The Bridge City Masonic Lodge #1345 held a cornerstone leveling ceremony Wednesday for the three new buildings under construction on the Orangefield ISD campuses.
This ceremony that was held at the Cormier Museum, reflects the time-honored Masonic tradition of dedicating public buildings and institutions for the benefit of the community. The stone is generally placed in the northeast corner of the structure, representing the junction of darkness and light, often as the first stone of the foundation.
The ceremony involves using traditional working tools including the square, level, and plumb to test the stone and elements like corn, wine, and oil to symbolize prosperity, refreshment, and joy.
Most Worshipful Grand Master Chip Green presided over the ceremony that you can view below. It’s a tradition they’ve been doing for more than 300 years.
OISD Superintendent Dr. Shaun McAlpin said the three different projects are approximately fifty percent complete. The elementary school is getting a cafetorium, the junior high is getting a new extension with new classrooms, and the high school is getting a cafetorium (including stage) with classrooms.
“It was a great to experience and an honor for the Masons to put on this ceremony and we appreciate them putting this together for us,” McAlpin said. “The stones are already on the buildings but I was glad we were able to witness this tradition.”
The three additions are the result of voters passing a $33.5 million bond. The district has another bond on the May 2 ballot totaling $12.9 million for the turfing and improvements to the football, baseball and softball fields.
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