Dewitt Clinton Lodge No. 29 A.F. & A.M.
Jasper, Jasper County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Named for a former New York governor and Mason, this Lodge dates to the Republic of Texas. Meetings began in 1845-46, and a formal charter was granted in 1848. The first worshipful master was Z. Williams Eddy. The Lodge established Jasper Collegiate Institute in 1850 and supported it until the school closed in 1857. The Lodge has sponsored scholarships for local students. Many prominent Jasper citizens have been members of this Lodge. The Lodge was located on the Courthouse Square until this building was completed in 1986. (1997)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Named for New York governor and Mason DeWitt Clinton, this Jasper lodge dates to the days of the Republic of Texas, holding its first meetings in 1845-46 and receiving a formal charter in 1848. Its members founded the Jasper Collegiate Institute in 1850 and supported it until it closed in 1857, and the lodge has long sponsored scholarships for local students. Many of Jasper's prominent citizens have belonged to it over the generations.
Why it matters
Fraternal lodges like this one were quiet engines of frontier civic life, founding schools and funding education long before the state fully took up the task.
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Related people
- · DeWitt Clinton
- · Z. Williams Eddy
Themes & tags
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