Chartered in 1869, the Alvarado Masonic Lodge began under the leadership of A.J. Chambers, J.C. Weaver, and Joel Higgins. From its earliest years it strongly supported local education. The first lodge building provided classroom space, and the lodge administered local school efforts, establishing the Masonic Institute in the 1870s. It later became Alvarado Normal Institute and then Alvarado High School. The lodge also supported the Masonic Home and School in Fort Worth and hosted the Grand Lodge of Texas meeting in 1946. Civic leaders who were lodge members included town founder William Balch and first mayor J.H. Wright. The lodge continues to aid the community through its many programs.