TO HONOR THE LIFE + ADVANCE THE LEGACY OF JOSHUA ABRAHAM NORTON
RESEARCH • EDUCATION • ADVOCACY
The Emperor Norton Trust is pleased to announce that the San Francisco Historical Society has issued a statement in support of the Trust's proposal that the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge tunnel through Yerba Buena Island, S.F., be named the EMPEROR NORTON TUNNEL.
Read MoreOn 21 August 1854, Joshua Norton was inducted as a member of Occidental Lodge No. 22 of Free and Accepted Masons.
A little less than four years later, on 15 June 1858, Joshua was "suspended for non-payment of dues" from Occidental 22.
In 1975, Occidental 22 merged in with the San Francisco-based California Lodge No. 1 of F. & A.M. — the oldest Masonic lodge in California — after which Occidental 22 ceased to exist as a separate lodge.
In June 2024, The Emperor Norton Trust suggested to California 1 that it explore the possibility of posthumously reinstating Joshua Norton and forgiving his unpaid dues.
A year later, on 3 June 2025, California 1 did just that.
Of course, there were a few more twists and turns.
This is the story of a homecoming.
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