Mill Valley Lodge History

Mill Valley

Today’s Mill Valley resident is likely to give little consideration to the origins of the area and the founding of the town. Yet, much of what evolved was directly influenced by the Mill Valley Masonic Lodge and its ideals of placing the community good above personal gain. The history of the Lodge can be considered to almost reflect the history of the area for the past one hundred years since the Lodge was formed.

Mill Valley, situated at the base of Mt. Tamalpais, rises from the sea to an elevation of 2,572 feet. The area was first inhabited by the Coastal Miwok Indians, perhaps as long as 5,000 years ago. The Southern Marin Peninsula was blessed with a temperate climate and rich soil, abundant with fish, game, plant life, and oak trees, which the Indians made into mush, or bread, and provided a dietary staple. Virtually nothing remained as reminders of the existence of these early people for countless centuries except substantial shell mounds and burial grounds. The first encounter between the Miwoks and Europeans occurred in 1579 when Englishman Sir Frances Drake anchored in what is now known as Drake’s Bay. Except for other brief stopovers by Portuguese and Spanish ships years later, the Miwoks remained undisturbed until the arrival in San Francisco Bay on April 5, 1775 by Spain’s Juan Manuel de Ayala, the first European to do so.

Later settlement, starting in what became San Francisco, irreversibly changed life for the Miwoks. With establishment of a Mission in San Francisco and later construction of a Mission in San Rafael in 1817, the Miwoks began to be baptized in substantial numbers and were forced to live and work around the Missions. At that time perhaps 3,000 Miwoks lived in Marin. Lacking immunity to European diseases, the Miwok population was decimated in a short time. By the late 1880s, the Miwok was virtually extinct.

In 1834, Mission San Rafael was secularized and passed from the Franciscan order (Spain) to control by Mexico. In the same year, John Reed was granted a huge tract of land by Mexico, in Southern Marin, which was later to be a part of Mill Valley. After Reed died in 1843, the property was split between his heirs. Eventually, ownership of most of Reed’s original property holdings was dissipated because of litigation or sold by heirs to speculators. With the discovery of gold in California in 1848, California soon became part of the United States and the era of the great Rancheros rapidly faded into history.

The other substantial land holder, William Antonio Richardson, had suffered substantial business reversals before he died in 1856, and much of his land holdings, which included the part of Mill Valley not owned by John Reed, was acquired by Samuel Throckmorton, who had originally come to California as part of the Gold Rush. Eventually Throckmorton himself encountered financial problems, and after Throckmorton’s death in 1887, the San Francisco Savings & Union Bank became the owners of the major portion of Throckmorton’s holdings and in 1888 organized the Tamalpais Land & Water Company to use as an agency for disposing of the properties. The Board of Directors of the organization were Joseph Eastland-President, Louis L. Janes-Secretary, Thomas Magee, Albert Miller, and Lovell White.

The spectacular natural setting of the area attracted men of money and influence, many from San Francisco, who saw the benefit of establishing fine homes for themselves as part of the land development. In 1889, the railroad was extended into Mill Valley, which made the commute from San Francisco by ferry boat to Sausalito and into Mill Valley by train, both convenient and rapid.

Other areas of Marin County, particularly Sausalito and San Rafael, were well established by this time but Mill Valley remained relatively undisturbed and residential growth did not actually start until a land auction in 1890 by the Tamalpais Land & Water Company, which was largely responsible for the street layout of today. Some of the streets were named after the early developers or residents. For a brief time, Mill Valley was also known as Eastland.

In the development years after the auction of 1890, architects, builders, and craftsmen converged on the area. These included the first Master and prime organizer of Mill Valley Lodge, Harvey A. Klyce, who came to Mill Valley in 1895. Klyce had originally come to California from Tennessee in 1886, at age 19, and was age 28 when he arrived in Mill Valley. Initially, Klyce worked as an architect and had an office at 40 Montgomery Street in San Francisco.

As Harvey Klyce settled into his new community, which was establishing a government structure, schools, churches, etc., his thoughts turned to the establishment of a Masonic Lodge. Klyce was not himself a Mason, but his father and other family members were Masons in Tennessee where he grew up.

The formation of Mill Valley Lodge stands unique in that its organization was made by both Masons and non-Masons. Arthur McLeod, a resident of Mill Valley, originally suggested to Harvey Klyce that a Masonic Lodge be formed here. Sometime in 1902 Klyce and a group of friends approached past Grand Master Stevens, who was living in Mill Valley, and inquired what steps were necessary to organize a lodge. Stevens explained that first, those interested had to become Masons and then get permission from the nearest Masonic Lodge. It would also be necessary to obtain a dispensation from the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of California. Thereafter, Harvey Klyce, Samuel Burt, Louis Janes, James Newlands, Jr., and Hezekiah Crumpton petitioned Marin Lodge #191 for membership with the understanding they would later demit from that lodge and form a new lodge in Mill Valley. After each became a Master Mason, they were joined by thirteen other men who were already Masons and living in the Mill Valley area, to petition the Grand Lodge of California for the purpose of forming a Masonic Lodge in Mill Valley.

On March 3, 1903, the first preliminary meeting was held at the home of Harvey Klyce. Klyce was selected to be the first Master, the Senior Warden to be Louis Janes, and the Junior Warden to be Charles Stocker. A petition to the Grand Master was prepared by Klyce, Frank Bostwick and Charles Woolworth. Each of the eighteen petitioners provided a demit from their original lodges and a recommendation was obtained from the nearest lodge (Marin #191) to assure that "a safe and suitable lodge room" had been provided.

July 2, 1903, a second preliminary meeting was held at Grethels Hall, 18 Miller Ave. in downtown Mill Valley. From the time of the first meeting, the present lodge building was constructed in only three months and it was reported that a proper meeting place in the new building would meet the requirements. Charles Stocker had resigned as Junior Warden and on motion, James Newlands, Jr. was elected.

July 13, 1903, a third preliminary meeting was held again at Grethels Hall. It was reported that permission was obtained from Marin Lodge to petition the Grand Master to issue a dispensation, with the requisite qualifications.

July 20, 1903 the first official meeting of the lodge was held under dispensation at the current hall of Mill Valley Lodge, following approval from the Grand Master, Orrin Staples Henderson, which provided a dispensation to meet as a lodge until the next Grand Lodge was convened. At that time, the new bi-laws were read. Dues were established at $12.00 per year, payable quarterly in advance. A $50.00 cost was established for all three degrees. Ten new petitions were received. At a following special meeting August 17, 1903, another ten petitions were received and read.

On October 15, 1903, following a meeting of the Grand Lodge in San Francisco, a Charter was granted under the name of Mill Valley Lodge #356.

By December 21, 1903, the secretary reported that thirteen candidates had been initiated, two candidates passed to the degree of Fellowcraft, and six candidates raised as Master Masons. Frederick Runyon was the first to receive a degree in Mill Valley.

On January 2, 1904, the building was publicly dedicated by Grand Master Charles W. Nutting and the installation of officers followed immediately thereafter.

Mason's belonging to Mill Valley Masonic Lodge participated in the establishment of non-Masonic fraternal benefit organizations in Mill Valley. Mount Tamalpais Lodge No. 399, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was instituted September 28, 1907 at Mill Valley (consolidated with Marin Lodge No. 200, IOOF on August 14, 1978). Among its charter members were Mill Valley Freemasons John Edward Wooten, Jacob Gardner, Casper J. Gardner, Horace Henderson, and Christopher Becker. Similarly, Mill Valley Masonic Lodge members were also involved in organizing (or reorganizing) Mill Valley Aerie No. 2372, Fraternal Order of Eagles: Fred W. Bagshaw, Jr., and Robert B. Jackson were among the charter members. Mill Valley Freemasons also belonged to Muir Lodge No. 132, Knights of Pythias, and included Masonic Bros. Alvie Gordon Adams, Charles Warren Ellis, Nelson Evans, Russel, Westley Farris, Casper J. Gardner, George Gilliam, Joseph Harris, John McKay, Charles John McQuillan, Thomas Oswald Newson, Clifford Hearne Page, Roy Patterson, Edward Coulston Stimson, Edward Francis Walsh, and George Louis Zimmerman. Finally, in the late 20th century, Mill Valley Masons Thomas D. Worrel, P.M., and Edward M. King established two new Lodges in Mill Valley. Bro. Worrel established the Commandry of the Green Lion, Order of the Aurum Solis in 2000; Bro. King established Mons Abiegnus Camp, Order Templi Orientis (OTO) in c. 1998.