Burkburnett Masonic Lodge 1027
Burkburnett, Wichita County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The Burkburnett Masonic Lodge no. 1027 AF & AM was chartered in 1910, only three years after the city’s founding. J.A.D. Smith, W.O. Willingham and S. Hawkins were among the founders. Eastern Star formed in 1921. By the 1930s, it could claim 400 members in a town of only 3200. Eight District Deputy Grand Masters and an imperial potentate of the shrine came from the Burkburnett Lodge. The lodge continues a tradition of community service through education and charitable activities locally and statewide. It laid cornerstones at six buildings in Burkburnett, including First United Methodist Church, Burkburnett Library and Burkburnett Schools.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The Burkburnett Masonic Lodge No. 1027 was chartered in 1910, just three years after the town's founding, with an Eastern Star chapter added in 1921. During the oil-boom 1930s it claimed 400 members in a town of only 3,200 and produced eight District Deputy Grand Masters. The lodge laid cornerstones for landmark buildings including the First United Methodist Church, the library and local schools.
Why it matters
The lodge reflects the central role fraternal orders played in organizing civic life, charity and public building in fast-growing early-20th-century American towns.
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Related people
- · J.A.D. Smith
- · W.O. Willingham
- · S. Hawkins
Themes & tags
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