Grassroots Hustle: They raised their first operational budget by collecting and recycling aluminum cans, setting up tables at local swap meets, and selling baked goods prepared by their supportive wives.
Self-Help Craftsmanship: When funds were tight, the brethren built and donated the lodge tools themselves—handcrafting the altar, rods, columns, gavels, and ballot box.
Finding a Home: They rented space at the local Odd Fellows Hall to conduct their meetings and degree work.
Community Faith: For their sacred Saint John the Baptist Day observances, they gathered in local Oceanside sanctuaries—first at Saint John’s Church in 1981, and later with the congregation of Second Missionary Baptist Church in June 1982.
By the time Surfside was officially chartered, that small carpool had exploded into a powerhouse of over 60 active brothers serving North County.
We share this history because it reminds us who we are. Every time we open our Lodge today, we remember the men who built this foundation with their own hands, their own cars, and their own sweat.
