Cleburne Lodge No. 315, A.F. & A.M.
Cleburne, Johnson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The new town of Cleburne was selected as the Johnson County Seat in 1867. Two years later, The Grand Lodge of Texas granted a charter to the Cleburne Masonic Lodge No. 315. The members built a lodge hall in March 1871 and the town of Cleburne was officially chartered two months later. Early members of the Cleburne Lodge who were influential in the town's development included B. J. Chambers, Jeremiah Easterwood, N. H. Cook, J. A. Willingham, B. S. Greenshaw, B. F. Clayton, and Charles W. Breech. Several Cleburne mayors and county and state judges have been members of Cleburne Lodge No. 315. The lodge's financial outreach and community activities center around educational efforts. (2000)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Just two years after Cleburne was chosen as the Johnson County seat in 1867, the Grand Lodge of Texas granted the town's Masonic lodge its charter in 1869. Members built a lodge hall in March 1871, and the town itself was officially chartered two months later. Early members such as B. J. Chambers and Jeremiah Easterwood helped guide Cleburne's growth, and over the decades many of the town's mayors and judges belonged to the lodge, whose outreach has centered on education.
Why it matters
The lodge shows how fraternal orders often formed the civic backbone of new frontier towns, binding together the leaders who shaped their institutions.
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Related people
- · B. J. Chambers
- · Jeremiah Easterwood
Themes & tags
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