Lee Lodge No. 435, A.F. & A.M.
Prosper, Collin County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1875 Masons living in the Rhea's Mill community (4 miles northeast), who had been traveling to McKinney for meetings, obtained a charter from the Grand Lodge of Texas for a new lodge to be located in their area. Meetings were held in rented quarters until 1903, when the members of the lodge voted to move to Prosper, a major town on the Santa Fe rail line. A lodge hall was constructed in 1904 and served the fraternity until 1967, when a new facility was built. The lodge has continued to be an important part of the Prosper community. (1987)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1875 Masons around the Rhea's Mill community, tired of traveling to McKinney for meetings, won a charter for their own lodge from the Grand Lodge of Texas. When the Santa Fe railroad made Prosper the area's rising town, the members voted in 1903 to relocate and built a lodge hall there in 1904. The fraternity has remained part of Prosper community life ever since.
Why it matters
The lodge's move tracks how the railroad reorganized North Texas life, drawing institutions and people from crossroads hamlets into new rail-line towns.
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Themes & tags
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