DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Forrest Lodge Number 19, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons — chartered on January 11, 1844, right there in Walker County, Texas. One of only 25 lodges that got their start during the Republic of Texas itself.
That puts it among the eighth oldest lodges in the entire state, and if you know anything about Texas, you know that's not a small thing to carry. Now, the early membership list alone ought to raise an eyebrow or two. Sam Houston — yes, that Sam Houston — counted himself among the brothers of this lodge.
So did Henderson Yoakum, the Texas historian. But there's a third name worth slowing down for. William Martin Taylor, born in 1817, died in 1871, and in between those two years he did something that echoes through every Masonic lodge in Texas to this day.
They call him the Father of the Texas Work. He published a handbook — Taylor's Monitor — that brought uniformity to Texas Masonic ritual. Every lodge doing the work the same way, by the same book.
In 1858, the Grand Lodge met right here and approved it. Think about what that means — a meeting held on this very ground, and what came out of it shaped the ritual of an entire state. At least 28 local Masons from this lodge have gone on to attain offices in the Grand Lodge.
Twenty-eight. That's not a footnote; that's a legacy with names behind it. Now, the lodge itself has had more than one home, and not all of them ended peacefully.
In the early days, the upper floor of a store owned by Alexander McDonald — the first worshipful master of the lodge — served as their meeting place. Then in 1850, they built a proper two-story lodge hall on the north side of the square. Stood there for thirty-one years.
And then, in 1881, fire took it. Gone. The brothers didn't scatter.
By 1883, a brick building rose near the corner of University and 11th Street. That held them until 1896, when the present property was acquired, and in 1909, the new structure was dedicated. These walls have done more than host initiations and handshakes.
The lodge opened its doors to the Red Cross, to the First Baptist Church, to the public schools. Lodge funds went to distressed members, to widows, to orphans. They bought war bonds.
They supplied scholarships. A fraternal order that started above a general store during the Republic of Texas — and it's still standin', still servin'. Some things, when they're built right from the beginning, just don't quit.
What the marker says
One of 25 lodges started during the Republic of Texas, Forrest Lodge No. 19, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, was chartered on Jan. 11, 1844. It is the eighth oldest lodge in Texas. Among its early members were Sam Houston and Texas historian Henderson Yoakum. Another outstanding member, William Martin Taylor (1817-1871), is known as "The Father of the Texas Work". He published a handbook called "Taylor's Monitor" which brought uniformity to Texas Masonic ritual. It was approved by the Grand Lodge at a meeting held here in 1858. At least 28 local Masons have attained offices in the Grand Lodge. The upper floor of a store owned by Alexander McDonald, the first worshipful master, served as an early meeting place. A two-story lodge hall on the north side of the square, built in 1850, was destroyed by fire in 1881. It was replaced by a brick building near the corner of University and 11th Street in 1883. The present property was acquired in 1896 and the new structure dedicated in 1909. The Masons have shared their facilities with the Red Cross, the First Baptist Church, and the public schools. Lodge funds have aided distressed members, widows, and orphans; bought war bonds; and supplied scholarships. (1978)