Lone Star Masonic Lodge No. 403, A. F. & A. M.
Denison, Grayson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Organized a year after Denison was founded, Lone Star Masonic Lodge was chartered June 6, 1874. Meetings were held in several locations before the construction of this lodge hall. The northern half of the building was erected in 1900 and the southern portion in 1915. A bracketed eave dominates the top of the brick structure. The lodge hall was dedicated on the night of Dec. 31, 1915, with ceremonies extending into New Year's Day 1916. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1985
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Chartered on June 6, 1874, just a year after Denison itself was founded, Lone Star Masonic Lodge grew alongside the young railroad town. Its members met in several locations before raising this brick hall, built in two stages in 1900 and 1915 and topped by a distinctive bracketed eave. The completed hall was dedicated on New Year's Eve 1915, with ceremonies carrying into the first day of 1916.
Why it matters
Fraternal lodges like this one were pillars of civic life in fast-growing frontier towns, binding newcomers together as raw railroad settlements matured into established communities.
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