La Fayette Masonic Lodge No. 34 A.F. & A.M.
La Grange, Fayette County, Texas
Marker Inscription
La Grange's Masonic lodge organized in 1847, with John Murchison as the first worshipful master. Historically, Masons have supported many civic causes including education. The La Fayette lodge laid the cornerstone for the Fayette County Courthouse in 1891, with district judge and lodge member Lyttleton W. Moore delivering the oration. The lodge lost its charter in 1883-84 due to inactivity, but reformed in 1889 with its original lodge number and R.P. Kirk installed as worshipful master. The present lodge temple was dedicated Jun. 22, 1939. Notable members have included Judge Moore, G.A. Stierling, William Loessin, Charles Jungmichel, and many other local and state leaders. (2012)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
La Grange's Masonic lodge organized in 1847, with John Murchison as its first worshipful master, and became a fixture of civic life in Fayette County. The Masons laid the cornerstone of the Fayette County Courthouse in 1891, and though the lodge briefly lost its charter to inactivity in the 1880s, it reformed in 1889 under its original number. The present lodge temple was dedicated in 1939, and its rolls have long included local judges and state leaders.
Why it matters
Fraternal lodges like this one were engines of civic life in nineteenth-century Texas towns, backing courthouses, schools, and the public institutions of a young state.
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Related people
- · John Murchison
- · Lyttleton W. Moore
Themes & tags
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