Henry Thomas Lodge, A.F. & A.M.
Marble Falls, Burnet County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In settlement started by Noah Smithwick, when he built water mill here in 1855. In 1861 he moved to California, but the mill continued in operation. A. M. Cox erected this building in 1874. Minister Henry Thomas moved the Lodge (chartered June 15, 1865) from Turkey Bend, Texas to this place in 1876. A store occupied the lower floor. Lodge obtained upper story at death of Mr. Cox, by his will. F. P. Lewis gave lower story in 1952. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1967
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This Hill Country settlement grew up around the water mill Noah Smithwick built in 1855; when he left for California in 1861 the mill kept running. A. M. Cox raised this two-story building in 1874, a store below and, from 1876, a Masonic lodge above—the Henry Thomas Lodge, which minister Henry Thomas had relocated from nearby Turkey Bend. The lodge gained the upper floor through Cox's will, a small monument to frontier fraternal life.
Why it matters
The building shows how mills, stores, and fraternal lodges together knit together frontier Texas communities, where a single two-story structure could serve as commerce and civic hall at once.
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Related people
- · Noah Smithwick
- · A. M. Cox
- · Henry Thomas
Themes & tags
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