The Masons and the Kit Carson Home

The Masons and the Kit Carson Home. . , In 1854, Kit Carson was a member of the Montezuma Masonic Lodge, AF and AM, in Santa Fe. He attended Lodge meetings by riding on horseback through the Rio Grande pass, the same route used today to reach Santa Fe from Taos. In 1860 he became a founding member of Bent Lodge #42 in Taos. After the deaths of Kit and Josefa in 1868, this home and all of their belongings were sold to support their seven orphaned children. From that time forward the house changed hands several times and was often leased out. The house grew neglected and fell into serious disrepair - by the early 1900s the dwelling was near collapse., In 1909, the Grand Masonic Lodge of New Mexico stepped in to save the home of New Mexico's most famous Mason and tasked Bent Lodge with raising the funds required to purchase and restore the home., The members of Bent Lodge were successful and purchased the house in 1910 for $2,100. After another two years of difficult fund raising, Bent Lodge started renovations on the site. Then, in 1952, the Kit Carson Memorial Fund was formed and took over fiscal management of the site. In 1963 the U.S. National Parks Service granted house National Historic Landmark status., Because of the tireless efforts of Bent Lodge and the Grand Lodge of New Mexico, Kit Carson's home still stands today. Now called, The Kit Carson Home and Museum, the site is an established 501c3 cultural non-profit. Although the site is still owned by the Masonic Lodge, it is managed and maintained by the non-profit Museum. The Museum exists to preserve this important site of American history and for the edification and enjoyment of future generations of history lovers., Captions , Beat Lodge #42 AY and AM in Taos, New Mexico, Carson Home in 1912