Cracking the code: A trip to Waco reveals not-so-secret history of Masons in Texas

WACO — Just ring the doorbell. Ask for a tour. Walk in.

These days, there isn't much secrecy about the Grand Lodge of Texas or, for that matter, any of the Masonic or near-Masonic museums and libraries in this city, which hosts a historically high convergence of these once-powerful fraternal groups.

Freemasons trace their history back to 13th-century European stonemason guilds. But in the U.S., their private lodges — replete with arcane signs and symbols — were, for the most part, fraternal societies that outsiders found hard to crack. Thus, the air of secrecy.

Years ago, on another road trip to Waco, I was struck by the singularity of the Grand Lodge of Texas, located on Columbus Avenue, not far from the McLennan County Courthouse. The 1948 state headquarters, which occupies almost a full block, rises like a stone palace from a movie fantasy among the mostly mundane brick downtown structures.

Few windows face the avenue, which contributes to its feel of airtight mystery.

Little did I know that Masons are proud to show off their history and explain their movement in Texas and the world. You can visit and do research at four major fraternal museums and libraries in Waco. I explored two of them — besides the Grand Lodge of Texas, I also toured the York Rite Library and Museum, currently under renovation — on a recent weekend.

How did the Masons end up in Texas?

The imagery, ornaments, uniforms, rituals and rules of Freemasonry remain strange to somebody like me. I grew up at a time when these societies were considered cryptic, maybe even a little alarming.

One doesn't learn much about the Masons in school, but the fraternal groups arrived in North America from Europe during the mid-18th century. Their American leaders have included such luminaries as George Washington, Ben Franklin, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, J. Edgar Hoover, Harry Truman, Henry Ford, Medgar Evers and Alex Haley.

Closer to home, Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, Davy Crockett and Anson Jones were Masons, as were many later Texas governors, legislators, judges and municipal leaders.

Colonizer Austin tried to establish the first Texas lodge as early as 1828, appealing to the Grand York Lodge of Mexico for permission. He was stymied, however, by a quarrel between the "Yorkinos" (York Rite) and the "Escoceses" (Scottish Rite). The Scottish Rite remains the largest subset of Masons worldwide.

Texans under Dr. Anson Jones, future president of the republic, successfully petitioned John Henry Holland, head of the Grand Lodge of Louisiana, to organize in Brazoria in 1835. After its members were scattered during the Texas Revolution, the Holland Lodge reorganized in Houston in October 1837.

"Although constituting only 1 and a half percent of the population, Masons filled some 80 percent of the Republic of Texas' higher offices," reports the reliable Handbook of Texas Online. "All of the presidents, vice presidents and secretaries of state were Masons.

"After annexation, Masons continued to be equally prominent in the state government, and between 1846 and 1861, five of the six governors were members of the fraternity. Masonry continued to prosper; by 1860 Texas had 226 active lodges and 9,000 members."

Did those prominent leaders make decisions behind closed doors that affected the fate of our state or our country? Some people outside their membership certainly thought so. Others probably still think so.

Today, according to the Grand Lodge of Texas website, there are over 90,000 Masons in the state and more than 900 lodges. In the public mind, Masonry is more closely associated with schools, hospitals, the arts and other charitable causes today than with ancient symbols and secret signs á la Hollywood thrillers.

"We still do have a few secret handshakes," jokes Melissa Spann, whose mother, Maggie Matyastik, preceded her as leader of the Social Order of the Beauceant, the women's Masonic group that meets at the York Rite Library and Museum in Waco. "But that's about it."

Two Masonic hotspots in Waco

An early stop during a recent road trip to Waco was that handsome York Rite Library and Museum. Built in 1913 and 1914, it resembles other Masonic lodges located in medium and large Texas cities — solid, dignified, but also a little enigmatic. It's clearly not a church, although its Greek Revival features suggest so. Despite some ground-level retail, it's not strictly a commercial or an office building.

Before the trip, I had stumbled across its alluring name on Google Maps. The group that runs the museum posts on Facebook, so I contacted Jon Spann, who heads the Baylor Lodge #1235. He offered to give me and my road-trip buddy a private tour, since the library and museum are currently not ready for the general public.

We met Jon and his wife, Melissa, on the Washington Avenue side of the building. Formerly, a preliminary museum had occupied a space on the ground floor. Now the main hall at this level serves as the meeting place for the Social Order of the Beauceant. The second floor, surrounded by photos of past leaders and ceremonial gear, houses the Baylor Lodge, the men's group.

The top floor, future home of the museum, is now a sort of Victorian attic full of fascinating artifacts waiting to be properly displayed and interpreted. The Spanns estimate that the renewed museum could be open within a year or two.

Ultimately, despite some trepidation on my part, the four of us took the building's original elevator, more than 100 years old, back down to the first floor. You've got to live a little every once in a while.

After wishing the Spanns well, we headed one block away to the Grand Lodge of Texas. Before reaching that destination, we passed the intriguing Texas Baptist Historical Collection building. (Bookmark those archives for future research. What a city of libraries!)

On the south side of the grandiose Masonic structure on Columbus, we rang the bell at the glass entryway and told the person on the other end of the line that we wanted a tour. She buzzed us in and directed us to the library.

But first we took in the lobby of the assembly hall, which we later learned holds 3,700 people. That would make it much larger than Bass Concert Hall or the Long Center for the Performing Arts in Austin.

If the exterior of the Grand Lodge looks like "The Wizard of Oz" as imagined by architect Albert Speer, this theater is a dead ringer for the United Nations Assembly Hall in New York.

The library, which holds the correspondence and records from hundreds of Texas Masonic lodges, is large and well lighted. There, we met our guide, Jim Harold, a Masonic leader who not only knew everything worth knowing about Freemasonry but was also a crackerjack expert on Texas history. In fact, he had previously served a site director at two state historical sites, including Washington-on-the-Brazos.

He led us around the lobby, which displays portraits of previous Texas Masonic leaders, going back to the Holland Lodge. Harold explained that Houston hosted the Grand Lodge of Texas, essentially the state headquarters, from 1837 until this structure was built in 1948, closer to the geographic center of the state.

Harold then took us through several alcoves and galleries, which I imagined to be the extent of the museum.

Nope.

A whole floor below the main entry level is dedicated to slick displays, historic photos, interpretive material and — my favorite — an L-shaped hallway lined with what looked like thousands of pictures of Texas lodges, from modest ones in the smallest Texas towns to imposing structures in the state's largest cities. This priceless visual evidence should be known by every history buff in the state.

By the time we left the Grand Lodge, we were sated. We headed across Columbus Avenue for refreshments at Southern Roots Brewing Company, one of dozens of new attractions in a downtown Waco highlighted by Magnolia Market, TV's Chip and Joanna Gaines' transformative project.

Plan a pilgrimage to the fraternal shrines of Waco

But wait: two fraternal temples were not enough for this city. A little more digital digging turned up two more — the Lee Lockwood Library and Museum for the Scottish Rite Masons, and the Improved Order of Red Men Museum and Library (not technically Masons, but similar). We didn't have time to visit them, but they are now on my radar.

Here are some tidbits about all four shrines:

• Grand Lodge of Texas: The headquarters for almost all Masonic lodges in Texas. Built in 1948, its modernist building is a site any Texan should see. For best results, call ahead for a tour. (715 Columbus Ave.; 254-753-7395; grandlodgeoftexas.org)
• York Rite Library and Museum: The Waco home for two active lodges, Baylor Lodge #1235 and the Social Order of the Beauceant. Its top-floor museum project is in the works. (724 Washington Ave.; 254-644-6336)
• Lee Lockwood Library and Museum: The Waco home for the Scottish Rite Masons. Like the other Masonic venues, it includes large rooms that can be rented for special events. Built in 1969, it includes a striking sculptural sphinx outside a modern colonnade. Inside, find three floors of exhibits. Most days, it is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., but check in advance. (2801 Waco Ave.; 254-752-1618) 
• Improved Order of Red Men Museum and Library: According to several sources, this fraternal group, not officially a part of Freemasonry, was patterned after the American colonists who dressed up as Native Americans during the Boston Tea Party. Unlike the York and Scottish Rites of Freemasonry, this is primarily a North American group, and was not active in early Texas. The museum and library is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. (4521 Speight Ave.; 254-756-1221)

Michael Barnes writes about the people, places, culture and history of Austin and Texas. He can be reached at mbarnes@statesman.com. Sign up for his free, weekly digital newsletter, Think, Texas, at statesman.com/newsletters.