Kendall Masonic Lodge No. 897
Boerne, Kendall County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Efforts to form a Masonic lodge in Boerne began in 1904. On December 7, 1905, the Grande Lodge of Texas granted a charter to Kendall Lodge No. 897, and A.J. Woods, L.W. King, Sr. and U.A. Shirar, Jr. served as the first principal officers. A fire in 1908 destroyed the lodge hall, and the group met in the county courthouse before moving their meetings to the Calrow Building, the city's post office. In 1911, local women chartered Boerne Chapter No. 200, Order of the Easter Star. The Masons moved to a new building, shared by the order, in 1969 and have since continued supporting the community and Masonic institutions with their time, funds and service. (2006)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Masons in Boerne worked toward a lodge from 1904, and the Grand Lodge of Texas chartered Kendall Lodge No. 897 in December 1905. After fire destroyed their hall in 1908, members met in the county courthouse and then the Calrow Building before settling into a new home in 1969. In 1911 local women chartered Boerne Chapter No. 200 of the Order of the Eastern Star, and both bodies have long supported the community.
Why it matters
Fraternal lodges like this were pillars of civic and social life in small American towns, and the Eastern Star gave women their own formal place within that tradition.
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