{"nrhp_refnum":"10001222","name":"Blessing Masonic Lodge No. 411","other_names":["Tres Palacios Masonic Lodge"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"619 Ave. B/FM 616","address_restricted":false,"city":"Blessing","county":"Matagorda County","state":"TX","lat":28.873457616000053,"lon":-96.21920933899997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2011-02-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, wood-frame Masonic lodge hall at 619 Avenue B (FM 616) in Blessing, Matagorda County, Texas. It was built around 1875 near the Tres Palacios River in the Deming's Bridge community and moved to its present site in 1907.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the lodge is significant locally under Criterion A in Social History for its role in the history of the local Masonic chapter, founded in 1874. It has been in continuous use as a Masonic meeting hall. The period of significance begins with its 1907 move to Blessing and ends in 1960. It also retains a high degree of architectural integrity as a late 19th-century vernacular civic building.","narrative":"Built around 1875 in the Deming's Bridge community, this two-story wood-frame lodge hall was moved to the town of Blessing in Matagorda County, Texas, in 1907. It measures about 30 by 50 feet, with white-painted weatherboard siding, clipped gable ends and a large black Masonic Square, Compasses and Letter G painted in each gable. The upper floor holds the private lodge room, and the lower floor is used as a cafeteria and gathering space. Inside are 19th-century chairs, ceremonial tools, a historic ballot box and a pair of bronze pillars, Boaz and Jachin, given by Indianola Lodge No. 84 after a hurricane destroyed its building. The lodge was chartered in 1874 and has met continuously in the building ever since. It is recognized locally for its role in the community's social history between 1907 and 1960, and for its well-preserved vernacular form and interior.","period_of_significance":"1907-1960","architect_builder":"unknown","architectural_style":"Texas vernacular or folk","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Still in use as a Masonic lodge; the upper floor serves private lodge meetings and the lower floor serves as a cafeteria and community room. Some first-floor windows have been altered or enclosed.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:24.116729-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/64/9729/40972964/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/10001222.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/10001222/3650f47862-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/10001222/3650f47862-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.0","author":"Nicolas Henderson from Coppell, Texas","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Masonic_Lodge_411,_Blessing,_Texas_(22384914731).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nicolas Henderson from Coppell, Texas</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Masonic_Lodge_411,_Blessing,_Texas_(22384914731).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40972964","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blessing_Masonic_Lodge_No._411","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q60749025"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/matagorda-county/blessing-masonic-lodge-no-411-10001222/"}