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Even though it had been designated as the capital of Texas, Austin was not much of a city in 1839. An act of the Republic of Texas Congress had authorized the new capitol, and surveyors were at work on the site by May, 1839. With October came the arrival of President Mirabeau B. Lamar and his cabinet, the archives of government, and the establishment of a newspaper, the City Gazette. Congress Avenue and Pecan Street were already landmarks, but the community was still located in Bastrop County. Travis County was
organized on February 21, 1840, with a population of 856 persons, but from this modest beginning Austin and Travis County have grown to have a population of 212,136 persons in 1960. Masonic principles have been a significant factor in the expansive process.
Austin Lodge No. 12 has constantly shown an increase in membership since 1839. From the original twenty members the lodge quickly added an additional twenty-eight, making forty-eight members in 1840. By 1860 there were sixty-eight Master Masons, a number which multiplied to 164 by 1900. |
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