History of Triune No. 15

Triune Masonic Lodge History

Triune Lodge #15 AF & AM established and chartered in 1920.

In 1920, members of Anchor Lodge No. 424 and Alamo Lodge No. 44 wanted to form another Lodge that would be located in downtown San Antonio. In following weeks 23 members of Alamo Lodge No. 44 AF & AM submitted a petition to the Grand Lodge of Texas. Other lodges that supported the founding of Triune Lodge were San Antonio Lodge #1079, Anchor Lodge #424, Sinton Lodge #1012, Eagle Pass #626, Hiram Lodge #595, Aransas Pass #1018, and Floresville #515.

The Grand Lodge of Texas approved of the founding of the new lodge. The lodge name had two options which were Texas Lodge or Triune Lodge, Triune won by a little more than half the votes.

The first installation was held December 30, 1920 at The Masonic Temple which used to be on Loyosa & Crockett St. Listed brothers Installed
Worshipful Master – J.M. Strayhorn
Sr. Warden – D.N. Cushing
Jr. Warden – J.O. Spicler
Treasurer – W.A. Thurman
Secretary – John Lopas
Organist – C.C. Bonner
Sr. Deacon – C.W. Enders
Jr. Deacon – J.G. Jeffery
Sr. Steward – C.A. Knowlton
Jr. Steward – Dan Hill
Marshal – Carl Roemer
Tiler – J.R. Reynolds

The 1st Stated Meeting was held January 6, 1921, at 7:30pm. Eight officers, 29 members and 19 visitors were present. Eight petitions were received and two petitions for affiliation were also announced. The 2nd Stated Meeting was held January 20, 1921, approximately 324 members, officers, and visitors were in attendance. The lodge was so full they had to move it two blocks away to the Scottish Rite Cathedral.

By 1924 Triune Lodge had 158 members and was meeting at a site located at 613 1/2 Navarro St.

In 1927 Triune Lodge purchased 742 Denver Blvd. The stock market crash and the beginning of the Great Depression of 1929.

In 1933, five blue lodges and Triune pooled their assets and resources to form a confederation. Members of the confederation were Albert Pike Loge #1169, Community Lodge #1201, Perfect Union Lodge #10, San Antonio Lodge # 1079, Texas Lodge # 8 and Triune Lodge # 15. The confederation, known as the Masonic Center Company, was authorized by the Texas Secretary of State to issue nine shares of stock one for each of the Blue Lodges. In this way, lodges were able to remain solvent and continue with its Masonic work and activities. The listed lodges used the same building at 217 Camden St.

In 1941 after the USA was attacked members of Triune Lodge, along many other Americans, answered the call to serve and fight for their country. Brother Harty Williams P.M. was a Tch/Sgt who served with the U.S. Marines. Brother Lt. Col. P.C. Newman served in the U.S. Army and received 22 military commendations and awards. Many other from Triune Lodge answered the call for service to their country. Names of Triune Lodge members that served during World War II are listed in a special book located in the Flag Room of the Grand Lodge of Texas in Waco.

In 1940 membership was at 269 which reached 400 in 1945.

In 1948 fifty-six Master Masons of Triune Lodge signed a petition for the formation for Lonnie Irvin Daylight Lodge.

Through the efforts of the Masonic Fraternity, the Texas State Legislature established “Public Schools Week.” It called for the public to focus on the education and school activities of the youth in Texas. Triune Lodge was active in commemorating Public School Week. In 1956, a support group known as the Central Committee for Public Schools Week was established under the direction of Daniel Saenz, DDGM of District 39A. The committee’s main function was to provide resources as lodges planned their public schools week programs.

By 1957 the had 665 members.

Past Presidents of the Masters, Wardens and Secretaries Association of the 39th Masonic Districts
Listed Triune Members that served as President:
James F. Ward Jan-March 1946
Lum R. Holloway Oct-Dec 1952
Floyd James Griffin July-Sept 1954
Rudolph F. Workman Oct-Dec 1960
Earl G. Heaton Jan-June 1967
William D. Engle Jr Jan-June 1972
John Alexander Jan-June 1976
Thomas P. Lancaster 1980-1981
Hermon C. Colegrove 2002-2003
Curtis W. Ogburn 2012-2013

In January 21, 1960 Brother David Brinkley Burke who had been Secretary of Triune Lodge for 14 years was coronated as a Thirty-three (33rd Degree) Scottish Rite Mason. Brother Burke being the first Triune member to have his honor bestowed upon him.

Texas Masonic History

At a celebration of the Festival of St. John the Baptist in 1844 at Portland, Maine, R:.W:. Brother Teulon, a member of the Grand Lodge of Texas, in reply to a toast complimentary to the Masons of that Republic, observed “Texas is emphatically a Masonic country: all of our presidents and vice-presidents, and four-fifths of our state officers, were or are Masons; our national emblem, the ‘Lone Star,’ was chosen from among the emblems selected by Freemasonry, to illustrate the moral virtues — it is a five-pointed star, and alludes to the five points of fellowship.”

The first known Masonic meeting ever held in Texas was in February 1828 when Stephen F. Austin, Ira Ingram (who had his land in what would be Waller County) and 5 other masons met in San Felipe. They met to draw up a petition to get a dispensation to form new masonic lodge in San Felipe Texas. The petition was submited to the grand lodge in Mexico City. The petition was never acted on.

The second effort was organized in Brazoria County in March of 1835 for the purpose of establishing a lodge in Texas. After meeting under an oak tree near the town of Brazoria the six Masons attending decided to apply to the Grand Lodge of Louisiana for a dispensation to create a new lodge in Texas. After the dispensation was issued the first Texas lodge, called Holland Lodge No. 36, was formed and opened. It was named after John Henry Holland who was the Grand Master of Masons in Louisiana.

John M. Allen delivered the charter for the new lodge to Anson Jones, the first Worshipful Master of Holland Lodge No. 36, just before the battle begin at the San Jacinto battleground. Holland Lodge No. 36 was later changed to HollandNo. 1.

Two additionalTexas lodges were formed, and each given a dispensation and charter by the Grand Lodge of Louisiana. They were: Milam Lodge No. 40 in Nacogdoches, and McFarland Lodge No. 41 in San Augustine. Both of these lodges were formed in 1837. Representatives from the two new lodges, and Holland Lodge No. 36, met in Houston and established the Grand Lodge of the Republic of Texas. Anson Jones who was the fourth and final President of the Republic of Texas was elected as the first Grand Master of Masons in Texas.

By the time the first meeting of the Grand Lodge of the Republic of Texas was held in Houston on April 16, 1838 the list contained 25 lodges. The following is a list of those lodges:

Clarksville Orphan’s Friend No. 17 Holland No. 1
Houston Milam No. 2
Nacogdoches McFarland No. 3
San Augustine Temple No. 4
Houston St. John’s No. 5
Brazoria Harmony No. 6
Galveston Matagorda No. 7
Matagorda Phoenix No. 8
Washington DeKalb No. 9
DeKalb Perfect Union No. 10

*San Antonio Milam No. 11
Independence Austin No. 12
Austin Constantine No. 13
Bonham Trinity No. 14
Livingston Santa Fe No. 15
*Santa Fe (N.M.) Friendship No. 16
Anderson Washington No. 18
Washington Forrest No. 19
Huntsville Graham No. 20
Brenham Trinity No. 21
Crockett Marshall No. 22
Marshall Clinton No. 23
Henderson Red Land No. 24
San Augustine Montgomery No. 25
Montgomery

* Never chartered

From that meager beginning, Masonry in Texas has grown to 900 lodges with over 130,000 members.

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