Much of the history of Salado is linked to Salado Masonic Lodge #296. Many of the men who founded Salado were Masons.

The Masonic Lodge will mark its 150th anniversary in June 2017.

On Oct. 23, it will join the more than 1,000 lodges under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Texas Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons in hosting an Open House for the community.

Salado Masonic Lodge #296 will open its doors to the community 2-4 p.m. on Oct. 23. There will be representatives of the Appendant Bodies, including the Shrine, the Scottish Rite, the York Rite and the Knights Templar.

The following history of the lodge is taken from the lodge’s program during its Century Celebration in 1967 written by the late Charlton E. Johnson.

The petitioners for Dispensation and Charter were: E. Sterling C. Robertson, Harvey Smith, W.A. Davis, O.T. Tyler, A. Rowland, Robert B. Halley, Jno. A. Tyler, F. A. Bigelow, N.R. Land, H.J. Chamberlain, W.R. Karnes, G.W. Wade, M.W. Adams, Jno T. Flint, Geo. W. McWhirter, Welborn Barton, Jas. Tinnin, A. Tinnin, and Jesse Raborn.

The Minutes of Salado Lodge were destroyed in a fire about 1883 and we are deprived of that source of information as to the early activities of the Lodge, after Dispensation.

We may safely assume, however, that education was one of the principal objectives of the Lodge and a matter stressed in its discussions and proceedings.

Thirty-three percent of the teachers and seventy-seven percent of the Trustees of the College were Masons. The founders (of the College), most of whom have been found to be Masons, also made provision in the Deeds of purchase of lots to prohibit the sale of intoxicating beverages by the drink in Salado.

“It seems,” writes Mrs. Felda Shanklin, Salado historian, “that most all of those early Salado men were Masons.”

The Charter for Salado Masonic Lodge was granted by the Grand Lodge of Texas on June 13, A.D. 1867, and was signed by Grand Master John R. Freitwell.

The first Grand Lodge Report of Salado Lodge after the granting of a Charter shows the following officers: E.S.C. Robertson, W.M.; Harvey Smith, S.W.; W.A. Davis, J.W.; O.T. Tyler, Treas.; W. Barton, Sec.; J.W. Tinnin, S.D.; I. Raborn, J.D.; R.B. Halley, Tiler. This report also shows a membership of twenty-two M.M. by affiliation, one Fellowcraft, five Enter Apprentices, and one Past Master.

On the back of a Grand Lodge, Report U. D., there is this notation: “The Lodge Room of Salado Lodge is the second story of a stone building twenty by forty feet.” These figures are the same dimensions as those of one wing of the Salado College building and there seems to be no doubt that the College and the Lodge were using the same building in those early days – an arrangement that is not surprising, since both had similar objectives and both had the same man, E. Sterling Robertson, as their highest official.

Later, Salado Lodge secured an interest in the title to the upper story of the Baptist Church in Salado, and for many years met in a Lodge room on the second floor of the church building. In a church rebuilding and enlargement program, the question came up as to how to dispose of the interest of the Lodge in the old building. This problem was solved by literally sawing off the upper half of the building and moving it to, and setting it up as a Lodge room a short distance away on some land donated to the Lodge by Bro. Charlton E. Johnson, Past Master of Salado Masonic Lodge.