Weimar Masonic Cemetery

Duane's take

The way the marker tells it, here's the story of the Weimar Masonic Cemetery. On February 28, 1877, Masonic Lodge No. 423 of Weimar purchased two acres of land. The lodge had been established two years before that purchase, and now it had ground of its own, a place set aside for the final rest of its members.

The man who sold them that land was D. W. Jackson, and here's where the story gets a little neighborly: Jackson had already sold the two acres right next to it, back in 1875, to Lodge 201 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

So there they sat, side by side, the Masons and the Odd Fellows, each with their own burial ground, neighbors in life and neighbors, it turned out, well beyond it. The Masonic Cemetery grew over the years, enlarged in 1916 and again in 1944. Then came May 7, 1959, when the I.O.O.F.

Cemetery was deeded to the Weimar Cemetery Trust. That deed legally combined the two sites into one cemetery, under the Masonic name, two histories folded into one piece of ground. Now, who kept all of this tended through the years?

A Ladies Cemetery Association was first established for that purpose in 1891, and the work of caring for the place has carried on ever since. Today, Weimar Cemetery, Inc. holds oversight of the burial ground. Two lodges, two acres each, one deed, and generations of people making sure the ground is kept.

That's a long promise to keep, and from the looks of it, they're still keeping it.

What the marker says

On February 28, 1877, Masonic Lodge No. 423 of Weimar, which had been established two years before, purchased two acres for the creation of a lodge cemetery. The property was purchased from D.W. Jackson, who had sold two adjacent acres in 1875 to Lodge 201 of the Indpendent Order of Odd Fellows for an I.O.O.F. burial site. The Masonic Cemetery was enlarged in 1916 and 1944. On May 7, 1959, the I.O.O.F. Cemetery was deeded to the Weimar Cemetery Trust, legally combining the two sites into one cemetery under the Masonic name. A "Ladies Cemetery Association" was first established to care for the site in 1891, and Weimar Cemetery, Inc. continues today as the entity with oversight of the burial ground. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2010