Originally known as Lorena, Masonic California is a ghost town located in the mountains north east of Bridgeport, California. Masonic was founded in 1860 by masons and therefor the name of the town. The Masonic District was a natural follower to the excitement is neighboring Aurora and Bodie. This area was small in scale comparatively and a stamp mill wasn’t onsite until 1907. The population maxes out at about 1000 people, and about four years later the excitement began to wane.
The town of Masonic consisted of three clusters; the Upper Town, the Middle Town, and (you guessed it) the Lower Town. Most of the ruins are located along a canyon and are the remains of the center section of town. The original post office was founded in 1905 under the town name of Lorena, and the name was changed to Masonic in 1906. The post office closed in 1912 to reopen in 1913 to serve the site until 1927.
