Palestine Lodge No. 31, A. F. & A. M.

Established on November 21, 1846, the Palestine Masonic Lodge is one of the oldest organizations in Anderson County. Established by 22 charter members meeting under a dispensation from the Grand Lodge of Texas, the group was officially chartered as Lodge No. 31 in 1848. For the first two years meetings were held in members' homes until a lodge building was erected on the west side of the courthouse square in 1848. In 1850 the Masons built a 2-story structure to provide a school for boys in the community on the first floor and a meeting hall on the second level. Their commitment to education continued when the Masons constructed a brick schoolhouse for girls in 1852. The third Lodge building contained three floors: the first floor was split into three separate stores for rental to area merchants; the second floor was styled as the city's first opera house; and the third floor housed the Lodge meeting room. The Masons have met in many other sites over the years. Among its many prominent members was John H. Reagan, U.S. Congressman and first Texas Railroad Commissioner. The Masonic Lodge continues to serve the community as it has for more than 150 years. (1996)

Palestine Lodge No. 31, A. F. & A. M. is a historical marker in Palestine, Anderson County, dedicated in 1996. It is one of 115 historical markers documented in Anderson County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 229 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 31.7641, -95.6348 near Palestine. The nearest cataloged historic site is Palestine Carnegie Library (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include St. Mary's Academy, Site of, Eilenberger's Bakery, and Sacred Heart Church.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5001008791. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.