Houston's Second Oldest Masonic Lodge
Gray Masonic Lodge No. 329 A.F.A.M.

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Welcome to Gray Masonic Lodge No. 329 A.F. & A.M.

Founded in 1870, we are Houston’s second oldest Masonic Lodge. On May 31, 1870 twenty-two Master Masons, in response to the growth in Houston’s population, signed a petition requesting a charter for a new lodge from the Grand Lodge of Texas.

Gray Lodge #329 was constituted in the hall of Houston’s first Masonic Lodge, Holland Lodge No. 1.

This Lodge was named for William Fairfax Gray, who was in Texas as a land agent and attended the convention at “Washington-on-the-Brazos” in 1836 when Texas declared independence from Mexico. Gray moved his family from Virginia to Houston in 1837. He was by profession an attorney, and served as clerk of the Republic of Texas House of Representatives and the Senate in 1837 and 1838.

Over the years, the organization has been involved in a variety of community activities. Masons from Gray Lodge were among the first to respond to victims of the devastating Galveston storm in September 1900. A Masonic relief committee distributed groceries and medicine and a temporary relief committee was authorized to provide assistance.

Gray Lodge #329 continues to serve the community and promote a spirit of brotherhood and good will.

What is the History of Freemasonry?

Freemasonry is a fraternity. Its membership is restricted to men, but there is no hazing as is found in some college fraternities. The Masonic Order is a serious group. It exists to take good men and help them to become better men. Thus, it is not a reform society. It does not exist to reform criminals, nor would such persons benefit from its teachings.

Variously known as “Freemasonry”, “Masonry” or “The Craft”, the beginnings of our fraternity are lost to history. Although Masonry is believed to be the oldest surviving fraternal organization in the world, the exact date of its founding is uncertain. Freemasonry can, however, be easily traced to 16th-century Scotland, although the first Masonic governing body was not founded until 1717 in London. The oldest Masonic document, the Regius poem, dates to around 1390 A.D. We know of no Masonry prior to that date. Sometime between 1390 and 1717, lodges of operative masons began to accept as members men who did not work in the building trade. Eventually whole lodges composed of such

persons arose, leading to a transition from lodges being composed of stone masons to lodges being composed of men from other occupations who gathered and shared a ritual replete with allusions to carpentry, architecture, and stone masonry.

In 1717, four of these lodges in England met and formed the first Grand Lodge. A Grand Lodge is a Masonic body having jurisdiction over the lodges within a certain geographical area. In the U.S.A., each state and the District of Columbia each have its own Grand Lodge.

Symbolic, Craft, or Blue Lodge Masonry has three degrees: Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, and Master Mason. In early Speculative Masonry, there was only one degree. Later a two-degree system developed, and finally the three-degree system of today evolved and was firmly in place by around 1760 A.D.

A “degree” is a drama in which a newcomer to Masonry, the candidate, is made to play a key part. These dramas have several characteristics and are progressive in nature; that is, they build on each other. These dramas are enacted with only Masons present, and are for the purpose of moral instruction. A unique characteristic of each Masonic degree is an “obligation” taken by the candidate. The obligation is an oath taken for the purpose of instructing the candidate in his Masonic duty.

The three degrees have a biblical basis. Much biblical imagery is used in the ritual of the degrees. The central biblical image used in Masonic ritual is that of the building of King Solomon’s Temple, as meticulously described for us in the Old Testament books of I Kings and II Chronicles. Whenever a Masonic lodge is in session, the Holy Bible is open upon the lodge’s altar.

Freemasonry Requirements

Masonry requires of its adherents a belief in God and in life after death, though it asks no one to expound upon the particulars of his understanding of those two beliefs. The candidate must learn some memory work after each degree is conferred upon him. He has a set amount of time to learn this catechism (a set of questions and answers), and to recite them before the lodge members at a lodge meeting.

Masonry is not a religion. There is nothing in Freemasonry to interfere with a man’s religious life. Persons of all faiths and Christian denominations are a part of the worldwide Masonic fraternity. Religion and politics are two subjects never allowed to be discussed when a lodge is in session.

Masonry teaches the importance of helping the less fortunate. It especially stresses care for the widows and orphans of Masons. Indeed, most Grand Lodges have within their jurisdiction a home for aged Masons, their wives and widows; and also a home for Masonic orphans. In the U.S.A. alone, all branches of Masonry combined provide over of $2.6 million of charitable aid per DAY!

Masonry asks its candidates not to tell the details of its ritual to non-Masons. This is not because Masonry is ashamed of anything. It is because an element of secrecy serves to heighten interest in Masonic teaching. It is also because most people would not benefit from being introduced to Masonic teachings out of the context of the Masonic degree system.

Why Do Mason's Keep Their Rituals A Secret?

For the same reason that the ancient stonemasons kept their trade secrets: Secrecy helped to maintain a better quality of work. Our secrecy today helps us to make a good man better, but having secrets does not make Masonry evil. It is difficult to believe that the secrets of Masonry are evil when you consider the heritage of Masonry that includes a long list of influential leaders such as Paul Revere, George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Theodore Roosevelt, Douglas MacArthur, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston. It is difficult to believe that the secrets of Masonry are evil when you see so many Masons working as a vital part of every community to provide better churches, better schools and better governments. It is difficult to look into the eyes of a little child in a Shrine Hospital and believe the secrets of Masonry are evil. If we really believe the biblical teaching, “by their fruits ye shall know them,” then we must believe that the secrets of Masonry really do help to make a good man better.

The influence of Masonry is like the influence of the home and the influence of the church. It cannot produce perfect human beings. Despite the best efforts of the home, there has never been a perfect child. Despite the best efforts of the church, there has never been a perfect Christian. Despite the best efforts of Masonry, there has never been a perfect Mason. Nevertheless, there is a place for all these in our society. Man’s basic nature is such that he needs every good influence he can get. He needs the powerful influence of a good home. He needs the powerful influence of a dedicated church made up of dedicated believers. He needs the influence of dedicated teachers in the public schools. But, when all is said and done, it doesn’t hurt to have a little extra push that comes from civic organizations, from professional organizations and from fraternal organizations.

Masonry has a proud heritage of over 181 years of service to the State of Texas, and we hope this discussion has helped you come to a better understanding of the purpose of our fraternal organization. Texas Masonry now looks to the future with the hope that a better understanding will allow the lodge to take its rightful place in every Texas community, right alongside of the church, the home, the schools, and the civic organizations as a positive force for good. With this better understanding, there is every reason to believe that we can all work together to make our government, our schools and our churches even stronger than before. The strength of Texas has always been built upon the combined efforts of all these groups, and the Grand Lodge of Texas has contributed valuable service to our churches, our nation, our state and our community.