Scottish Rite Masonry in Texas
Galveston, Galveston County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Born in 1867 in Galveston. One of major systems of celebrated Masonic fraternal organization. Philip C. Tucker, the Deputy Inspector General of the Masons, read charter establishing "San Felipe Lodge of Perfection." It was named after San Felipe de Austin, capital of first Anglo-American colony in Texas. As Texas Masonry flourished, "L. M. Openheimer Charter of Rose Croix" was organized in 1882. "Pike-Tucker Council of Kadosh" was granted a charter in 1898. The "Texas Consistory No. 1" was established in 1899. The present cathedral was dedicated in 1929. (1970)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Galveston's Scottish Rite Masonry took shape in 1867 when Philip C. Tucker read the charter establishing the San Felipe Lodge of Perfection, named for the old capital of Texas's first Anglo-American colony. Over the following decades the fraternity grew, adding a Rose Croix chapter, a Council of Kadosh, and the Texas Consistory No. 1 by the turn of the century. The order's imposing cathedral was dedicated in 1929.
Why it matters
Fraternal orders like the Scottish Rite were pillars of civic and social life in 19th-century American cities, and Galveston's early lodge marks the movement's deep roots in Texas.
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Related people
- · Philip C. Tucker
Themes & tags
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