Palestine Lodge No. 31, A. F. & A. M.
Palestine, Anderson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Established on November 21, 1846, the Palestine Masonic Lodge is one of the oldest organizations in Anderson County. Established by 22 charter members meeting under a dispensation from the Grand Lodge of Texas, the group was officially chartered as Lodge No. 31 in 1848. For the first two years meetings were held in members' homes until a lodge building was erected on the west side of the courthouse square in 1848. In 1850 the Masons built a 2-story structure to provide a school for boys in the community on the first floor and a meeting hall on the second level. Their commitment to education continued when the Masons constructed a brick schoolhouse for girls in 1852. The third Lodge building contained three floors: the first floor was split into three separate stores for rental to area merchants; the second floor was styled as the city's first opera house; and the third floor housed the Lodge meeting room. The Masons have met in many other sites over the years. Among its many prominent members was John H. Reagan, U.S. Congressman and first Texas Railroad Commissioner. The Masonic Lodge continues to serve the community as it has for more than 150 years. (1996)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Chartered in the late 1840s, just as Texas joined the Union, this Masonic lodge became one of the oldest institutions in Anderson County. Its members poured energy into education, building a school for boys and later a brick schoolhouse for girls in the 1850s. Among its prominent members was John H. Reagan, a U.S. congressman and Texas's first Railroad Commissioner.
Why it matters
Fraternal lodges were early engines of civic life on the frontier, often founding the schools and public halls a young community otherwise lacked.
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Related people
- · John H. Reagan
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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