DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Burleson County came into being in 1846, with Caldwell as the county seat — and by the late 1840s, Caldwell had worked itself up to a population of about three hundred souls. Now, three hundred people is a small town by any measure, but that was enough to get things moving.
In October of 1848, nine Freemasons put their names to a petition addressed to George M. Patrick, grand master of Texas, asking him to grant dispensation for a lodge right there in Caldwell. That petition went through.
The following year, 1849, those men gathered inside the county courthouse — the very seat of local government — while District Deputy Grand Master John Sayles installed the first officers of what was then called Burleson Lodge No. 59. Standing at the head of that new lodge as worshipful master was Jesse G. Thomas, who happened at that same moment to be serving as the first chief justice of Burleson County.
The county's top judge, leading the lodge. That's a Caldwell power room right there. And the new lodge didn't waste any time.
During that same year of 1849, it initiated at least nine apprentice Masons. Now, that phrase — at least nine — suggests the record may have been modest in its keeping. Among those nine were some names worth noting.
M. M. Hitchcock, who would go on to become a future sheriff.
Spencer Rice, who would later serve as contractor for the 1853 county courthouse — the very kind of building these men were meeting in at the time. And George B. Erath, the surveyor who platted Caldwell itself, the man who sponsored the legislation that created Burleson County, and who later served in the Texas Senate.
Apprentice Masons, the lot of them, in 1849. Funny how that works out. The lodge received its charter in 1850, and with that charter came a new name and a new number — Warren Lodge No. 56.
Why the change from No. 59 to No. 56, and from Burleson Lodge to Warren Lodge? The marker is candid: the reason for the name change is unknown. Local lore, though, holds that the lodge took its name from Dr.
Joseph Warren, a well-known Freemason of Massachusetts. Lore is lore, but it's what the community carried down. By 1854 the Masons had built their own lodge — no more borrowing the courthouse floor.
Then came 1889, and here's a moment that's easy to let slip past you: when a new courthouse was being raised, the Masons were the ones called to level its cornerstone, and they did it amid full Masonic ceremonies. The builders blessing the building. The following year, 1890, the lodge established a Masonic cemetery south of town, and they made it open to the public.
That's not nothing. For decades the lodge scheduled its meetings around the full moon — meeting soon after it each month, so members riding in from the surrounding country would have enough light to find their way home safely. That arrangement held until 1930, when automobiles made night travel a good deal more feasible, and the lodge shifted to meeting on the second Thursday of each month.
In 1950 the Masonic cemetery was deeded over to a private cemetery association. And Warren Lodge No. 56 — the one that started with nine men and a petition — continues to be active in Burleson County community service today. Some roots go deep and just keep growing.
What the marker says
Burleson County was established in 1846 with Caldwell as the county seat. By the late 1840s Caldwell had a population of about three hundred. Local Masons began organizing and in October 1848 nine Freemasons petitioned George M. Patrick, grand master of Texas to grant dispensation for a lodge in Caldwell. In 1849 these men met in the county courthouse as District Deputy Grand Master John Sayles installed the first officers of the new Burleson Lodge No. 59. Jesse G. Thomas, then serving as first chief justice of Burleson County, was worshipful master. During 1849 the lodge initiated at least nine apprentice Masons including M. M. Hitchcock, future sheriff; Spencer Rice, future contractor of the 1853 county courthouse; and George B. Erath, the surveyor who platted Caldwell, sponsored legislation creating Burleson County and later served in the Texas Senate. The lodge was chartered in 1850 as Warren Lodge No. 56 though the reason for the name change is unknown, local lore states that the lodge was named for Dr. Joseph Warren, a well-known Freemason of Massachusetts. The Masons built their own lodge in 1854. They leveled the cornerstone of the new courthouse in 1889 amid full Masonic ceremonies. In 1890 they established a Masonic cemetery open to the public south of town. The lodge met soon after the full moon each month until 1930, when automobiles made night travel more feasible and they began meeting the second Thursday of each month. The Masonic cemetery was deeded to a private cemetery association in 1950. Warren Lodge No. 56 continues to be active in Burleson County community service. (2000)