Smith County Historical Society Meeting May 3, 2011, 7:30pm
"The program will be presented by Pete Martinez, a native Texan and fourth generation Mason on both sides of his family. Masonry has been in existence for many years. It was brought to the colonies by immigrants and was known to exist in Texas as early as 1828. Many of our founding fathers including George Washington, Stephen F. Austin, and Sam Houston. Congress was urged by George Washington, a devoted Mason, to include a Masonic symbol on the one dollar bill. Known for its charitable and benevolent activities, Masonry fell into two categories, that of education and philanthropic efforts. In the earliest days of public education in Texas, some community schools were allowed to meet on the lower floors of Masonic Lodges until proper school buildings could be built.
Mr. Martinez will speak on the history of Freemasonry in Smith County. He became a member of the Sharon Shrine Temple in Tyler in 1972 and has authored several publications on Masonry including The History of Freemasonry of Smith County, Texas in June 1992. In addition to his interest in Freemasonry, he has a great love of music, woodworking, and is also a prize winning photographer."
from the Newsletter of the Smith County Historical Society.
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