Freestone County, Texas Social Organizations Longbottom Masonic Lodge #428, A.F. & A.M. (1875-current) (town of Longbotham renamed to Wortham in 1874) Wortham, Texas Located in Freestone County Charter granted June 7, 1875 Current Number of Members: 40 Lodge Address: 103 Main St., Wortham 76693 Mailing Address: PO Box 8, Wortham, 76693 Meetings: 2nd Thur @ 7:30 pm Lodge Phone: 254-765-3402 In 1848, Robert Brough Longbotham settled in what is now Wortham located on a portion of the league and labor of land that he received as a grant from Mexico in 1835. So when the post office was later established, the postal authorities got the name wrong and named the post office Long Bottom, until the community moved closer to the railroad and the community was renamed Wortham after Colonel Luther Rice Wortham. The Masonic Lodge kept the traditional name of Long Bottom. The first meeting of the Longbottom Lodge was held on June 25, 1875 led by C. M. Winkler with the following present: Berry, A. J. Bounds, T. D. Curry, Thomas Dunn, James Longbotham, J.O. Longbotham, Thomas Ragsdale, W. F. Red, Elisha Red, T. J. Roberson, W. H. Seely, W. M. Strickle, D. F. Visitors for the occasion: Bell, W. M. Blankenship, J. D. Cunningham, M. G. Morse, C. S. Ranson, D. J. Stubbs, P. C. Vickers, J. H. Williams, C. J. Winkler, C. M. Elections took place at a later meeting. The first elected officers of the Longbottom Lodge were: Berry, A. J. [office of J.D.] Bounds, T. D. [treasurer] Longbotham, Thomas [office of Worshipful Master] Ragsdale, W. F. [office of S.D.] Red, Elisha [chaplain] Red, T. J. [office of S.W.] Roberson, W. H. [tiler] Seely, W. M. [secretary] Strickle, D. F. [office of J.W.] Morse, C. S. [marshall] In September 1875, a building committee selected a lot. In October, the H. & T.C. Railroad sold the lodge lots 4 & 5 in Block 34 in the city of Wortham for $1.00. In December, B. F. Davis was contracted to build a lodge room which cost $877.55 after it was completed. On February 5, 1876, the first meeting was held in the new lodge room. In April 1879, Wortham citizens petitioned the lodge to donate or lease the lower story for a church. This request was granted. On February 12, 1880, a storm blew down the lodge building in the night. Afterwards meetings were held in the upper story of a vacant house owned by W. N. Seely. In September, a building committee was formed. In late 1881, a new lodge hall was built and jointly owned with the Methodist Protestant Church at what is now the southwest corner of North 5th Street and Longbotham Street. On April 4, 1903, the lodge bought the west one-half of lot 10 in Block 50 for $235.00. A new two-story brick building was built on this lot for $3,576.81 which included a one-half interest in the west wall of the P. M. Speed building. Later the lodge sold the one-half interest in their west wall for the new First National Bank. The lodge moved into the upper floor and rented the lower floor to T. W. Bounds Hardware. The lodge stayed at this building at least until 1975 and likely to today. Deaths Reported at the Grand Lodge Meeting or Annual Lodge Returns: Gleghorn, Mathew 1882 Worshipful Masters of Longbottom Masonic Lodge #428: Longbotham, Thomas 1875-1877, 1879, 1881-1882, 1887, 1894-1896 Red, T. J. 1878 Seely, W. M. 1880 Miller, J. L. 1883-1886, 1891, 1899 Stubbs, C. C. 1888-1890, 1893 Berry, A. J. 1892 Barbee, L. N. 1897 Longbotham, Robert 1898 Longbotham, T. E. 1900-1901 Keeling, W. L. 1902-1904 Bounds, J. V. 1905 Stubbs, J. P. 1906 Chumney, W. T. 1907-1908 Storey, W. F. 1909 Price, R. J. 1910-1911, 1913 Stubbs, V. H. 1912 Leverett, Guy 1914 Price, Herman 1915 Hastings, R. L. 1916 Smith, O.C. 1917-1918, 1932-1936 Phipps, B. T. 1919 Drumwright, J. T. 1920-1922 Wallis, J. F. 1923 Lee, W. B. 1924-1926, 1931 Sanders, J. H. 1927 Garrett, W. L. 1928 Harper, R. J. 1929-1930 Lee, P. E. 1937-1940 Moore, J. D. 1941-1942 Wimberley, D. R. 1943 McCommon, Glenn 1944, 1961-1962 DeShazo, W. L. 1945 White, Garland 1946 Gorman, M. W. 1947-1948, 1954 Goolsby, James R. 1949 Crews, Logan W. 1950 Tyner, Dewey 1951 Tyner, Charlie D. 1952 Wilson, Franklin 1953 Elliott, Foy 1955, 1972 Davis, Uel L. Jr. 1956 Blankenship, J. D. 1957-1958 Bounds, C. H. 1959 Goolsby, James C. 1960 Henderson, Jeff W. 1963 Calame, Billy V. 1964 Wilson, Bobby D. 1965 Ryno, Harley E. 1966 Miller, Richard R. 1967 Calame, Donald 1968 Walker, Harold E. 1969 Brooks, Truman O. 1970 Stubbs, Hiram B. 1971 Cherry, Dwight 1973 Patterson, Sidney 1974