Florala took its name by combining Florida and Alabama. Lake Jackson in Florala is the state's largest natural lake and was named for Andrew Jackson, who camped there with his soldiers in 1818 while traveling to Pensacola. James Edwin Hughes, known as the Father of Florala, arrived in December 1865, established a homestead, and began settling the community. Since 1870, Florala, through Florala's Fidelity Masonic Lodge No. 685 and Chapter No. 441 of the Order of the Eastern Star, has been home to the World's Oldest Consecutive Annual Masonic Day Celebration, held in honor of St. John's Day on June 24. Florala was incorporated in 1901.