San Felipe Secrets Unveiled
What do the city of San Felipe, the Freemasons, the Methodist Church, a 170 plus year old building, and Stephen F. Austin have in common? Answers to these questions are found in a book co-written by local Brenham doctor, Chris Dalrymple. Dr. Dalrymple D.C., and his co-authors have written a book about the history of early Texas as it directly applies to an historic building in San Felipe Texas. The book ties Together "Secrets" of Freemasonry, Colonial Texas, and the Methodist Church.
The book SAN FELIPE SECRETS UNVEILED is a full-color 100 page book which illustrates the beauty of a 170-plus year old Colonial Texas church building/Masonic lodge room located in San Felipe, Texas, and re-built by colonial Texans returning after the battle of San Jacinto. The book explores the church building in high definition photographs, many of them stunningly beautiful.
SAN FELIPE SECRETS UNVEILED also serves to organize the timeline of the development of what we know as Texas--from Stephen F. Austin's family problems, to his relations with Mexico, it briefly explains the events leading up to the foundation of Austin's first colony some 36 miles southeast of Brenham. The book further explores the impact that early Methodists had upon the life of the colony, and the very first recorded Freemasonic meeting in Texas. The book ties these various early factors into one story, just as the San Felipe Methodist Church building ties colonial Texas history, Methodist Church history, and Freemasonic history into one beautifully contained location.
The physical condition of the building necessitates immediate attention to prevent further deterioration and loss of a historical treasure. This book was written to raise the awareness of the condition of this treasure and its need for support from the rest of Texas. What makes this building special is not merely its age or its history. It is the beauty of the second story Masonic lodge room that drew the attention of the authors to the need for this building's preservation/restoration.
The pre-civil war upper-room, which served as a Masonic lodge room, is a beautiful mural of a starry night sky with blazing stars upon the ceiling, stormy clouds around the horizon, and a glorified all-seeing-eye shining from under a cloudy brow in the east. The uniqueness and beauty of this room is slowly deteriorating as it currently houses nothing more than central air conditioner units, and a vast number of insects. The building is gradually settling, leaning precariously to the east, and ceiling boards in the upper room are falling as water damage from rain is gradually washing away the artwork of this antebellum/colonial Texas historical treasure. SAN FELIPE SECRETS UNVEILED records the current condition of this damage in high definition pictures as it effectively takes a tour through the building, and through Texas history, to help the reader understand the beauty of the building, the strength of pioneer Texans, and their wisdom in building a place where equality and love could reside. This building has now done so for some 170 years.
Dr. Chris Dalrymple, co-authored SAN FELIPE SECRETS UNVEILED with author Linda Berthelsen, and Kathryn Berthelsen. The first printing of the book has sold out. Second printing books retail for $20.00 and, pending release into book stores, limited numbers are currently available at the Brenham Chiropractic Clinic.