The Texas Traveler

My son Trey (Goatrider) and I visited Tucker Lodge #297 in Galveston on Wednesday June 15, 2011. We were in town for Texas A&M Galveston’s new student orientation and decided that it would be fun to visit another lodge. The Grand Lodge information for Tucker Lodge is currently incorrect. The lodge used to meet in the same lodge room as Harmony No. 6, but has recently moved to the El Mina Shrine meeting room. They are now located at 1616 Tremont Street.

The lodge has a very long history. They received their charter on June 14, 1867. It was named after Philip C. Tucker, Jr. Who was Worshipful Master of Harmony Lodge when Galveston was attacked by Union soldiers during the Civil War. The Grand Lodge of Texas site states that “Masonic prisoners from the Harriet Lane vouched to Confederate Masons that Wainwright was a Mason in good standing. Although they asked nothing for themselves, they requested a Masonic burial for their late Commander and Masonic Brother. When this information reached Philip C. Tucker, Jr., a Major on Magruder's staff and Worshipful Master of Harmony Lodge No. 6 in Galveston, plans were made to open the Lodge for Masonic burial.... Brother Tucker was essential to the fulfillment of the Masonic legacy when the war stood still in Galveston. Apparently, under his leadership in the years of the Civil War for Southern Independence, Harmony Lodge is the only Lodge, North or South, to conduct the Masonic burial service for a Mason killed in mortal combat as an enemy.” A full account is located at http://www.grandlodgeoftexas.org/node/1578.

Dinner was served promptly at 6:30. It was salad, spaghetti and garlic toast. We saw many of our brothers that we met at the Masters degree on the USS Lexington. We sat with Paul Green and his son Travis. Discussion included Travis’s college career at Baylor, he is a senior, and Trey’s hopes for his career at Texas A&M.

Everyone moved into the lodge room at 7:30. There were 20 brothers in attendance, including four visitors; Paul, Travis, Trey and myself.

Tucker Lodge is growing. Last month they raised the Galveston County Sheriff. They have six Eas waiting to be initiated and voted on 2 more tonight. It is a casual lodge. There were a couple of members dressed in business casual, but the predominant dress was jeans and Hawaiian shirts.

A member told one of the funniest masonic jokes I have heard in a long time. He said that there were two candidates that showed up for initiation. Since it was a farming community the men showed up wearing their work clothes. When in the ante room, they were asked to removed what was in their pockets. One of the men was a pig farmer that had forgotten to remove all of the remains from doing castrations during the day. When he pulled out a pair of testicles, the other man ran from the lodge never to be seen again. Well, I guess you had to be there.

The lodge definitely gets my vote for a definite visit. Just make sure you check ahead. They currently have a committee tasked with a by-laws change to move to one meeting a month. Just call or email Rubio to make sure they are having a meeting.