The Old Masonic Temple located downtown Deland may just be one of the most haunted if the most foreboding building we have investigated to date locally. I was quite astounded when Slaughterhouse Productions contacted me and told me that they run a haunted house on the 3rd floor and were interested in us investigating. Rebecca and her crew filled me on various stories and some urban legends about the building itself. I really was curious so I had visited a Mason named Bill Dreggor he is one of the top historians in central Florida even has a park named after him.  He told me what was real and what was not. Although remember anything with a dark history may remain secretive from the public so its possible that he is not aware of the entire dark history of the building itself.

The first Masonic Lodge was built in the 1800s on the supposed site of the current Mason Temple. They say in the 1886 a fire burned it to the ground. At that time it was one of the first and largest buildings built in downtown Deland. In 1892 a Masonry vernacular structure was built. Nobody knows the original occupants Rebecca told me it was the KKK  possibly.  But during that time period the building had only two floors. I was told that the lower floor was a candy shop and a place that had newspapers. 

During the 1920s the Masons added a 3rd floor which had very few windows. Some knew it as a Masonic Temple others a Lodge. The Masons were a secret fraternal organization some say that their power extends across the globe and they perform dark practices. But we are not here to talk about the Masons as the history with them could write 100s of books. The Masons only used the 3rd floor at the time. Today the sealed window facing the street, book shelf imprints, and Masonic symbols carved on its wood beams remain. The Mason's did not make their payment on the building and lost it during the great depression so it remained vacant mainly till it was purchased in the 30s.

In the later 1930s the building was used by Florida Motor Lines Station where the buses would drive right on into the back of the building. A cargo elevator still remains probably was used by the bus company.  Their is on the 3rd floor an old power box and in the attic a giant iron fan probably used for ventilation. The Mason's who built the 3rd floor were very advanced but I am sure the bus station used these advancements.

Later after this the building was used or at least part of it as a antique furniture store it remained in business for awhile. Eventually that closed down the building was abandoned again till it was turned into a furniture store.  Some people locally I talk to remember when i was a furniture store.

Today the building is home to a small Bakery, Gallery-42, and The Blue Sky Yoga Center on the second floor.  Their is a real eerie sense when you walk in. The art gallery late at night always you feel watched from and the second floor has lots of halls and rooms. The bakery always seems to have odd women work for them the almost act negative or possessed. Trust me forget the Italian bread and run while you can.

I use to hang posters and business cards in the main foyer of the building some nights 2am. The eerie lion fountain and sense of peace makes the mind wander. You just feel as if something is down the hall watching you. Also on the 3rd floor in a small room is Rocks in Your Head (a goldsmith's studio) and a goldsmith's cooperative. I met the man who uses the studio and he said that the ghostly voices are getting so bad here that he is about to get a studio somewhere else. He also told me a priest blesses the building once a year and that he has heard the ghost of a man and woman talking. 

Currently the owner of the building is Chris DeLoach who owns a printing business called CAD Enterprises he is also a Mason. The building is now for sale for about 1.5 million dollars. The owner does not talk to much about the buildings darker history.  The building has 3 floors each almost 5,000 square feet and a full eerie attic. The 3rd story has 16' foot ceilings. 

In the past Slaughterhouse productions has a haunted house on the 3rd Florida. This year it is sponsored by them along with the Deland Jaycees. Our first investigation here we got to see them building the haunted house I must say I was excited myself lol.  

Their are alot of stories told about the building as Bill Dreggor told me they are just wives tales but then again many things do remain unsolved or sheltered from society so please keep an openmind. Rebecca told me that their is a slab under the floor boards where they use to do sacrifices and bloodletting. A pipe once led from the slab to the outside of the building. This slab does exist it looks like a hollowed out compartment under the floor. Its possible that it was used as a way to drain the wood finishes off the furniture but if it was built by  the Mason's in the 1920s then we must ask ourselves what other purpose did it have?

Their is rumors of a old photo taken on the 3rd floor of many bodies that were hung along the walls. This is the south although the last lynching took place a block or two away from this building in the state of Florida I did read that illegally lynching's still did occur. They say the back parking lot once had gallows where men were hung what I am thinking is that this may have happened in the 1800s that is why their is no record of it.

Another story is that the cargo elevator which is nonworking today has a rumor that a little girl died from being crushed by it. Again this is possible as the elevator probably was in use by the bus company and well kids do wander off and play get into trouble sometimes. 

Also another rumor is that the small room on the 3rd floor was where they did electrocutions in.  I do not see how although the little room with an odd power box that is very old looks like it it probably is just a urban myth. Since the building probably did not have power till the 1830s after the Mason's did not make their payments. 

My son did see a ghost of a man with a rope around his neck and a family of ghost that said they were killed because they witnessed this mans hanging. I mean everybody I talked to has had experiences here like foot steps following them, capturing paranormal photos, getting EVP etc something happened here but all we can do is ponder as like most places anything with a dark history remains buried much like a coffin in a cemetery.

From what Rebecca told me is that they want to make the 3rd floor into a dance or drama studio. I do believe that this building has alot of secrets, ghost, energy and stories. Many of them stories are told from Stetson Students who once did a ghostly project on the building on how the passengers from the bus station still haunt this historic building. 

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Rick-AngelOfThyNight