The Historic African Lodge: A Milestone in Masonic Equality
July 3rd, 1776
On this date, Brother Prince Hall, the first African American initiated in the United States, formally organized the historic African Lodge in Boston, marking a turning point in Masonry and the history of civil rights.
The journey began on March 6, 1775, when Prince Hall and 14 men of color were initiated as Masons in Lodge #441 of the Irish Registry, attached to the 38th Regiment of British Infantry at Castle William Island, Boston Harbor. This was the first time black men were accepted as Masons in America.
When the Revolutionary War broke out, the British regiment departed Boston, taking their lodge with them. Before leaving, Worshipful Master Batt granted Hall and his brethren a limited permit to meet, bury their dead, and march in procession on St. John's Day, but not to conduct full Masonic work or initiate new member.
With this permit, on July 3, 1776, the African Lodge was established, with Prince Hall as Worshipful Master.
In 1784, Hall and his brethren requested a regular charter from the Grand Lodge of England. This was granted on September 29, 1784, establishing the African Lodge #459, the first lodge of African Americans with full Masonic legitimacy in the United States.
The lodge thrived, and in 1791, Prince Hall was appointed Provincial Grand Master, organizing new lodges in Philadelphia and Rhode Island. After his death in 1808, these lodges came together and formed the African Grand Lodge, which in 1847 adopted the name Prince Hall Grand Lodge in his honor.
Today, over 5,000 lodges and 47 grand lodges trace their lineage directly to the African Lodge founded by Prince Hall, keeping alive his vision of fraternity, equality, and human dignity.