|
 |
||||
|
|
|
|
Among other accomplishments, Austin Lodge No. 12 has actively contributed much to alleviate the suffering of mankind. By 1867 a Relief Committee equipped with an "indigent fund" had been established. In 1874 a brother and his family were sent to Washington, D.C., at a cost to the lodge of $219.65, and the following year $13.25 was sent to the "coast sufferers." Victims of the Cisco cyclone received a lodge donation of $25 in 1893, while, $100 was sent to those caught in the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. The Galveston storm (1900), the Paris, Texas fire (1916), the Corpus Christi flood (1919), and numerous other catastrophes have evoked contributions from the lodge membership. A gift of over $3,200 was made to the Masonic Home and School at Fort Worth in 1923. In such ways the lodge has proved its concern for humanity. Dedication of buildings has been another area where Austin Lodge No. 12 has been active, and such occasions have brought honor to the fraternity. Sometimes the events were ornamented with parades and picnics which culminated in serious ceremonies presided over by the lodge officers. Structures of the State of Texas which had their cornerstones laid and leveled by Austin Lodge No. 12 include: the Old Land Office Building (March 31, 1851); the "Colonial" Capitol (July 4, 1852); the "Old Main" building of the University of Texas (November 17, 1882); and the present Capitol building (May 16, 1888). On September 4, 1914, the lodge was in charge of laying the cornerstone at the Scottish Rite Cathedral at Eighteenth and Lavaca, and on October 20, 1930, performed the same honors for the Travis County Courthouse. Some of the churches in Austin for which these services were conferred include the Protestant Episcopal Church (April 7, 1853), the Southwestern Methodist Church at Tenth and Brazos (September 6, 1883), and the First congregational Church (November 23, 1907). Such activities have always displayed the Masonic fraternity favorably in the public eye. Educational activities have been attempted, but some have been more successful than others. In December, 1852, Austin Lodge No. 12 announced that it would establish the Austin Masonic High School consisting of two separate departments for males and females, which, unfortunately, never came to fruition. |
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
