Victoria Lodge was instituted on November 30, 1857. The Communication was held in the Masonic Hall on Market Square. The Officers of St. John’s Lodge were present and occupied the Stations. The Dispensation was read by the Secretary and the Officers were installed by W.Bro. W.T. Paw. As a token of appreciation the Lodge granted Bro. Paw an Honorary Membership on January 25, 1859, the first such honour bestowed by the Brethren. Bro. Paw had affiliated with St. John’s Lodge in 1852 from St. Andrew’s No. 137 in Halifax. He deceased in 1862 at the age of thirty-four.

Although St. John’s Lodge supported Victoria Lodge and assisted with the Institution only one reference to the organization of the new Lodge was noted in the Minutes of St. John’s Lodge. On March 9, 1858 a letter from five Brethren viz Morrison, Watson, Romans, Gates and Mason was shared. The Brethren stated that “having formed ourselves into a new Lodge styled Victoria, wish to withdraw as contributing members having no other desire in doing so than to extend the interest of Freemasonry in general and the craft in this City in particular.”

The Lodge forwarded a Petition for a Charter on February 6, 1858. The request had to await the Quarterly Communication of the Grand Lodge of Scotland on August 2 because the Officers “whose signatures were indispensable” were absent from Scotland. The Worshipful Master, W.Bro Morrison, called an Emergent Communication on September 18, 1858 when he received the Charter. The Provincial Grand Secretary of Nova Scotia, R.W.Bro. George Fraser, was in the City and he was invited to the Communication to present the Charter and to constitute the new Lodge as No. 383 on the Registry of the Grand Lodge of Scotland. The signatures of seven Grand Lodge Officers appeared on the Charter. The signature of the Grand Master, George Augustus Frederick John, Duke of Athole, was not included. The fee for the Charter was £10 / 10 ($34).

The Minute Book for the new Lodge which cost £3 / 3 did not arrive from Scotland until later in 1858 and the Lodge paid James B. Cooper £5 to transcribe the Minutes and open the Books. (Minutes, December 28, 1858) Mr. Cooper’s Petition for membership was received at the same Communication where his payment for services was approved. It was interesting to note that almost seventy years later the Lodge paid another non-member to transcribe a backlog of Minutes. In September 1925 the Lodge received a bill for $126.50 from W.Bro. Ernest Kemp, Secretary of St John’s Lodge, for transcribing the Minutes from December 1921 – August 1925 into the Minute Book. The Lodge approved payment of $75 and the Secretary, Bro. H. Stanhope MacLeod, agreed to pay the balance. Bro. MacLeod served as Secretary from 1916 -1929.