Men in Kentucky Town organized a Masonic lodge in 1855 and received their charter the following year as Kentucky Town Masonic Lodge No. 167. More than 20 years later, in 1878, the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad bypassed Kentucky Town and ran three miles east in the newly established town of Whitewright, prompting many residents of Kentucky Town, Orangeville, and Pilot Grove to move their homes and businesses there. The lodge moved to Whitewright in 1883, and in 1893 its members changed the name to Whitewright Lodge No. 167 while keeping the original Kentucky Town charter. Since its founding, the lodge has occupied several buildings and has served several affiliate Masonic orders, including Whitewright Chapter No. 198 of Royal Arch Masons, which merged with a Denison chapter in 1949, Whitewright Council No. 136, which merged with a Denison group in 1971, and the local Order of the Eastern Star, chartered in 1948, whose men and women continue to support the lodge's work. Several members became leaders in government and in the Masonic order, including Dan Scott McMillin, Grand Master of Texas Masons in 1915 and both a state representative and state senator; James J. Gallaher, Grand High Priest of the Royal Arch Chapter of Texas and Grand Treasurer of Texas Masons for 20 years; and John Thomas Bean, Grand Master of Texas Masons in 1959, who chaired the conference of Grand Masters of Masonry in North America in 1960. Today it is the second oldest Masonic group in Grayson County with continuous service, and its history reflects the formation of Whitewright and the county.