Our Lodge
Newport Lodge No. 85 has served the Central Oregon Coast since 1885 — one of the oldest continuously operating civic institutions in Lincoln County. For more than 140 years, the lodge has brought together men of the coast under a shared commitment to brotherly love, relief, and truth.
Like many coastal lodges of the era, No. 85 absorbed the membership of neighboring lodges as communities along the Oregon coast consolidated over the decades. What began as several small fraternal communities scattered across Lincoln County ultimately gathered under a single roof in Newport. The lodge today carries that combined legacy forward.
We meet on the second Tuesday of each month at 435 SW Ninth Street, Newport, and are chartered through the Grand Lodge of Oregon, A.F. & A.M., itself recognized by the United Grand Lodge of England — the oldest Masonic authority in the world.
Freemasonry in Oregon
Freemasonry arrived in Oregon in 1846, when a notice appeared in the Oregon Spectator calling any Master Masons in Oregon City to respond. Seven men answered. They petitioned the Grand Lodge of Missouri for a charter, and after a journey of more than two years — the charter traveling overland in a rawhide-covered trunk — Multnomah Lodge was formally constituted in 1848.
By 1851, three lodges existed in the territory. Their representatives gathered on September 13, 1851, and two days later formally established the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free & Accepted Masons of Oregon, with Berryman Jennings as the first Grand Master.
Newport Lodge No. 85 received its charter thirty-four years later, as the Oregon coast began its period of sustained settlement and growth.
Today the Grand Lodge of Oregon encompasses more than 100 lodges and over 5,300 Master Masons, continuing work across the state in charitable giving, disaster relief, aged care, and education.
What Freemasonry Is
Freemasonry is the world oldest and largest fraternal organization. Its roots lie in the stonemason guilds of medieval Europe — the operative craftsmen who built the cathedrals and great halls of the age. As those guilds evolved, they opened their membership to men who were not working in stone, shifting from operative craft to what became known as speculative Masonry: a system using the tools and language of the builder trade as allegory for moral and ethical development.
The square teaches fairness. The compasses teach self-discipline. The plumb measures uprightness. The level reminds every brother that whatever his rank outside the lodge room, inside it all men stand equal.
Brotherly Love — the practice of mutual respect and the Golden Rule, extended to all mankind.
Relief — charity in its fullest sense: the relief of distress, the support of community, the giving of time and resources without expectation of return.
Truth — a commitment to honesty in dealing with others and in understanding oneself.
Freemasonry does not ask a man to leave his faith, his politics, or his community at the door. It asks only that he be free, of good character, and willing to work alongside his brethren toward something larger than himself.
Interested in Learning More?
The lodge welcomes any man who meets the basic qualifications and wishes to seek membership. In Masonry, the first step belongs to the petitioner — Masons are not permitted to recruit, so the inquiry must come from you.
The Grand Lodge of Oregon handles initial inquiries through their membership intake process. Submit your information there and you will be connected with Newport Lodge No. 85.
Begin your inquiry at oregonfreemasonry.com
Or speak directly with any member you know.
In Masonry it does not matter whether a man is a bricklayer or a physician, a waiter or the mayor of the city. All stand on the same level in the lodge room.