Grand Lodge of Texas, A.F. & A.M.
Waco, McLennan County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The first attempt to establish freemasonry in Texas occurred in 1828 when Stephen F. Austin and a group of Masons petitioned the Mexican National Grand Lodge for a Lodge Charter. Due to the political upheaval of the time, nothing became of the petition. Five Master Masons met in Brazoria in March 1835 and sent a petition to Grand Master John H. Holland of Lousiana asking for a charter to form a lodge in Texas. The charter was delivered to Anson Jones, who carried it during the Battle of San Jacinto. Holland Lodge was located in Houston and by 1837 was joined by Milam Lodge in Nacogdoches and McFarland Lodge in San Augustine. On December 20, 1837, the three lodges met in convention and created the Grand Lodge of the Republic of Texas. Sam Houston presided at the convention, and Anson Jones was elected First Grand Master. The Grand Lodge met in various locations before permanently locating in Waco in 1902. Masons were at the forefront of Texas history. Twenty-two of the signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence were Masons. Members of the organization defended the Alamo and fought at the Battle of San Jacinto. All of the presidents and vice presidents of the Republic of Texas were Masons.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Texas Freemasonry began with a false start in 1828, when Stephen F. Austin's petition to the Mexican Grand Lodge foundered amid political turmoil. A charter finally reached Texas through Anson Jones, who reportedly carried it during the Battle of San Jacinto, and in 1837 three lodges convened under Sam Houston to form the Grand Lodge of the Republic of Texas, with Jones as first Grand Master. After meeting in many places, the Grand Lodge settled permanently in Waco in 1902.
Why it matters
Masons stood at the center of Texas' founding — twenty-two signers of the Declaration of Independence and defenders of the Alamo among them — making the order's history inseparable from the birth of the republic.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
In the late 1820s and 1830s, Texas was part of Mexico. It was filling up with Anglo-American settlers in colonies like Stephen F. Austin's, and tension was rising between those settlers and the Mexican government. That tension led to revolution in 1835 and 1836 and then to an independent Republic of Texas, which lasted until Texas joined the United States in 1845.
Freemasonry was well established in the United States at the time, and many settlers brought their Masonic membership with them. A lodge offered fellowship, a set of shared values, and a network of trust among men who were often strangers on a frontier.
The Masons' efforts to organize in Texas ran alongside the political upheaval of these years. Their first attempt foundered in the turmoil of the 1820s. Their second came just as revolution was about to break out.
People & events
In 1828, Stephen F. Austin and a group of fellow Masons asked the Mexican National Grand Lodge for a lodge charter. Political upheaval got in the way, and nothing came of the request. In March 1835, five Master Masons met at Brazoria and asked for a charter from John H. Holland, Grand Master in Louisiana.
The charter was delivered to Anson Jones, who carried it with him during the Battle of San Jacinto. That 1836 victory won Texas its independence. The new lodge, named Holland Lodge after the Grand Master who had granted the charter, came to be located in Houston. By 1837 it had been joined by Milam Lodge in Nacogdoches and McFarland Lodge in San Augustine.
On December 20, 1837, the three lodges met in convention to form the Grand Lodge of the Republic of Texas. Sam Houston presided, and Anson Jones was elected the first Grand Master. The Grand Lodge then moved from place to place for decades before it made Waco its permanent home in 1902.
Its place in the American story
The early history of Texas Freemasonry is tied up with the founding of Texas itself. Twenty-two signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence were Masons. Members of the order defended the Alamo and fought at San Jacinto. Every president and vice president of the Republic of Texas was a Mason.
That reflects a broader American pattern. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, Masonic lodges were important social networks for the men who led the new nation and its frontier. The bonds formed there often carried over into politics and public life.
The founding of a Grand Lodge was also a statement in its own right. By setting up its own governing body for Masonry, the young Republic of Texas joined the institutions of an independent nation, during the few years before it became part of the United States.
If you visit
The marker is in Waco, the Grand Lodge's permanent home since 1902. Look for it near the Grand Lodge building. Whatever your interest in fraternal orders, it is a chance to connect with a story that runs straight back to Austin's colony and the battlefield at San Jacinto.
As you stand there, think about how far that first charter traveled. It was carried through the chaos of the Texas Revolution before it ever hung on a lodge wall.
Waco is an easy stop on Interstate 35 between Dallas and Austin, with plenty of other history to explore. To follow the story further, you can trace it to San Jacinto near Houston, or to Nacogdoches and San Augustine, home of two of the three lodges that founded the Grand Lodge in 1837.
Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.
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Related people
- · Stephen F. Austin
- · Anson Jones
- · Sam Houston
- · John H. Holland
Related events
- · Battle of San Jacinto
- · Founding of the Grand Lodge of the Republic of Texas
Themes & tags
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