Nurses of Masonic Hospital, El Paso, TX circa 1930
Nurses of Masonic Hospital, El Paso, TX circa 1930
The photograph shows nurses of the El Paso Masonic Hospital. The Mason community in El Paso became active in 1870, when Masons Gaylord Judd Clarke and A.J. Fountain helped to found St. Clement's Episcopal Mission, the first Protestant church in the county. Famous Masons in El Paso included Simeon Hart, Joseph Magoffin, Benjamin Dowell and O. T. Bassett. They supported schools and founded important businesses. The Masons supported two other hospitals until they decided to open the Masonic Hospital. It was in service until the mid 1940s.