Wichita Falls Lodge No. 635 A.F. and A.M.
Wichita Falls, Wichita County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In November 1884 Masons living here who regularly made the 18-mile journey to Henrietta for meetings petitioned the Henrietta Masonic Lodge for a new lodge to be located in Wichita Falls. In December the Grand Lodge of Texas granted a dispensation for Wichita Lodge No. 635. The first meeting of Wichita Lodge was January 5, 1885, in the hayloft over Soule's livery stable. The original officers were W. J. McDonald, E. W. Foster, J. C. Blalock, W. N. Barker, C. E. Reid, W. E. Brothers, J. A. Williams, and J. S. Moody. After the original charter was lost in an 1892 fire, a new charter was issued with the name changed to Wichita Falls Lodge. Over the years the Masons met in a succession of locations, including a rented room above a dry goods store, the Panhandle National Bank building, and the First National Bank building. A lodge building was erected at the corner of Tenth Street and Scott Avenue in 1915. A new building was completed in 1969. Lodge members leveled the cornerstones of many buildings in Wichita Falls, including the city hall and fire station in 1908, first Presbyterian Church in 1913, Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in 1915 and the Wichita County Courthouse in 1916. (1987)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Founded in 1885 by Masons who had grown tired of riding 18 miles to Henrietta for meetings, this lodge first gathered in a hayloft above a livery stable in frontier Wichita Falls. Over the decades its members met in banks and rented rooms while ceremonially laying the cornerstones of the city's key public buildings, from the courthouse to churches and city hall.
Why it matters
Fraternal lodges were central to civic life in growing frontier towns, binding together the men who built local institutions and shaped a young community.
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Related people
- · W. J. McDonald
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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