Warranted A․D․ 1854 • Grand Lodge of Florida
Free & Accepted Masons • Palatka, Florida
A society of good men, met upon the level and parted upon the square, building better lives on the banks of the St. Johns since the days of our warrant.
Stated Communications - 1st & 3rd Tuesdays, 7:30 PM • Dinner served at 6:30
Est. 1854 • Putnam County
Palatka Lodge No. 34 is a Blue Lodge of Ancient Craft Masonry, warranted under the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of Florida. For generations, our brethren have gathered here to practice the timeless lessons of the Craft and to serve the town we call home.
Freemasonry is the world’s oldest and largest fraternity, dedicated to taking good men and making them better - through friendship, moral instruction, and charity. We are not a secret society, but a society with traditions we hold dear. Our members are your neighbors: tradesmen and teachers, veterans and volunteers, fathers and sons, bound together by a shared commitment to Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth.
The Three Great Tenets
We regard the whole human species as one family - and we meet as brothers, aiding, supporting, and protecting one another through every station of life.
To soothe the unhappy, to sympathize with misfortune, and to restore peace to the troubled mind - charity is the distinguishing characteristic of a Mason’s heart.
Truth is a divine attribute and the foundation of every virtue. To be good and true is the first lesson we are taught, and the one we carry longest.
2025–2026 Officers
The lodge is led each year by its elected and appointed officers, who serve the brethren and preserve the work of the Craft.
Senior Warden
Allan Castleberry
The Level - presides in the West
Junior Warden
Alexander Gedris
The Plumb - presides in the South
Chaplain
Charles Killebrew
Offers the devotions of the lodge
Senior Deacon
Edward Kdonian
Bearer of messages from East to West
Junior Deacon
Michael Patterson
Attends the door within
Senior Steward
Christian Valdez
The Cornucopia - attends to the lodge’s refreshment
Junior Steward
Anthony Priore
Provides for the comfort of the brethren
Tyler
Charles Wilkinson
Guards the lodge with drawn sword
When & Where We Meet
Visiting brethren are always welcome at our door.
Please bring your current dues card and be prepared for examination if you are not personally known to a member. Dinner is open to prospective members and their families - come sit at our table and meet the men of the lodge.
Ordo Ab Chao
Chartered in 1854, Palatka Lodge No. 34 is the second-oldest continuously active organization in Palatka and Putnam County - and has sent three of its own brethren to serve as Grand Master of Masons in Florida.
1854
Palatka Lodge No. 34 receives its warrant from the Grand Lodge of Florida on the 9th of January and is instituted that April at the St. Johns House, with Bro. Calvin Gillis seated as the first Worshipful Master.
1859–1865
The Lodge goes dark through the Civil War. In the first minute book, the last meeting of 1859 and the first of 1865 sit on consecutive pages - six silent years turned in a single leaf, still on display in the foyer.
1867
Integrity Lodge No. 187 of Philadelphia sends a gift of jewels, aprons, working tools, and columns - everything needed to open a Lodge - as a token of brotherly love to mend the wounds of the war. Much of it remains part of our exhibit today.
1921
The brethren move into their hall at First and Lemon Streets - today’s St. Johns Avenue - which serves as the Lodge’s home for the next half-century.
1972
After the old block is acquired through urban renewal, the Grand Lodge of Florida lays the cornerstone of the present hall on Crill Avenue. The brethren finish much of the interior with their own hands.
Today
The work continues - raising new Master Masons, supporting the community, and keeping the West Gate - carrying a story now more than 170 years long into the generations to come.
2B1 ASK 1
A man is not solicited to join - he must ask of his own free will and accord. If you are 18 or older, of good moral character, and believe in a Supreme Being, the path begins here.
01
Reach out to the lodge or speak with a Mason you know. Come to a dinner and get to know us - there’s no obligation.
02
Submit a signed petition with two recommending members. The lodge appoints a committee to meet you and your family.
03
The brethren vote by secret ballot. Election must be unanimous - a tradition as old as the Craft itself.
04
You proceed through the three degrees - Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, and Master Mason - at your own pace.
Correspondence
For petitions, dues, and general inquiries, Bro. Thomas Edwards is your first point of contact.
bnahedwards@hotmail.com
(904) 669‑2389
Palatka Lodge No. 34, F&AM
1334 Crill Ave
Palatka, FL 32177
1334 Crill Ave
Palatka, FL 32177
Stated Communications on the 1st & 3rd Tuesdays. Dinner at 6:30 PM, lodge opens at 7:30. Prospective members and visiting brethren are warmly welcomed.
Chartered under the Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of Florida - glflamason.org