Masonic Lodge #19 / Samuel Saxon

The first recorded meeting of Palmetto Lodge #19 took place on Aug. 7, 1794, at the nearby home of Samuel Saxon, with Joseph Downs as Master, Nathaniel McCoy as Deputy Master, Wm. Holiday as Senior Warden, John Wolff as Junior Warden, and Ezekiel Roland as Secretary. Still in existence, it is the oldest Masonic Lodge in Laurens County, and its minutes date from 1794. In 1792, Samuel Saxon, a local attorney, merchant, and Palmetto Lodge member, conveyed the present court house land to Laurens County for the sum of two guineas and also cleared a number of surrounding acres. He served in the S.C. House 1789-91 and was elected sheriff of Ninety-Six District in 1791. His home was on the south side of present East Main St., about 150 feet east of here.

Laurens, South Carolina · United States