The first Masonic lodge in what was
later to become Waller County was the Brazos Lodge #75. It
received it's dispensation in 1850 and it's charter was dated
January 24, 1851. Meetings were held the first Saturday after the
full moon each month. In those days when members walked, rode
horses or in a buggy the meetings were timed so the brothers could
see their way home after the meetings.
Brazos Lodge was first located in Heathville just west of the
present day Hempstead which in those days was in Austin County. It
was moved to Salem Church in 1854. Two years later it moved again
to Rock Island. From there it moved to Hempstead in 1858. The
Brazos Lodge was demised on June 13, 1864.
The entered date on the petition to create a Lodge in Hempstead was June 5 1893 when 22 Masons submitted a petition for the new lodge. The petitioners were,
| E.A. Pace |
J.E.McCluskin |
Sam Farquhar |
John E. Mills |
| D.D. Robertson |
A. Applewhite |
H.C. Tomkins |
J.W. Renfro |
| S. Schwartz |
H.W. Rankin |
W.M. Lupton |
E.F. Johns |
| M.S. Urban |
E.H. Jones |
F.W. Zadon |
Jacob Hauser |
| J. Blassingame |
G.N. Phelps |
J.F. Christoph |
E.D. Dixon |
| L. Mahan |
J.H. Morrison |
According to organizational information charter, the date was December 6, 1893. Meeting date was set for Friday before! full moon of each month. Officers' signatures on the returns of Hempstead Lodge Under Dispensation to the Grand Lodge, July 24, 1893 were:
Worshipful Master ........................... E.A. Pace
Senior Warden ......................... J.E. McCluskin
Junior Warden ............................Sam Farquhar
Treasurer ................................... W.W. Rankin
Secretary ................................... W.M. Lupton
Senior Deacon ................................ E.F. Johns
Junior Deacon ................................M.S. Urban
Tiler ......................................... J. Blassingame
The first Worshipful Master was E.A. Pace who was also the last Worshipful Master of the Brazos Lodge.
Meeting date for the Lodge was still reckoned by the monthly full moon when the history was published in 1973. Lodges meeting according to the phases of the moon were referred to as a lunar lodge. Meeting place has not been so constant, however, as it has changed a number of times. An 1897 issue of the local paper indicated that meetings were held in the Masonic Hall. Within the recall of living members, early meetings were held in the old Fireman's Hall on the city square, then in quarters over the Mistro (later Hill's Store), from thence to the old Farmer's National Bank building, and finally, in 1957, to its present quarters in the Masonic Lodge Hall at Main and 7th Street.
The Hempstead Lodge has had a number of Grand (state) officers within its membership. Interestingly a report concerning Lodge records of the early days reflected the approval of train fares for traveling state officers. This, of course, was common to the day since railroads were the common mode of travel for long trips then. A.S. Wier recalled a particular visit to neighboring Waller Lodge during his tenure as Deputy for the Grand Lodge. During the course of the visit the late A.W. Umland of the Waller Lodge recollected records to the effect that, exactly 50 years prior, Mr. Wier's uncle from the Navasota Lodge had paid a similar state visit to the Waller group.
THE CURRENT LODGE BUILDING
The original section of the current Hempstead Masonic Lodge building on Main St. at 7th. St. was built on lot10 of block 216 purchased from Mr. Hanson and in the block of his residence at the price of $1,100.00.
The first section was a 66 foot by 38 foot building contained the Lodge Room, the ante room, the kitchen and the rest rooms.
The contract to build the building was signed July 28, 1956 and the new building was used for it's stated meeting in November of 1956. The cost of the original building was estimated to cost $22,000.00 (the final cost was $22,644.30). The Lodge had $14,000 and signed a note with the bank for $8,000.
The Cornerstone Laying Ceremony
PAST WORSHIPFUL MASTERS
| 1893 - E.A. Pace | 1894 - E.A. Pace | 1895 - Sam Farquhar |
| 1896 - W.W. Rankin | 1897 - R.R. Davidson | 1898 - George W. Russell |
| 1899 - John McGinn | 1900 - R.E. Tompkins | 1901 - L.L. Mahan |
| 1902 - R.E. Tompkins | 1903 - C.B. Doran | 1904 - C.B. Doran |
| 1905 - John McGinn | 1906 - R.E. Tompkins | 1907 - R.E. Tompkins |
| 1908 - C.S. Farquhar | 1909 - L.L. Mahan | 1910 - L.B. Sanders |
| 1911 - C.A. Searey | 1912 - C.A. Searey | 1913 - W.B. Petty |
| 1914 - C.A. Searey | 1915 - R.C. Hill | 1916 - R.C. Hill |
| 1917 - J.P. Frederich | 1918 - C.A. Searey | 1919 - C.A. Searey |
| 1920 - L.L. Mahan | 1921 - L.A. Simonton | 1922 - Charles Thomas |
| 1923 - C.S. Thomas | 1924 - L.L. Mahan | 1925 - A.F. Foster |
| 1926 - M.A. Jones | 1927 - Robert Smith | 1928 - C.B. Gardner |
| 1929 - R.E. Tompkins | 1930 - R.E. Tompkins | 1931 - R.E. Tompkins |
| 1932 - R.E. Tompkins | 1933 - R.E. Tompkins | 1934 - A.F. Foster |
| 1935 - A.F. Foster | 1936 - C.B. Gardner | 1937 - A.F. Foster |
| 1938 - A.F. Foster | 1939 - C.L. Wright | 1940 - A.F. Foster |
| 1941 - G.D. Gibson | 1942 - Lewis Stuckey | 1943 - F.R. Mills |
| 1944 - R.J. Deere | 1945 - C.B. Gardner | 1946 - B.J. McEnroe |
| 1947 - J.M. Jorden | 1948 - F.M. Gardiner | 1949 - A.F. Foster |
| 1950 - C.C. Allen | 1951 - M.D. Foster | 1952 - W.B. Bell |
| 1953 - W.K. Hoke | 1954 - J.M. Moorman | 1955 - C.H. Smith |
| 1956 - J.D. Richardson | 1957 - A.S. Wier | 1958 - M.D. Foster |
| 1959 - James C. Carr | 1960 - Jody McCarty | 1961 - Harry D. Schwarz |
| 1962 - Harold Clark | 1963 - R.R. Foster | 1964 - James M. Hauck |
| 1965 - Juel P. Law | 1966 - C.C. Chamberland | 1967 - Robert L. McWilliams |
| 1968 - Shelby L. Losack | 1969 - F.M. Gardiner | 1970 - C.C. Allen |
| 1971 - Ben Holton | 1972 - Robert L. McWilliams | 1973 - C.R. Paschall |
| 1974 - Paul Hubble | 1975 - John Bishop | 1976 - Bill Avery |
| 1977 - Robert W. Kluna | 1978 - Freddie R. Zack | 1979 - Wallace Klingman |
| 1980 - Albert W. Sneed | 1981 - John Bishop | 1982 - |
| 1983 - D. Kirby Cowles | 1984 - Freddie R. Zack | 1985 - Jimmy N. Zepeda Jr. |
| 1986 - Jimmy N. Zepeda Jr. | 1987 - James K. McWilliams | 1988 - Robert L. McWilliams |
| 1989 - Douglas "Doug" Holloman | 1990 - Douglas “Doug” Holloman | 1991 - Oscar Lewis |
| 1992 - Jimmy N. Zepeda Jr. | 1993 - Robert L. McWilliams | 1994 - Robert McWilliams |
| 1995 - Bobby B. Boykin | 1996 - Rupert Sheridan | 1997 - Sidney Joe Hester |
| 1998 - Douglas "Doug" Holloman | 1999 - William E. "Bill" Parham | 2000 - David W. Hartley |
| 2001 - Ted Wren Jr. | 2002 - Roy Shields | 2003 - Kenneth Harvey |
| 2004 - Kelly O. Cox |
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