Lyons Lodge No. 195, A.F. & A.M.
Schulenburg, Fayette County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Lyons Lodge No. 195, A.F.& A.M. began in the community of Lyons in 1856. The first meeting place was at a farm in the town. Members built a lodge building in 1861 that also functioned as the community's public school until 1874. After the Civil War, as residents began moving out of Lyons, so did the lodge. By 1869, members held meetings at High Hill. After 1874, the original building and lodge meetings moved to Schulenburg. Members erected a new hall in 1876 that served for more than 100 years. In the 1980s, members sold it and constructed a new building. Lyons Lodge halls provided space for school classes until 1900. Today, as in years past, lodge members continue to be active in civic affairs. (2006)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Chartered in the frontier community of Lyons in 1856, this Masonic lodge did double duty from the start: the hall members built in 1861 also served as the community's public school until 1874. As settlers drifted away from Lyons after the Civil War, the lodge followed the population, eventually settling in the new railroad town of Schulenburg. Its halls kept hosting school classes into 1900.
Why it matters
The lodge shows how fraternal orders anchored civic and educational life in small Texas towns, often providing the only schoolhouse a rural community had.
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Themes & tags
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