Athens Lodge No. 165 A.F. & A.M., founded in 1854, was the first Masonic lodge to be organized in Henderson County. Henderson County had been created in 1846, and the third county seat, Athens, had been founded in 1850. The group emphasized morality, tradition, fellowship and self-improvement, and hoped to instill the values in the burgeoning community. The first official meeting of the Athens lodge occurred on April 4, 1854, above a store on the Athens public square owned by John P. Walton, who became the lodge's first master. For the first two years, the lodge operated under a dispensation from the Grand Lodge of Texas. The lodge began with eleven master masons, but by 1856 membership had increased to fifty-two, and a charter was obtained from the grand lodge on January 24, 1856. Lodge members contributed to the development of Henderson County in the areas of business, finance, education, healthcare, agriculture, law and public service. Through the years, members of the Athens Masonic lodge helped to establish lodges in the neighboring communities of Science Hill, New York, Malakoff, Chandler, Brownsboro and Eustace. Lodge membership remained steady through Reconstruction, and then doubled during the 1880s, and during the prosperous 1920s a membership of 200 masons was attained. By 1955, over 350 masons called the lodge home, and membership remained relatively level through the 1970s. Although Masonic membership has decreased throughout the state since the late 20th century, the Athens Lodge No. 165 A.F. & A.M. continues to serve the community as a leading Henderson County institution. (2010)