Boley Masonic Lodge

Built in 1912 at the height of Boley's prosperity, the three-story Masonic Lodge is one of the most substantial buildings to survive in the historic district. The lodge was a central institution in the town's social and civic life — Black fraternal organisations like the Masons served as mutual aid societies, social clubs, and community anchors at a time when most mainstream civic institutions were closed to Black Americans.

The building's scale — three stories in brick, the dominant structure on its block — reflects the confidence of a community that intended to stay and to grow. Walking past it today, in a town that now has barely a quarter of its 1910 population, the ambition is both moving and sobering.

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A story
When the three-story Masonic Lodge was completed in 1912, it was described in the local press as the tallest building between Okmulgee and Oklahoma City. That claim may have been slightly optimistic, but the ambition behind it was not. Black Masons in Boley wanted a building that proclaimed permanence and dignity — one that would match or exceed anything in surrounding white towns. The building is still standing.