All through the Civil War the spirit of Masonic brotherhood was very evident in St. James Lodge. A memorial sculpture, Friend to Friend: A Brotherhood Undivided," by artist and Brother Ron Tunison, erected in August 1993 at Gettysburg National Park, pays eternal homage to that spirit.

The strong Masonic spirit is further illustrated by the fact that even when the municipal government of Baton Rouge was inoperative for three years from the winter of 1862 to the summer of 1865, St. James Lodge conducted regular business. Since there is no record of meetings between July and December 1862, it is likely that no business was conducted during the six month period. However, we do find announcements of the scheduled meetings published regularly in The Weekly Gazette. Two meeting announcements and a brief article that appeared in The Weekly Gazette of December 31, 1862, reporting the celebration of St. John the Evangelist day on December 27, 1862 are reproduced here. Excerpts from the speech made by George A. Pike, the Worshipful Master, on January 3, 1863, are on page 38, as his words express the sentiments, feelings and activities of the times very well. In 1864, the Lodge held fifty one meetings in which thirty–six degrees were conferred. In April 1864, $300.00 was appropriated for the purchase of an organ for the Lodge Hall.

The visitor book of the Civil War period reveals that St. James Lodge was visited by Masons from the states of Texas, New York, Massachusetts, Ohio, Connecticut, Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Mississippi, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Maine and from some military lodges that were under dispensation.

Minutes of 1866 shows correspondence from the Grand Master of Michigan wishing to find out the identity and address of the person, if still living, from whose residence in Baton Rouge a Lieutenant serving in the Federal Volunteers had taken some trophies of war; namely, two volumes of Mitchell’s Masonic History Digest" and two large cut glass vases. The Lodge found that the items belonged to none other than Col. Thompson J. Bird, Sheriff of East Baton Rouge, whose son and grandson (Charles Cecil Bird and Charles Cecil Bird, Jr.) were Masters of this Lodge and whose father–in–law was Judge Charles Tessier, first Worshipful Master of L’Etoile Flamboyante Lodge No. 10. The items were received from Michigan. In May 1872, the Lodge received several officers jewels from the Grand Lodge of Iowa with the request that they be returned to their rightful owners. St. Helena Lodge No. 196 claimed the jewels, but later returned them as they were not the ones taken from St. Helena’s Lodge Hall. The ivory gavel and the three perfect ashlars found in the ante–room were presented to the Lodge on April 2, 1864, by Bro. Leopold Passener. The minutes of June 24, 1864 indicate that indicate that a Bro. Smeele of Temple Lodge, Lexington, Kentucky, addressed the members of the St. James Lodge on behalf of the federal officers and men sojourning within this jurisdiction. He thanked the brethren of the Lodge, for their uniform courtesy and kindness to visiting brethren and referred feelingly to the harmony existing in the order uniting all quarters of the earth and all nations of men in the sacred bonds of friendship." At its meeting on December 3, 1864, the Lodge recognized, the humane and commendably Masonic conduct on the part of Bro. James J. Tiptonof Summerville Lodge, Illinois, now serving in the Federal service at this place." The minutes of December 27, 1864 reveal that Bro. Tipton had saved the life of a brother mason in Baton Rouge. On March 18, 1865, Geo. A. Pike was installed as the Grand Senior Warden of the Grand Lodge of Louisiana while serving as the elected Master of St. James Lodge. Pike considered this, as a merited compliment to St. James Lodge for the peace and harmony with which its affairs have been conducted though an era of passion and prejudice." Later in May he was also installed as the District Deputy Grand Master for the third masonic district. This would be regarded as highly irregular these days as masonic regulations do not permit any mason to hold only one elected office in a Lodge.

Another interesting incident is recorded in 1882 when the Lodge was informed by the State of Louisiana that the chair being used by the Worshipful Master was the property of the state. The chair was made from artillery pieces captured in the Battle of Contreras, Mexico, by Gen. Smith, and presented by him to the state in 1852. Probably this chair of historical significance, was brought to Baton Rouge by the federal troops occupying the city. The Lodge voted to return the chair to the state. According to the minutes of July 7, 1882, the Lodge received a voucher of $30.00 from the House of Representatives for the purchase of a chair in place of the one given back to the state.

The 1860 census of Baton Rouge, completed by John H. Piker, listed the population of the city as 7,600, including Negroes. The number shows a doubling of the 1805 population of 3,820. Interestingly, this census gives the birthplace of all residents. Only 1,254 persons were born in Louisiana while 654 were born outside of the United States.