About the Island Craft
Freemasonry on Galveston Island
Masonry came to Galveston with the Republic itself, and the Island has kept a light burning for nearly two centuries — seven organizations, one fellowship, and a welcome that spans every degree and rite.
A Legacy on the Island
The Story of the Craft on Galveston Island
Masonry arrived in Galveston almost as soon as Texas did — carried by sea captains, merchants, and builders who needed more than a warehouse and a wharf to feel at home.
Harmony Lodge No. 6 was organized while Texas was still a Republic, among the very first lodges chartered under the Grand Lodge of the Republic of Texas. From a port city of fewer than a few thousand souls, the Craft took root early — Galveston became one of the birthplaces of Texas Masonry, and it has never let the light go out.
As the Island grew, so did the Craft's variety. Chivalric orders arrived with the mid-century, and in 1874 El Mina Shriners was chartered — one of the oldest Shrine centers anywhere, its fez and its hospitals now synonymous with Galveston hospitality.
The Craft on Galveston has always been bigger than one grand lodge. Amity Lodge No. 4 works under the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Texas, its charter among the oldest of its jurisdiction — a parallel and equally honorable stream of Galveston Masonry.
In the twentieth century came the Scottish Rite's Scottish degrees and theater, the Grotto's good humor, and a century of festivals, fish fries, and stated meetings that still fill the Island's lodge halls week after week.
1838
Harmony Lodge No. 6 organized under the Republic of Texas — among the first Masonic lodges in the state
Mid-1800s
The chivalric orders arrive; San Felipe de Austin Commandery becomes one of the oldest Knight Templar commanderies in Texas
The Parallel Stream
Amity Lodge No. 4 chartered under the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Texas — among the oldest in its jurisdiction
1874
El Mina Shriners chartered — one of the oldest Shrine centers in the nation
The Twentieth Century
Scottish Rite degrees and theater flourish; Wahoo Grotto adds fun and fellowship to the Island's Masonic calendar
One Island, Seven Houses
How the Bodies Work Together
No single body owns Freemasonry on Galveston Island — they are brothers in the plainest sense: separate houses that share suppers, degrees, festivals, and each other's company.
The foundation is the blue lodge
Harmony, Amity, and Tucker confer the three symbolic degrees and make Masons. Everything else on the Island builds on that foundation — appendant and concordant bodies draw their membership from the blue lodges, never the other way around.
The rites add depth
A Brother seeking further light can continue through the Scottish Rite's degrees of the ancient and accepted rite, or the York Rite's chapter, council, and commandery — chivalric orders that complete the circle of symbolism begun in the lodge.
The fraternities give it heart
El Mina Shriners turns Masonic fellowship toward philanthropy and the care of children's hospitals; Wahoo Grotto keeps the lighter side alive with fun, proceedings, and good company.
The Island keeps them together
Galveston is small enough that the bodies know one another. They attend each other's installations, share the season's festivals and fish fries, and a visiting Brother can walk into any of the seven houses and find a familiar face.
Every organization on the Island, with its meeting nights, address, and secretary.
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