In 1852, a large two story log house was erected at Chapel Hill for the purpose of a combined church and Masonic Lodge. The ground floor was used as a church and the second as the lodge. When the Masons started holding meetings in their new lodge at Chapel Hill, the lodge at the water mill site was abandoned.
The Lodge at Chapel Hill functioned sucessfully until the outbreak of the Civil War. So many of the members were called into miltary service, the lodge disbanded until the end of the hostilities. When peace came, the lodge was reorganized in 1870. The first officers of the newly organized Chapel Hill Lodge No. 377 were James Williams, Worshipful Master; Levi Garrison, SeniorWarden; William Boulcom, Junior Warden; Lewis Miller, Treasurer; William Cawthon, Senior Deacon; and Murray Cawthon, Secretary, together with the following members: Richard Geohagan, Lorenza D. Jordan, John Cawthon, William Steel, Issac Wilkins, Seth S. Fountain, Thomas D. Calon, Jon Daniel, David Allen, John W. Williams, Robert Bell, Obediah Edge, Thomas J. Williams, James Chance and James B. Lassiter.
The members of the newly chartered lodge held the first Masonic Day Celebration in December 1871 by publicly installing their officers and inviting their families and friends to attend the installation and a dinner on the ground affair.
In 1873 the lodge moved to the Florala area and changed the name to Lake City Lodge No. 377, Lake City being the name of the local post office. In 1879 the post office name was changed to Lake View, Alabama and changed again in 1895 to Florala, Alabama.
Fidelity Lodge No. 685 was organized in 1908 with the following officers: L.H. Brazzell, Worshipful Master; H. H. McDougald, Senior Warden; J. T. Helms, Junior Warden; J. McLane, Treasurer; Troy C. Penton, Secretary; B.F. Lutrell, Senior Deacon; R. J. Perry, Junior Deacon and J. H. Burgess Tiler, together with a total of 29 members. This lodge eas organized because the majority of the members of the Lake City Lodge were farmers and insisted on holding the lodge meeting on Saturday morning, the meeting sometimes lasted all day. The Lake City Lodge members that were merchants needed to be at thier place of business of Saturdays, because that was their most profitable day. The merchant members organized the Fidelity Lodge No. 685 and for five years, two Masonic lodges existed in Florala. In 1913 the Lake City Lodge consolidated with Fidelity Lodge and Masonic celebrations continued under Fidelity Lodge ever since.
In 1913 more than 5,000 people attended the celebration and J. T Thomas Helfin was the speaker.
In 1914 the L&N Railway hauled over 6,000 excursionists over the Opp Branch and Yellow River Division to the celebration. Six special coaches were added at Georgiana and every space was occupied by enthusiastic celebrants.
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