Most of the material contained herein was extracted from minutes of our previous communications. Many thanks to Jesse Lassiter who was secretary of the lodge at the time, for helping provide this information.

February 18th, 1842
Santa Rosa became the 21st county in the state of Florida and within a year Milton was established as the county seat.

October 31st, 1846
That evening six Master Masons met in a room over the top of a dry goods store to discuss opening a Masonic lodge in Milton. They met under a dispensation by RW Richard A. Shrine, DDGM, Western District of the Grand Lodge of Florida. The six Masons were:
William Harrison, William Judge, and George Dean, Greening Lodge No. 53, Alabama
John Chain, Harmony Lodge No. 40, Alabama
James Simpson from Escambia Lodge No 15, Florida
William Cunlif from unknown lodge in Pennsylvania
All of these brothers moved their membership to Santa Rosa Lodge except Bro Cunlif who returned to Pennsylvania.

November 7th, 1846
The first tyled meeting was held in a dilapidated house rented for $60.00 a year in the southeasterly portion of Milton (This would serve as a temporary lodge until July, 1847)
Bro Benjamin Overman, WM of Escambia lodge, was the installing officer and the following brothers were installed:
Worshipful Master, John Chain
Senior Warden, William Judge
Junior Warden, James Simpson

November 21st, 1846
The second mtg:
Emmanuel Forcheimer was initiated an Entered Apprentice and was raised in Jan, 1847.

March 6th, 1847
The following officers were elected and installed:
Secretary, William Stringer
Treasurer, L.N. Amos
Senior Deacon, William Criglar
Junior Deacon, Emmanuel Forcheimer
Tyler, William Harrison
Stewart, George Dean
Stewart, James Riley
Within the first 17 months of operation, Santa Rosa Lodge grew to a membership of 23; 9 Master Masons by affiliation and 13 Master Masons by degree, and 1 Fellowcraft.

February 11th, 1848
Santa Rosa Lodge No. 16 was granted a charter from the Grand Lodge of Florida.

April 3rd, 1847
The lodge voted to pay $190 for the construction of a room in the new Santa Rosa Courthouse to be used as a lodge mtg room.

May 15th, 1847
The new lodge room was completed

July 17th, 1847
The first mtg was held in the new lodge room. The courthouse was located near where Berryhill school is today. The lodge was noted as being "in a rough state" and as funds were available, blinds were to be put on the windows and paint for the walls.

April 2, 1853
As the membership began to grow, the brothers began to want their own building. By this time the lodge had initiated 50 new brothers, passed 51 and raised 51. On this day they voted to sell the lodge to the county for $300 and begin a collection of funds to build a new lodge building.
Funds were not available to build a new lodge building for the next two years because of economic recession and because of a yellow-fever epidemic in the fall of 1853. The lodge realizing that it not only needed a lodge builing but also a school building for Milton requested funds for a new lodge and school from the Grand Lodge of Florida but were denied. They then went out into the community and other lodges to appeal for funds to build a new lodge and school building. A royal arch chapter had formed and would also donate moneys for the building as they would use the building too.

January 25, 1855
The building committee had reported that including the sale of the old lodge building, the donation by the royal arch chapter, and all other lodge means brought a total of $1,000 for the new lodge school building to date.

April 7, 1855"
The committee on building advertised for proposals, two of which were opened and read in open lodge, one from W.B. Bishop for $960 and one from Mr. Nowell for $1360. The lodge considered the first proposal fair…" These proposals was for the contract for an architect. The lodge purchased the heavily wooded lots 5,6,7 and 8 of block 27 for $150 for the lodge to be built on Pine Street (in a place where the old Pensacola Junior College was located until recently)

May 29th, 1855
Accompanied by a brass band brought by Naval Lodge No. 24, the brothers of Santa Rosa Lodge No. 16 along with brothers of Escambia Lodge No. 15, and Naval Lodge No. 24 attended the Laying of the Cornerstone ceremony. "The lodge was called to Labor in the 1st degree" and under direction of the marshal, with music playing, the members passed through the arch and prepared to lay the cornerstone. The treasurer placed various manuscripts and coins below the cornerstone prior to its lowering.
Once the cornerstone was laid the procession moved to the Baptist Church where "the oration was delivered, various odes sung, and a public subscription taken up to help build the institute."

October 20th, 1855
The building committee reported "the Architect to whom the structure was committed, has completed the job." The ceiling in the lower part of the school room was put up too wet and has "sunk and now looks bad" but because of the circumstances under which the work had been done "the committee are disposed to overlook this defect." The lodge building and land cost approximately $2, 795.21

May 21st, 1859
It was noted that the lodge was "heavily in debt for its hall and grounds. The lodge and Royal Arch Chapter were robbed of between five and seven hundred dollars."

April 7th, 1860
Creditors had not been paid and moneys had to be raised to prevent the lodge from being sold at the Santa Rosa County Sheriffs auction to take place the first Monday in May.
Each member was asked to donate as much as possible. Thirty members donated between $100 and 5 each depending upon what they could afford for a total of $765. This money saved the lodge at the last minute from being auctioned away by the Sheriffs Office.
------------------------------JUST BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER THE CIVIL WAR
During the year of 1861 very few lodge meetings weree held because of the outbreak of the civil war. On February 1,1862 the Brethren met for the last time until after the civil war. It is recorded in the old lodge history this way. "The Civil War in the United States,called the war of 1861, had begun, calling many of the brethren to take a active part in the defense of there homes and their country, the halls, once merry with the songs of the brethren and the sound of the gavel were now deserted; its members departed, probably never to meet again in life."
"Upon evacuation by the confederate forces of the Warrington Navy Yard, the adjacent forts and the City of Pensacola, the major portion of the citizens of Milton became refugees, seeking abode in other parts of the country, apparantly more safe from the ravages of war."
"As the brothers left Milton they locked the doors of the Lodge Hall and left all of the furniture and other imlements of the craft inside the building. But Brother Edmund Whitmire, a member of this Lodge took the Charter of the Lodge,Chapter and Council and the Jewels of the Lodge, together with the Bible.{ A safe assumption is that the Bible mentioned herein is the one given to the Lodge by Mrs.Capers, which is now is the sealed case displayed on the wall in the Lodge room} in a trunk owned by the Lodge: then took all of this with him up into the country and kept them safe.
Brother Whitmire's suspicions regarding the safety of the property of the Lodge were well founded, for during the war, while the town was almost deserted, the doors of the Lodge were forced open, and the lock of the outer door removed. Eighty two chairs, including three for the principal officers with cushioned seats, were stolen.The alter,ark of the covenant,the ballot box and contents,candlesticks,columns for the alterand burning tapers and many other things were taken, and to this day have not been recovered.
The sculptured columns of Jachin and Boaz were badly damaged,and the arch and the curtains of the tabernacle caried off: the windows and sash in somee parts broken and destroyed, ropes and iron weights attached to sash were carried off, and after the war some of them were recovered in various parts of the town.
This vandalism, in part at least, was the vile conduct of persons who remained behind and lingered around the town after the major part of of the citizens had departed, and partly it must have been done by federal soldiers; and, indeed, one of the Bibles has since the war been heard of as being in the New England States. The inscriptions on the wall betrayed that some of these vandals were men who had been initiated into the mysteries of the Royal Craft. Shame on such human beings.
"The appearance of the Lodge Room on the return of the Bretheren after the war, and having related the foregoing, can better be imagined than described."
After the war was over a few of the brothers having returned to Milton, held a meeting on June18,1865. The old Lodge history best describes this meeting: "The first meeting was held in the Lodge room for the purpose of consultation and preparation, in order that the Lodge might once more resume its wonted and regular work. A few stools and broken chairs had been gathered from abroad for the use of the officers, while the members, a la turk, sat on the floor, and bottles served as candle-sticks to hold up the luminary in those dreary halls.
Assembled at that first meeting after the war were:
William L Criglar as Worshipful Master
M. Forcheimer as Senior Warden
O. B. Knight as Junior Warden
D. H. Golson as Secretary
R. W. Miller as Junior Deacon
J. Gendershiemer as the Tyler

At this meeting a committee was appointed to collect the furnishings and property of the Lodge which was scattered, and to acertain what menbers had died since the last regular meeting and to record this in the lodge records. If this information has ever been recorded it has been lost.
On August 16,1865 the Brothers attempted to hold another meeting but were unable to do so because not enough menbers were present.
A meeting was held on December 27,1865: for by this time a large number of Lodge members had returned. Officers for the ensuing year were elected and the business of the Lodge was under way again. Brother John Chain was agin elected worshipful to lead the Lodge through the coming trials and tribulations.
As funds became available to the Lodge the implements were replaced or repaired and by the year 1875 the building had been thoroughly repaired.
At the February 5th,1870 meeting new incorporation papers, nessacitated because of the war, were completed and filed with the State of Florida. The original handwritten copy is now in possesion of the Lodge and on display in the Lodge building.

SOME OF OUR MEMBERS WHO SERVED THE CONFEDERACY.

Captain David C. Monroe served in the confederate army rising from Private to Captain. He was wounded in the battle of Chickamauga.
Dixson M Golson served as circuit Judge during the war years.
One of W.W. Harrison,s sons died while serving in the confederate army.
John McCellan during "the late war served as a privaate in Captain Clantons Brigade, until he was elected Sheriff of Santa Rosa County where he served until the end of the war."
Henry W. Sindorf at the outbrake "of the war moved his family to Broklyn,Ala. where he worked as a mechanic in woodwork for the government of the Confederate States." He returned to Milton in 1865.
James R. Mims at he outbrake of the war moved his family to Brooklyn, Ala. and he returned to Milton where he entered the army as a First Lieutenant in the Volunteer company of CaptainSydneyham Amos, When his term of service expired he returned to his farm in Alabama but was forced by the war to join Captain Malcolm McMillan's Calvary Company Home Guard. After the war he returned to Milton.
Charles R Johnson, although very young at the beginning of the Civil War enlisted as a private in Gaines Guard 9th Georgia Regiment early in 1861 and fought in many of the major battles until the end of the war coming out with the rank of Captain which title he carried with him to the grave. He was Commander of Camp Cobb of U.C.V. located at Milton Fl.
The Lodge minutes note that Wyatt Franklin was killed in the war.
Bro A.N.Caulkins affiliated with Santa Rosa Lodge No. 16 on Dec.4,1869 from the Military Lodge of Va. He was the only recorded mason to affiliate with our Lodge from the various Military Lodges created during the war.

THE BUILDING FROM 1869 UNTIL 1911
During this period of time a great deal of time was done to the building and restoring the grounds. Listed below are some brief remarks concerning some of the activities and siome notations relating to the use of the building by other organizations.
During January of 1869 the Lodge instructed the Stewards to have the building repainted.
Because the Lodge room had been unpainted for several years the Brothers voted in December 1870 to purchase a stove and stove pipes. The Stewards were instructed to install them The minutes of October 6, 1876 record that the Lodge paid 20.00 for lightning rods which were installed on the building.
The Lodge allowed the Grand Council of the State Of Florida to hold its annual Convocation in the Lodge Hall on June 4,1877.
At the March 2 1883 meeting the Lodge offered a 5.OO reward for information concerning whoever was taking bricks from the foundation of the fence and from the walk in front of the entrance gate. It was never recorded that anyone ever collected this reward.
The following communication from the Vestry of St Mary's Parish of the Protestant Epescopal Church located at Milton,Fla. was read in the Lodge on March 4,1889.
"At a meeting of the Vestry of Saint Mary's Church held this 19th day of Feburary A.D. 1889 the following resolutions wer adopted.
"Reso;ved: That the thanks of the Vestry of Saint Mary's Parish are returned to Santa Rosa Lodge No. 16 for the use of their Lodge Building as a temporary place of Worship. It was also ordered that the Secretary be authorized to tender to Santa Rosa Lodge No. 16 the old seats belonging to the church that are now stored in the Lodge Building. All of which is respectfully submitted; signed J.C. Creary; Secretary of Vestry of Saint Mary's Parish.
At the meeting held on October 19,1991 the Lodge voted to have a chimney built in order that a stove might be used in the lower hall.This chimney was completed on November 1991. This chimney is still in place but can only be veied from the attic.
A lamp post was installed in front of the Lodge during April 1895.
Between April and June 1896 the "platform in the ante room was torn down and reflored."
At he meeting held on June 22,1903 the Lodge voted to have the building covered with No.1 cypress shingles. Some of these shingles are still in the attic where they were torn off when the new roof was installed; also some of them arae on display in the lower hall.
On April 9,1906 the Lodge appointed a committe th have the "Bagdad Electric Light Plant" install lights in the Lodge. The lighjts were turned on at the meeting held on June 25, 1906 and at the July 23rd meeting the first electric bill was received From Milton Lighting for 1.50 for the month. This bill is still in possesion of the Lodge and is on display.
The Lodge voted on July 27, 1908 to have a phone installed, but voted on January11, 1909 to have it removed.