This house at 641 Third Avenue in Ladysmith was built in 1903 for John W. Coburn by Victoria architects Thomas Hooper and C. Elwood Watkins, both of whom were Freemasons.
John W. Coburn (1860-1939) was Initiated, Passed and Raised in Ashlar Lodge, No.3 in 1886. He was Worshipful Master of Ashlar Lodge in 1893 and District Deputy Grand Master in 1894 and 1895.
In 1899 John W. Coburn moved to Ladysmith and became active in civic affairs. He played a leading role in the campaign to incorporate the town of Ladysmith and was elected the first Mayor of Ladysmith after the town was incorporated in 1904.
John W. Coburn moved back to Nanaimo and was elected to Nanaimo City Council in 1917. For more information about R.W.B. Coburn, see our page about John W. Coburn.