In 1912 the village of Abbotsford had only just begun to reap the benefits of being home to a thriving lumber industry, prairies of fertile soil and a stop on three railway lines.
The trains brought the families who arrived to settle on land that had been cleared by the Abbotsford Lumber Company. As they arrived, newcomers began to establish the connections that would make the community; among them were Freemasons, members of now distant lodges. During the early months of 1912 the men held casual meetings, finally coming to the decision that Abbotsford would benefit from the institution of a Masonic Lodge. They drew up a petition for a Charter for the formation of a lodge of the Ancient Free & Accepted Masons and incorporated a company to build a suitable lodge.
A Community Builder: 100 Years of Freemasonry in Abbotsford takes a closer look at the contributions of individual Freemasons as well as often misunderstood world of Freemasonry.