S.P.J.S.T. Lodge No. 1

Duane's take

The way the marker tells it, here's the story of S.P.J.S.T. Lodge No. 1 in Fayette County. In 1897, the S.P.J.S.T.

Supreme Lodge came together in La Grange, and it came together big. Twenty-five lodges formed all at once. Now, of all those lodges, Lodge No. 1 sat right there in Fayetteville, and the folks in that lodge were not the kind to let grass grow under their feet.

They voted to purchase land, and by October of 1910, they had done something worth talking about. A hall and two ancillary buildings, all finished and ready. Think about what that meant to a community.

A place to gather, a place to breathe. And that dance hall, well, it was built the way honest buildings get built. Vernacular style, wood-frame, clad in white board and batten siding, topped with a gable roof.

Nothing fussy about it. Simple shutters made of narrow vertical boards swing open to let the air move through, which if you have ever spent a Texas summer inside a building, you understand is not a small thing. Then there was the concession stand, the beer bar, and the old kitchen, now used for storage, but once a place to prepare food, play games, and pull the community in close.

Later on, restrooms and a baseball stadium were added. From twenty-five lodges meeting in La Grange to a full complex with a dance floor, a beer bar, and a baseball stadium. Lodge No. 1 has been keepin' Fayetteville together for a long time, and by all accounts, it has not finished yet.

What the marker says

In 1897, the S.P.J.S.T. Supreme Lodge formed in La Grange with 25 lodges. Lodge no. 1 in Fayetteville voted to purchase land and in Oct. 1910, construction of a hall and two ancillary buildings was complete. The vernacular style wood-frame dance hall is clad in white board and batten siding with a gable roof. Simple shutters constructed of narrow vertical boards swing open to provide ventilation. The concession stand, or beer bar, and the old kitchen (now used for storage) provided a place to prepare food, play games and gather as a community. Restrooms and a baseball stadium were later added. The lodge complex continues to provide a place for social and cultural events.