Travis Lodge No. 117, A. F. & A. M.
Sherman, Grayson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Founded in 1852, only six years after Sherman was designated the county seat, this Masonic Lodge is one of the oldest continuing institutions in the community. Local Attorney Burrell Smith and fifteen other Masonic brothers petitioned for a dispensation to organize a Masonic Lodge in Sherman on February 10, 1852. On August 28, 1852, Travis Lodge No. 117 was organized and officers were installed. Over the course of its history, the lodge has shared facilities with a Union church, other lodges, and several businesses in commercial buildings. A major fire destroyed most of the business section of Sherman on October 30, 1875, and lodge records, furniture, and equipment were lost in the blaze. A duplicate charter was issued June 10, 1876. The lodge built a classical revival style temple on the northeast corner of Lamar and Walnut streets in 1924. It remained the lodge headquarters until 1985, and was designated a recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1988. Through the years Travis Lodge members have been prominent community leaders and the lodge has supported various Masonic charitable endeavors such as hospitals, orphanages, and retirement homes.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Chartered in 1852, just six years after Sherman became the Grayson County seat, Travis Lodge No. 117 is among the town's oldest continuous institutions. It weathered the great 1875 fire that destroyed its records and required a duplicate charter, later built a classical-revival temple in 1924, and long counted community leaders among its members while supporting Masonic hospitals, orphanages, and homes.
Why it matters
The lodge reflects the central role fraternal orders played in nineteenth-century American town life, binding civic leadership to charitable works.
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Related people
- · Burrell Smith
Themes & tags
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