Lexington Masonic Lodge No. 138

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Way back in 1854, when Lexington was still part of Burleson County, a group of men sat down and chartered themselves a Masonic lodge. And right from the start, they wanted it known whose memory they were honoring.

They named that lodge after Andrew Neill, a veteran of the Texas War for Independence. That's the kind of name you put on a door when you want people to know what you stand for. The first officers were John M.

Doak, Titus H. Mundine, and John B. Nunn.

Three names, one purpose, and they got to work fast. That same year, 1854, the members helped build a lodge and a school. Not one or the other.

Both. And that school didn't stay a humble little schoolhouse forever. By 1860 it was chartered as the Lexington Male and Female Academy.

The lodge itself kept evolving too. It changed its name in 1868, and then in 1912 it took another step forward, sponsoring its first Order of the Eastern Star chapter. From a Burleson County charter to a school to a new name to a new chapter, this lodge has never been content to just sit still.

And here's the part that tends to get overlooked in a good story: they're still at it. Lodge members continue to serve the Lexington community to this day. Some things, it turns out, are built to last.

What the marker says

Chartered in 1854, when Lexington was part of Burleson County, the community's Masonic lodge was first named in honor of Andrew Neill, a Texas War for Independence veteran. The lodge's first officers were John M. Doak, Titus H. Mundine and John B. Nunn. Also in 1854, members helped build a lodge and school, chartered in 1860 as Lexington Male and Female Academy. The lodge changed its name in 1868 and in 1912 first sponsored an Order of the Eastern Star chapter. Today, lodge members continue to serve the Lexington community. (2003)