Dave in Waco
Premium Member
Members did not hide their membership in the US in colonial times. There were public events in which masons presided. George Washington and the capital cornerstone. In Texas it was not secret. We have records of community events in 1835 through 1840 that were held by masons. My relatives officiated at dome of them. Early schools in Texas were on the first floor of Masonic lodges. This is not a new development. The practice of letting people know who we are has been going on for a couple of hundred years. Europe has a different history, I can see why they were secretive in the past. I do not understand the argument of you have to remain secret to improve yourself. Much of what improves use is found in improving others.
The formation of Freemasonry and Texas went hand-in-hand. The Republic of Texas had 4 Presidents before Texas became a state. All 4 Presidents and the Vice-Presidents were Masons. Most weren't just Masons, but the Masons who in addition to forming the Republic, also formed the Grand Lodge of Texas. The actual charter for the first lodge in Texas rode in the saddlebags of Anson Jones, future President of the Republic of Texas, during the Battle of San Jacinto where Texas won its Independence from Mexico. About a year and a half later, a Masonic Convention was called in Houston to form the Grand Lodge of Texas. The convention was presided over by then Texas President Sam Houston, in the Texas Senate Chambers. They elected as the first Grand Master of Texas, Anson Jones.
When you read through the who's who list of historic Texas figures, it reads something like this:
Stephen F. Austin - Father of Texas - Louisiana Lodge No. 109, Ste. Genevieve, Mo.
Sam Houston - Hero of San Jacinto - Holland Lodge No. 1, Houston, Tx. Cumberland Lodge No. 8, Nashville, Tn.
William Barret Travis - The Defender of the Alamo - Alabama Lodge No. 3
James Bowie - The Greatest Fighter in the Southwest - Loge L'Humble Chaumiere No. 19, Opelousas, La.
David Crockett - King of the Wilderness - (lodge unknown - his Masonic apron, entrusted to the Sheriff of Weakley Co., Tn., has survived with the family of E. M. Taylor of Paducah, Ky.)
James Bonham - Alamo Defender and last messenger to leave the Alamo and return - (So. Carolina lodge records destroyed by fire in 1838)
James Fannin - Commander at Goliad - Holland Lodge No. 36, Brazoria, Tx.
Anson Jones - Last President of the Republic of Texas - Holland Lodge No. 1, Houston, Tx. Harmony Lodge No. 52, Phila. Pa.
Lorenzo de Zavala - First Vice-President of the Republic - Logia Independencia No. 454 (Gr. Ldg. of New York), Mexico City.
Jose Navarro - Texas Patriot and Legislator - American Virtue Lodge No. 10, Saltillo, Mexico.
Juan Seguin - Tejano Patriot - Holland Lodge No. 1, Houston, Tx.
Lawrence S. "Sul" Ross - Texas Ranger, Confederate General, Governor - Waco Lodge No. 92, Waco.
John Joseph Kennedy- "Sheriff and Ender of the Regulator-Moderator War, Confederate Captain" - Marshall Lodge No. 22, Marshall, Tx.
R.E.B. Baylor - Founder of Baylor University - Baylor Lodge No. 125, Gay Hill, Tx.
Benjamin F. Terry - Founder and Commander of Terry's Texas Rangers - Holland Lodge No. 1, Houston.
Thomas S. Lubbock - Commander of Terry's Texas Rangers - Holland Lodge No. 1, Houston.
Audie Murphy - Most Decorated American Soldier of World War II - No. Hollywood Lodge No. 542
Claire Chennault - Founder of the Flying Tigers
Edwin E. "Buzz"Aldrin - 2nd Man on the Moon & Claimed the Moon for the Grand Lodge of Texas - Clear Lake Lodge No. 1417, El Lago, Tx