Reagan Masonic Lodge No. 1037 A. F. & A. M.
Houston, Harris County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Reagan Lodge, the first Masonic Lodge instituted in the Houston suburbs, marked the beginning of the second wave of Houston Masonic Lodges and accompanied a major surge in the growth of the city and the birth of its suburbs. The lodge was chartered in the municipality of Houston Heights on December 12, 1910; its first meeting was held on December 31, 1910. The lodge was named for Mason John Henninger Reagan (1818-1905), who served as a judge, Confederate Postmaster General, U.S. Congressman and Senator, framer of the 1876 Texas Constitution, and first chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission. Within its first twelve years, the lodge facilitated the formation of Chapters of the Order of the Eastern Star, Order of Demolay for Boys and Order of Rainbow for Girls. Three area schools have been named for lodge members. The lodge’s first regular meetings were held in a rented space in the 900 block of Yale St. An association was formed in 1912 to raise money for a new, permanent lodge building, which was constructed in 1930 at the northeast corner of Harvard St. and Eleventh Ave., but was taken over by a local bank in 1935 as a result of the Great Depression. The lodge met at a temporary site until the completion of the lodge building at the northeast corner of Heights Blvd. and Sixteenth Ave. in 1948. The building was designed by architect and Houston Heights resident L.R. Hayes, who was also Master of Reagan Lodge 1937-1938. Reagan Masonic Lodge has a long history of charitable work and philanthropic endeavors and continues to be a civic leader in the Houston Heights community.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Reagan Masonic Lodge No. 1037 was chartered in December 1910 as the first Masonic lodge in Houston's new suburbs, coinciding with the rapid growth of Houston Heights. Named for John H. Reagan—judge, Confederate Postmaster General, U.S. congressman and senator, framer of the 1876 Texas Constitution, and first chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission—the lodge spun off chapters of the Eastern Star and youth orders and saw three area schools named for its members. After losing its 1930 building to a bank during the Depression, the lodge completed a permanent home on Heights Boulevard in 1948.
Why it matters
Fraternal lodges were central to civic life in early-twentieth-century American suburbs, organizing charity, youth activities, and community leadership as new neighborhoods took shape.
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Related people
- · John Henninger Reagan
- · L. R. Hayes
Themes & tags
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