Our History
On May 15, 1956, a group of Master Masons met at the Garden Canyon home of Verne Dale Hegge to organize a Masonic lodge near Fry Township, Arizona, forming the Fry Masonic Club.
On June 20, 1956, following the community's name change from Fry Township to Sierra Vista, the club became the Sierra Vista Masonic Trowel Club. At its first general meeting on July 18, officers were elected with Robert L. Brigham as President, Verne D. Hegge as First Vice President, Samuel N. Giacobbi as Second Vice President, Thomas E. Goodale as Treasurer, and Gerald J. Brown as Secretary.
On August 15, 1956, after the Grand Lodge ruled that an independent organization could not use "Masonic" in its title, the club adopted the name Sierra Vista Trowel Club and transferred its assets, totaling $214.96, to the Treasurer.
The club continued holding stated communications at Carmichael Elementary School. During the December 19, 1956 meeting, the brethren first proposed seeking a Masonic Charter and constructing a permanent Temple. On April 22, 1957, they formally discussed constituting a lodge, and on April 29, 1957, met for the purpose of receiving a Charter and installing officers for the Masonic Year A.L. 5957.
Construction of the Temple progressed slowly until Master Elect Verne D. Hegge declared that the next stated communication would be held in the new building. Work resumed with renewed enthusiasm, and the Temple was completed on December 18, 1957, at a cost of $2,037.63. The first stated communication in the new Temple was held the following day.
On November 28, 1957, the Grand Lodge of Arizona approved the Petition for Dispensation, and Huachuca Lodge U.D. (Under Dispensation) was officially established. At the Grand Lodge Communication in Winslow during May/June 1958, the Official Charter was granted, creating Huachuca Lodge No. 53, F. & A.M. of Arizona.
In October 1961, the Lodge hosted the first Mason-Knight Banquet, bringing together the Cochise County Masonic community and a Catholic fraternal organization. Approximately seventy-five people attended the dinner prepared and served by the Masonic community.
From its beginnings as a one-room lodge, the Temple has expanded to include a kitchen, office space, and a second self-contained lodge room. These improvements were made through the dedication, sacrifice, and generosity of generations of Brothers, whose efforts continue to strengthen Freemasonry in our community today.
The Huachuca Lodge No. 53 banner was designed by Gil Moya in 1980. Meiko Wagoner, wife of Worshipful Brother Johnny Wagoner, handcrafted the banner in 1981, and it was displayed at the Grand Lodge of Arizona Communication that same year. The design was later featured on the commemorative coin celebrating the Lodge's 25th anniversary in 1982. The banner depicts the Huachuca Mountains beneath their famous thunderclouds, with bear grass representing the high desert and military cavalry boots and saber alongside Indian moccasins and bow and arrow, symbolizing the white man and Native American living together as Brothers.