As the years went by, he sold off small plots of his land, and in 1886, when the competing Santa Fe and Southern Pacific railroads began undercutting one another with low fares, people from all over the country took advantage of the deals and started migrating in mass to Southern California.
Realizing the region was primed for a boom, Burbank sold his property to the Providencia Land, Water and Development Co., which formed a business district and subdivided the property into residential lots.
They began selling property May 1, 1887, and the town of Burbank was born. Thus, an unincorporated Burbank did, in fact, exist for close to a quarter of a century before the city was formally incorporated in 1911.
Among the fewer than 500 people who were living in the unincorporated Burbank of 1909 were a small group of Free Masons who organized a fraternity.
On July 1 of that year, the group had its first meeting, and on Nov. 14, Burbank Lodge No. 406 of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of California was officially chartered.
The Burbank Masons kicked off their centennial Saturday by having their 100th Installation of Officers in the Worshipful Richard B. Carter Lodge Room at the organization’s Glenoaks Boulevard facility.
More than 200 Masons and guests filled the room as Jeff Yates was installed as the lodge’s worshipful master. Yates, who worked at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center for 25 years before becoming a professional actor and artist, took on the leadership role that for the past year has been held by Marc Canterbury.
Yates acknowledged those in attendance, whom he credited with his elevation to the lodge’s leader and said he was looking forward to a very busy year that will include a summer car show and a July centennial celebration at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center.
The other officers installed were Andrew De Caro, senior warden; Roy Lozano, senior deacon; Billy Campbell, junior deacon; Bill Cunningham, treasurer; Ken Barnes, chaplain; Sterling Lockett, marshal; Norm Furman, secretary; Hank Williams, tiler; Jake Sizemore, senior steward; and Steve Harris, junior steward.
Among those attending were Cheryl Rotundo, Laurie Canterbury, Rita, Rachel and Darcy Yates, Jim and Merle Woodburn, Cynthia Popham, Elizabeth De Caro, Richard Rush Robinson, Jason Cunningham and Christopher Barnes and members of the L.C. Kelley Chapter, Order of DeMolay Matthew Roth, Hayk Sahakyan and Craig Lowery.
DAVID LAURELL can be contacted at dlaurell@aol.com or (818) 563-1007.
