Kaufman Lodge No. 726, A.F. & A.M.
Scurry, Kaufman County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The first Mason Lodge in Kaufman County, Bloomfield Lodge No. 112, was located in Kaufman. In times of heavy rain during the 1880s, the roads were impassable. For this reason 16 members petitioned for a lodge charter in the 8-year-old town of Scurry in 1890. A charter for Kaufman Lodge No. 726, A.F. & A.M., was issued December 11, 1891. The first officers were S.J. Modisett, Thomas Martin and J. W. McFarland; the lodge weathered good financial times and bad as a center of community activity and public service. Though forced to relocate due to fires, the lodge grew steadily. As is Masonic tradition, lodge members raise and spend monies on behalf of those in need. Kaufman Lodge No. 726 has provided leaders for the town of Scurry and its vicinity, and is very active in medical aid and public education. (2000)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The first Masonic lodge in Kaufman County sat in the town of Kaufman, but in the 1880s impassable rain-soaked roads pushed sixteen members to seek a charter closer to home in the young town of Scurry. Kaufman Lodge No. 726, A.F. & A.M., was chartered in December 1891 and became a hub of community life, weathering fires and lean times as it moved from building to building. In keeping with Masonic tradition, its members raised funds for neighbors in need and supplied leaders for Scurry through good years and bad.
Why it matters
The lodge reflects the central role fraternal orders played in knitting together frontier Texas towns, providing charity, civic leadership, and public spirit where formal institutions were thin.
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