Clinton Lodge No. 23, A. F. & A. M.
Henderson, Rusk County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Chartered on Jan. 16, 1845, this Masonic Lodge shared a two-story building with the First Methodist Church for a number of years. A lodge building constructed at Depot and North Main in 1868 was also used for public school classes. The Masons purchased the Rankin Building on the northwest corner of the Square in 1893 and met there until 1934, when a new structure was built at West Main and South Harriett. Three members, including Clinton Lodge's First Worshipful Master, have served as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Texas.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Chartered in 1845, the year Texas joined the Union, Clinton Lodge No. 23 became a fixture of frontier Henderson, at first sharing a two-story building with the Methodist congregation and later housing public-school classes in its 1868 hall. As the town prospered the Masons moved to the Rankin Building on the Square and finally built their own home in 1934. Three of the lodge's members rose to serve as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Texas.
Why it matters
Fraternal lodges like this one doubled as the churches, schoolrooms, and civic halls of young Texas towns, knitting together communities before dedicated public institutions existed.
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Themes & tags
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