My Freemasonry | Freemason Information and Discussion Forum

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Lodge Membership

Smokey613

Registered User
In another thread, a discussion ran into maybe we have too many lodges. The thought being we needed to consolidate the smaller lodges into larger ones in the same area. That in turn led me to wonder what are the largest lodges in Texas by membership. I have compiled a small list using the information off the GLoT website. Now we all know this information is not kept updated for various reasons, but it should be close enough for my purpose. I also included 2 of the smallest lodges I found. Any corrections or additions are welcome. Just for the record... I vote we keep things as they are.


Tranquility Masonic Lodge #2000 Waco 1084

Park Place Masonic Lodge #1172 Houston 1047

Arlington Masonic Lodge #438 Arlington 736

Oak Cliff Masonic Lodge #705 Dallas 644

Pasadena Masonic Lodge #1155 Pasadena 564

Southside Masonic Lodge #1114 Fort Worth 562

Yellowhouse Masonic Lodge #841 Lubbock 561

Lufkin Masonic Lodge #669 Lufkin 552

Palo Duro Masonic Lodge #1239 Amarillo 534

St. John's Masonic Lodge #53 Tyler 496

Onion Creek Masonic Lodge #220 Austin 487

Hill City Masonic Lodge #456 Austin 476

Irving Masonic Lodge #1218 Irving 467

Tarrant Masonic Lodge #942 Fort Worth 465

Holland Masonic Lodge #1 Houston 453

Fraternity Masonic Lodge #1111 El Paso 405




Lone Star Masonic Lodge #660 Houston 14

White Rock Masonic Lodge #347 Waco 13
 

Smokey613

Registered User
While reading another thread I became curious about how Masonic membership has declined in the US since I first petitioned the lodge in 1987.

1987 2,763,828

2008 1,444,823
 

david918

Premium Member
Found out last night at lodge that one of the lodges in our district was going to demise.Ganado #1055 will have their last meeting next month.
 

david918

Premium Member
Sure hate that they are closing I used to visit there a lot before I became a dual member of Wharton lodge which meets on the same night.I took my Chapter and Council degrees there before we merged with the Chapter and Council in Port Lavaca. One of my grandfathers was a member there when he died and I had an uncle who was also a member of Ganado.They sold their building about 3 yrs ago and had been meeting in Edna and I'm surprised that they did not just merge with Edna instead of voting to turn in their charter.A sad case of too may deaths and no new members to take their places.
 

Smokey613

Registered User
Not that I am a "spring chicken" but some lodges I have visited I think I was the youngest Mason there by a long shot and I am 57.
 

B.Eddlemon

Registered User
I was the youngest member in my lodge until about 5 months ago. I am 34 and the new member is 22. I have seen him at lodge 2 times, the first was ea int. and the second was when he turned in his work. Granted he is a full time college student. Most of our members are 70 or better. The rest are 5-15 year members. If you think about the human nature of men now compaired to 30-40 years ago there are alot of men out there who I know that I would rather not be associated with masonry. I hate to say that but I hold masonry on alot higher level than most of the people could live up to. I recently assisted my bro in law in being voted in at our lodge and he will int. soon. I love my lodge and hope that we never have to merge but if we do it wont cause me to stop going.
 

fairbanks1363pm

Registered User
my opinion on lodges and membership here in the big city is that 50 years ago our lodges were in vibrant growing communities. today many lodges are in what i would deem the ghetto. my lodge is in what has become a commercial area. no new families or young men. we have done better than most with our membership and i feel blessed and at the same time dont know how we have done well. but some of these other lodges in the houston area dont have much going at all. i visited spring lodge the other night. they are in a vibrant community and have people coming in left and right. in a way feel we have shot our own selves in the foot by loving our buildings and the history they have more than our fraternity. i think if we put our heads together and stubborness aside we could get rid of about half the lodge buildings here in the houston area sell our properties, buy lots with other lodges in a more vibrant area and activity would breed activity, more people would come to the door like the lodge i spoke of, taxes or finances would be cut into half or more. i would hate to give up my building. we have talked several times about this over the years. as much as i would hate to move i would be willing to move in and share space for the betterment of my lodges finances and membership.
did not mean to rant!
 

Bill Lins

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
I think Lodges sharing buildings or becoming "trunk" Lodges will be the future of our Fraternity. In the instance of my parent Lodge, which became a "trunk" Lodge, we are now spending our money & time on Masonic objectives instead of giving it to the utility & insurance companies. The economics of each individual Lodge owning their own building just don't work any more. We didn't want to give up our building, but it turned out to be the best thing we ever did!
 

david918

Premium Member
Wharton lodge sold it's building about 3 years ago.We now meet in a private dining room behind a BBQ restaurant and haul all of the stuff we need for our meetings in a large trunk,hence the name "trunk lodge".I believe it was the best thing we have ever done the move has almost tripled our average attendance for meetings and we have been named as a Vanguard Lodge every year since we moved.You need to come down for a meeting sometime brother Smokey we are located on the same street as Burke lodge highway 59 just a few miles south:)
 

TexMass

Registered User
Since 2000 in MA, the average age of a Mason dropped 5 years from 67 to 62. Part of that was the change in initiation age from 21 to 18. Hard pushes with open houses since 2005 have also helped. We were having one open house a year. Now it's up to two a year or more if your lodge wants to.
 

HKTidwell

Premium Member
Since 2000 in MA, the average age of a Mason dropped 5 years from 67 to 62. Part of that was the change in initiation age from 21 to 18. Hard pushes with open houses since 2005 have also helped. We were having one open house a year. Now it's up to two a year or more if your lodge wants to.

I know I read somewhere that a past GM of Texas pushed open houses. Forgive my memory I can't remember which one I think it was back in the 90's. Does anybody remember this and if so was it a successful program?
 

david918

Premium Member
We had a couple of open houses back in the early 90's.Did not do a thing for my lodge but I heard that some lodges had a real success with it
 

drapetomaniac

Premium Member
Premium Member
It seems like this would have been useful after Lost Symbol came out. If Dan capitalizes on us, no problem in capitalizing on him
 

Bro_Vick

Moderator
Premium Member
I agree with a lot of points made here, regarding the Ghetto as location for a lot of lodges this is completely accurate. Army is located in what most real estate folks call a transition neighborhood. One of the reasons it's survived is its close proximity to Fort Sam. Others in San Antonio are in some pretty rough neighborhood. I think that a success of a lodge is one part ritual and one part community service. The more the lodge is known in the community, the more likely it is to attract good men, and finally a lodge needs to promote the younger masons, that way the 53 year old does seem like a whiper snapper. :)
 
Top