Many of the Masons in Lincoln during this period were military personnel.� It was traditional for Army and Naval Graduates to become Masons at that time due to the influence of our first president, George Washington, who was a Mason.
In the year 1878 President Rutherford B. Hayes made efforts to reduce the influence of the Catholic Church on this terrirory.� This in effect increased the influence of these military Masons at that time.� It is recorded that several incidents of extreme violence were avoided due to Masonic influence.� President Hayes was not a Mason but he recognized this influence and sent Lew Wallace to the Territory under orders to stop Masons from killing each other.� Brother Wallace was a member of Fountain Lodge No. 60 in Indiana.
At this time most Masonic Lodges in New Mexico and Lincoln County were what is known as "Traveling Masonic Lodges."� Since the military moved around so often, Masons in the military were given a dispensation to have Masonic meetings wherever seven Masons could get together.� Unfortunately, there were few records kept of these Masonic meetings.� Perhaps this is the reason there is no record of Masonic meetings being held in the Murphy-Dolan Store (now called the Lincoln County Courthouse).� But historians� refer to the west second story as the "MASONIC ROOM."�� The Masonic Room was set up correctly and the only entrance was the steep staircase attached to the Southwest corner of the room.�
Lawrence Gustave Murphy
Was a member of Montezuma Lodge No. 1
James Dolan
Was a member of Aztec Lodge No. 3.�� He petitioned Montezuma Lodge No. 1 on August 1, 1881
Traveling Masonic Lodge Room Exhibit
In what is now the Lincoln County Courthouse Museum there is an excellent representation of the "Traveling Masonic Lodge Room" as it existed in the late 1800's.�� I visited this tour and the pictures I took of this are shown below.
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