Tyre Masonic Lodge No. 198
Tennessee Colony, Anderson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Tyre Masonic Lodge No. 198 Until this Masonic Lodge was chartered in 1857, local Masons traveled to Magnolia Lodge No. 113 near the Trinity River. On March 3, 1856, seven Tennessee Colony Masons met at the store of James S. Hanks and adopted a resolution to petition the Grand Lodge of Texas for a new lodge. The Grand Lodge approved the request on January 19, 1857, and Tyre Lodge no. 198, Ancient Free & Accepted Masons, was officially chartered four days later. A.L. Porter served as the first worshipful master. Other officers the first year were John Nelson Woolverton, Dr. W. C. Kenney, John Vannoy, John M. Burns, Thomas Hudson, Joshua Brown Hanks, J. R. Fulton, C. D. Holliman and M. A. Anderson. Members met in a log building, but soon bought a house for lodge purposes. In 1861, a two-story building was constructed and put into use as a community school, a place for Sunday worship and a meeting place for the Masons. A 1949 building replaced the 19th-century structure as the hall. Throughout its history, the members of Tyre Masonic Lodge have sponsored a number of programs and outreach projects for the community, including the Tennessee Colony Masonic Institute, which provided school classes for local children in the late 1850s. Lodge members have served in various armed conflicts, including the Civil War, World War I and World War II. The organization draws members from surrounding communities as it continues to uphold the ideals and traditions of its founders. (2002)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Before this lodge existed, Tennessee Colony Masons rode to a lodge near the Trinity River, so in 1856 seven of them met at James S. Hanks's store and petitioned for their own. The Grand Lodge of Texas chartered Tyre Lodge No. 198 in January 1857, and members met first in a log building, then an 1861 two-story hall that doubled as school and church. The lodge also ran the Tennessee Colony Masonic Institute, teaching local children in the late 1850s.
Why it matters
Frontier fraternal lodges like Tyre often supplied the schools, worship space, and civic glue that new Texas settlements otherwise lacked.
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Related people
- · A. L. Porter
- · James S. Hanks
Themes & tags
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