Humble Lodge No. 979, A.F. & A.M.

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Near the turn of the century, the town of Humble was full of Masons, good standing men every one, but if they wanted to attend lodge they had to travel out to nearby towns to do it. That went on until 1908, when a local Justice of the Peace by the name of F.

K. Wise helped the Humble area Masons get organized and stand up a lodge of their very own. Humble Lodge Number 979, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.

Now, every lodge needs a place to meet, and that's where things get interesting. A man named Ross Sterling, who was president of the Humble State Bank at the time and would one day become Governor of Texas, he opened the doors of the bank building right here on this very site and said, gentlemen, you've got your meeting facilities. Sterling was born in 1875 and lived until 1949, and if you know anything about Texas politics, that name carries some weight.

But back to the lodge. The Masons were meeting comfortably in that bank building until 1912, when the building burned. Now that could've been the end of the story.

It wasn't. The Masons bought the property, right where that bank had stood, and they built themselves a new lodge hall. Their own.

And from that hall, they've stayed active in the civic life of Humble ever since. Some stories end in ash. This one built something better.

What the marker says

Near the turn of the century, the town of Humble was home to many Masons who were members of lodges located in nearby towns. With the help of local Justice of the Peace F. K. Wise, Humble area Masons organized their own lodge in 1908. Humble State Bank president and future Texas Governor Ross Sterling (1875-1949) provided meeting facilities in the bank building which formerly stood at this site. After the bank burned in 1912, the Masons bought the property and built a new lodge hall. The Masons have been active in civic programs over the years.