Sarasota Lodge No. 147 helps men explore the mysteries of Freemasonry and utilize the working tools of our Operative ancestors to improve their lives.
Sarasota Lodge #147 was granted dispensation by the Grand Lodge of Florida on August 13, 1904 with the first communications held in the Lodge Room over T. J. Dancey's store on the evening of August 23, 1904. E. R. Marsh presided as the Worshipful Master. The charter was granted by the Grand Lodge of Florida on the 19th of January, 1905 by Grand Master Charles W. Johnson, with E. R. Marsh as Worshipful Master. In the 1920's an attempt was made to purchase property for a Lodge building. They purchased the land that presently is the home of the Pan American Bank, but the boom bust caused the Lodge to lose the property. No attempts from then until 1940 were made. Then, on June 18, 1940, a committee was appointed to secure plans for a Temple and for the following 8 years, many long hours of work went into the building of the Lodge today. Some interesting dates are: