Historical Period: Colonial Texas (1821-1835)
Historical Topic: Religious Freedom, Republic of Texas
Species: Live Oak (Quercus virginiana)
County: Brazoria
Public Access: Yes, the tree is located on the south side of Pleasant Street, in Brazoria, across from Masonic Oak Park.
For nearly two hundred years, the Masonic Oak in Brazoria has represented the Texas roots of this international organization. It was under this large, moss-covered oak tree in March 1835 that six Masons gathered together to organize the first Masonic Order of Texas. The men petitioned the Grand Lodge of Louisiana to form a Freemasons lodge in Texas. On January 27, 1836, Louisiana’s Grand Master of Masons, John Henry Holland, issued a charter for the state’s first Masonic lodge. The charter was presented to Anson Jones, one of the petitioners, shortly before the Battle of San Jacinto.
Jones, the fourth and last president of the Republic of Texas, was named the lodge’s first Worshipful Master. On December 20, 1837, with President Sam Houston—also a Mason—presiding over the convention, Jones was elected the first Grand Master of Masons in Texas.
Brazoria’s founding lodge, now called Holland Lodge No. 1, has always been a strong unit. But the Masonic Oak has been dealt some powerful blows over the years, including hurricanes and lightning strikes. Perhaps its closest brush with death came in 1966, when a new county road required its removal. It was only the threat of a protective farmer’s rifle that stopped the workers and saved the revered tree. The road was later rerouted.
Today, the roots of the Masonic Oak have spread across the entire state; there are over 80,000 active Masons and 846 lodges in Texas. The Grand Lodge of Texas continues to honor the place where the organization began, by holding an annual picnic at Masonic Oak Park.