Atascosa Lodge No. 379, A.F. and A.M.
Lytle, Atascosa County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Organized by eleven Master Masons in Benton City in 1872 and chartered June 9, 1873, by Grand Lodge of Texas. First hall, erected of stone in 1876, provided space for public school. The lodge, which has furnished social and cultural leadership to this locality, was moved to Lytle on May 20, 1909. (1970) Marker in appreciation for Masons past and present.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Eleven Master Masons organized this lodge in Benton City in 1872, receiving a charter from the Grand Lodge of Texas the next year. Their first hall, built of stone in 1876, doubled as space for the local public school, a common arrangement in frontier communities short on public buildings. In 1909 the lodge relocated to nearby Lytle, continuing its role in local civic life.
Why it matters
A frontier Masonic hall that sheltered the public school shows how fraternal lodges provided some of the earliest civic and educational infrastructure in newly settling Texas communities.
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Themes & tags
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