Warren Lodge No. 56, A.F. & A.M.
Caldwell, Burleson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Burleson County was established in 1846 with Caldwell as the county seat. By the late 1840s Caldwell had a population of about three hundred. Local Masons began organizing and in October 1848 nine Freemasons petitioned George M. Patrick, grand master of Texas to grant dispensation for a lodge in Caldwell. In 1849 these men met in the county courthouse as District Deputy Grand Master John Sayles installed the first officers of the new Burleson Lodge No. 59. Jesse G. Thomas, then serving as first chief justice of Burleson County, was worshipful master. During 1849 the lodge initiated at least nine apprentice Masons including M. M. Hitchcock, future sheriff; Spencer Rice, future contractor of the 1853 county courthouse; and George B. Erath, the surveyor who platted Caldwell, sponsored legislation creating Burleson County and later served in the Texas Senate. The lodge was chartered in 1850 as Warren Lodge No. 56 though the reason for the name change is unknown, local lore states that the lodge was named for Dr. Joseph Warren, a well-known Freemason of Massachusetts. The Masons built their own lodge in 1854. They leveled the cornerstone of the new courthouse in 1889 amid full Masonic ceremonies. In 1890 they established a Masonic cemetery open to the public south of town. The lodge met soon after the full moon each month until 1930, when automobiles made night travel more feasible and they began meeting the second Thursday of each month. The Masonic cemetery was deeded to a private cemetery association in 1950. Warren Lodge No. 56 continues to be active in Burleson County community service. (2000)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Freemasonry took root in Caldwell soon after Burleson County's creation in 1846, when nine Masons petitioned for a lodge and met in the county courthouse to install their first officers in 1849. Chartered in 1850 as Warren Lodge No. 56—by local tradition honoring the Revolutionary patriot Dr. Joseph Warren—the lodge counted among its early members a future sheriff, the courthouse contractor, and surveyor George B. Erath, who platted Caldwell and later served in the Texas Senate. The Masons built their hall in 1854, laid the courthouse cornerstone in 1889, and founded a public cemetery in 1890.
Why it matters
Fraternal lodges were central to civic life on the Texas frontier, knitting together the leaders who organized counties, built courthouses, and shaped early local government.
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Related people
- · George B. Erath
- · Jesse G. Thomas
- · Joseph Warren
Themes & tags
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