FORMER Fort Griffin Lodge No. 489, A.F. & A.M. - Fort Griffin, TX - Masonic Temples on Waymarking.com

There's a 1980s-era photo of the lodge, minus its roof, doors, and windows, in T. Lindsey Baker's "Ghost Towns of Texas". He refers to it as a school in the notes in italics at the end of his entry for Fort Griffin. The townsite is now owned by the Collins Creek Ranch, who restored the building in 2000, and they permit use of it for functions. Lodge No. 489 in Throckmorton still turns up on MasonPost.com and in various web-spidered listings, although Yelp cryptically refers to it as "Closed." The old hall is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, and a 1973 Texas Historical Marker provides some background:

On site acquired Aug. 18, 1877, for Fort Griffin Lodge No. 489, A.F. & A.M., chartered on Dec. 14, 1878. Stone was quarried nearby on Collins Creek. Volunteers built hall. School, civic affairs, church services of many denominations were held downstairs, the lodge upstairs. In 1881, community was dealt two blows: the U.S. Army vacated Fort Griffin and the Texas Central Railroad Line bypassed the town. In 1886, the lodge moved to Throckmorton.

School, held here until 1937, was consolidated with Albany in 1942. Structure is still used by clubs and for church services.

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There was "Fort Griffin," the military installation up on the bluff that operated as a defense against outlaws and native incursions from 1867 to 1881, and then there was "Fort Griffin", also known as "Griffin", "The Flat" or "The Flats", the town below. This site is a bit north of the fort, which is now the centerpiece of a state park, reachable by a county road (which is either 184 or 188, but there is no signage). Watch for the flagpole at the top of the bluff, and ahead of you are two Texas Historical Markers. Go right, watch for the cattle, and welcome to The Flat. Make a left turn on the next road, and you'll be able to locate the lodge, easily.

While there is no one single town upon which movies base their depiction of rough-and-tumble towns of the Old West, Fort Griffin could be among those from which Hollywood has drawn inspiration, as it was known as the "Babylon of the Brazos". The likes of Bat Masterson, Lottie Deno, Pat Garrett, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, John Selman, John Wesley Hardin, John Larn, Big Nose Kate, and Hurricane Bill (and Hurricane Minnie!) all spent time here.

MASONIC LODGES: LODGE GRAND MASONIC LODGES: Not listed Other: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Take a photo of the front entrance with your GPS in the Photo.

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