Morton Lodge No. 72, A. F. & A. M.

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Morton Lodge Number 72. Now settle in, because this story starts way back before the Civil War, before Texas had even been a state for five years. The year is 1850, and somewhere in Fort Bend County, a group of men are organizin' a Masonic lodge.

They get their charter on January 24, 1851, and right from the start they name it after William Morton, an Old Three Hundred colonist and a Mason himself. Twenty charter members sign on. Twenty men, one lodge, and a whole lot of Texas history yet to unfold.

They set up their first hall on Jackson Street, and for a few years, that does just fine. But by 1855, the lodge has outgrown its original home, and they replace it with something considerably more ambitious. A three-story brick structure, sitting right on the corner of Third and Morton Streets.

Three stories of brick, which in 1855 Texas was no small statement. And here's the part that stops you cold: that same building also housed the county courthouse. The Masons and Fort Bend County, sharing a roof.

You had to respect the ambition of that arrangement. Well, 1887 comes along, and fire takes the whole thing down. The three-story brick building, the courthouse and all.

Gone. Now, most organizations might have quietly packed up after losing something like that. Not this lodge.

They build again, right here at this very site. And then in 1913, that third building gives way to the one standing today. Four buildings across the decades, and through all of it, the lodge keeps on, sponsoring charitable work year after year.

William Morton's name is still on the door. Twenty charter members became a tradition that outlasted fire, outlasted three separate buildings, and is still standing right in front of you.

What the marker says

Organized in 1850, the Morton Masonic Lodge was chartered on January 24, 1851. Named for "Old 300" colonist and Mason william Morton, the Lodge began with twenty charter members. The first lodge hall, located on Jackson street, was replaced in 1855 by a larger building on the corner of 3rd and Morton streets. The three-story brick structure also housed the county courthouse, and was destroyed by fire in 1887. A third facility, built at this site, was replaced by this building in 1913. Over the years the Lodge has sponsored many charitable activities.