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A part of Brazoria County history for more than a century, Velasco Lodge No. 757, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, was granted a charger from the Grand Lodge of Texas on December 8, 1893. R. E. Murrell served as first Worshipful Master. The members' first lodge hall, located near the mouth of the Brazos River in the Velasco townsite, was severely damaged in the disastrous hurricane which struck the Texas Gulf Coast in 1900. The Masons met in a number of locations in the vicinity for many years, including a lumberyard building owned by J. T. Dingle and the Velasco schoolhouse. The lodge rented the Velasco Hotel's Powerhouse building from E. D. Dorchester from 1911 to 1922, when the Freeport Sulphur Company donated land in downtown Freeport. A two-story hall was built at the corner of Broad Street and Park Avenue, which served the lodge until a new facility was built at this site in 1979. Velasco Lodge has been involved in many civic and philanthropic endeavors, including the establishment of a public library in 1898, the leveling of cornerstones on public buildings, and the support of educational activities. (1994) |
