Fate Lodge No. 802, A.F. & A.M.

Duane's take

Here's what the official marker has to say, in my own words: so ride along. December 3, 1896. That's the date you want to hold onto.

Because on that day, the Grand Lodge of Texas, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, issued a charter, and Fate Lodge No. 802 came into being. Now, twenty-three charter members signed on at the start. Merchants and farmers, mostly (the kind of folks who build a community from the ground up with their hands and their word).

J. B. Young stepped up as the first worshipful master, and whatever that room looked like on day one, you can bet it felt like something worth starting.

Here's the part that gets me, though. For decades (decades, friend) this lodge didn't have a proper home of its own. They met where they could.

A local grocery store. A blacksmith shop. A schoolhouse.

You picture these men gathering among flour sacks and horseshoes and chalk-dusted desks, conducting their business with all the formality the craft demands, and there's something almost poetic about it. The institution was bigger than any building that held it. That went on until 1953, when the lodge finally built a hall of its own: a new lodge hall and community building, a place to plant their flag for good.

And they've been there ever since, reachin' out, servin' the community, same as they have for more than a century now. Fate Lodge No. 802 (started in a grocery store, still standing).

What the marker says

Fate Lodge No. 802 traces its history to December 3, 1896, when a charter was issued by the Grand Lodge of Texas, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. J. B. Young served as the first worshipful master. The 23 charter members were mostly merchants and farmers. Lodge members met in a local grocery store, blacksmith shop, and schoolhouse until 1953, when a new lodge hall/community building was built. The lodge participates in many outreach activities and continues to serve the community as it has for more than a century. (1997)