Kerrville Lodge No. 697, 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. Way out in the Hill Country, in Kerr County, a group of Masons had a vision. They were affiliated with Rising Star Lodge over in nearby Center Point, and they decided Kerrville needed a lodge of its own.

So they made it happen. On December 11, 1890, Kerrville Lodge No. 697 was chartered. Twenty-one charter members, right there at the founding.

And somebody had to be first Worshipful Master. The members looked around, took a vote, and elected Ed Smallwood to the chair. Now, a lodge needs a home, and Charles Schreiner stepped up and provided one.

A two-story stone building, solid as the Hill Country itself, erected by Schreiner, served as the lodge's headquarters. That building carried the lodge forward until 1927, when a second structure was acquired. But the story doesn't stop there.

Come December of 1972, construction began on the current building. A new chapter, laid stone by stone. And in February of 1974, that building was formally dedicated.

From twenty-one charter members gathering under a roof Charles Schreiner built, to a dedicated new home nearly a century later, Kerrville Lodge No. 697 has kept right on serving the community with many programs. Some things in the Hill Country are built to last. This lodge is one of them.

What the marker says

Organized by Masons affiliated with Rising Star Lodge in nearby Center Point, Kerrville Lodge No. 697 was chartered on December 11, 1890. The 21 charter members elected Ed Smallwood as their first Worshipful Master. A two-story stone building erected by Charles Schreiner served as the institution's headquarters until a second structure was acquired in 1927. Construction of the current building began in December 1972, and it was formally dedicated in February 1974. The Kerrville Masonic Lodge has served the community with many programs. (1990)