PRESERVING THE LEGACY AND HISTORY OF TEXAS RANGERS AND MASONS
FOR 150 YEARS
1875-2025
RISING STAR LODGE LIVES THE LEGACY OF TEXAS RANGERS
OUR CELEBRATION OF TEXAS RANGERS AND MASONS WOULD NOT BE COMPLETE WITHOUT THE STORY OF RISING STAR LODGE No. 429 LOCATED IN CENTER POINT, TEXAS. THE CEMETERY AT CENTER POINT HAS 36 TEXAS RANGER GRAVES, AND MANY OF THE LODGE’S CHARTER MEMBER AND SONS SERVED WITH THE FRONTIER RANGERS. THIS GREAT TEXAS LODGE WAS CHARTERED JUNE 5TH, 1875, AS RISING STAR LODGE. THE MEMBERS OF THE GRAND LODGE OF TEXAS VOTED IN 2022 TO HONOR THIS LODGE WITH THE NAME CHANGE TO ‘RISING STAR RANGER LODGE’. WE ARE PROUD TO FEATURE THEM HERE, AND SALUTE THEM FOR THEIR PRESERVATION OF TEXAS HISTORY!
Rising Star Lodge was first located in a building which was destroyed by fire in 1900, along with all the lodge records. Meetings were held in the Guadalupe Valley Bank building from 1902 until the Lodge moved to its present site in 1964. Their charter members list reads like a Texas History lesson: Miles A. Lowrance and Alanzo Rees-who built a mill on the Guadeloupe River at the end of the Civil War, Joshua D. Brown, Father and Founder of Kerrville, William D.C. Burney, early Texas Ranger and Confederate Army soldier.
Other Charter members included John F. Moore, Civil War Veteran whose four sons served as Texas Rangers, his brother F M Moore, Veteran of the 36th Regiment Texas Cavalry, Co.B and 5 term Sheriff of Kerr County, Samuel Wellborne, local contractor and stone mason who built the ‘Wools Building’ in Center Point where the Lodge met on the top floor from 1900 to 1964, Rev. James M Witt, who served for 40 years as Baptist preacher, Stephen G. Wray, Texas Ranger, Also was Thomas C. North, H.B Dollahite, George W. Wools, merchant, Theodore Wiendenfeld, one of the first settlers in Kerr County who arrived from Germany in 1845, Sidney B. Rees, A.S. Moore, and H.B. Dollahite.
Rising Star Lodge No. 429, A.F. & A.M., has been granted the designation of RANGER CAMP No. 1. Long known as “the Ranger Lodge,” Major John B. Jones hired Texas Ranger Captain and Masonic Brother Neal Coldwell to head Co. “F” of the Frontier Battalion, and Bro. Coldwell was instrumental in obtaining the Charter for Rising Star No. 429. He served as WM of the lodge for over 20 years.
Rising Star Ranger Lodge created the District 51 Degree Team. This unique degree team, dressed as Texas Rangers, performs Masonic degrees all over Texas. It consists of some of the best degree masters in the State.
Proof that these Masons take this degree team seriously- The Award of Merit from the Texas Grand Lodge Committee on Work
