Many of the lodge members benefitted from their membership in the Masonic Order during the Civil War, in that the Yankee invaders wreaking havoc in the South during the war were often respectful of the possessions of Masonic families. For instance, according to the Lodge’s website,
Dr. Moses Richardson, several times Master of the Norcross Lodge … was a surgeon in the Confederacy. One day while Sherman's Army was paying its respects with a torch to this country, a squad of Yankee solders went to Dr. Richardson's home near Lawrenceville and ransacked his home, taking all they could find. Among the articles taken was a Masonic Apron. The officers in charge of the squad, seeing the Apron, went into the house and inquired if the Apron belonged to the head of the house. On being told that it did and that he was away in the Confederate Army, the officers ordered everything returned to the home. Mrs. Richardson said they also brought back some coffee, extra.
The town of Norcross was founded in 1870 with the coming of the railroad, and quickly became a local center of commerce. The Yellow River Lodge moved its meetings in the new town, as did previously- established Methodist and Presbyterian churches in the surrounding area. Early on they all met (along with a newly-formed Baptist church) in a two story building on Church Street, which was commonly known in the community as Holy Row (but since 1961 has been named Sunset Drive.) The Lodge, which changed its name to the Norcross Lodge, met on Holy Row until 1907, when they sold their interest in the building (the second story, where they held their meetings). In 1909 they opened their new two- story brick building in the center of downtown Norcross, where they met until the lodge disbanded at the beginning of 2022.
(Between 1907 and 1909 the Masons met in the local Lodge of the International Order of Odd Fellows, another fraternal organization that had several million members around the world in the early 20th century. It has since faded from the scene in Norcross.)
Below is the lodge membership credentials of Georgie W Graves, a longtime member of the Norcross lodge, for the year 1917.