Grand Lodge Of Michigan

The Grand Lodge of Michigan of Free and Accepted Masons, commonly known as Grand Lodge of Michigan, in tandem with the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Michigan govern the practice of regular Freemasonry in the state of Michigan.

History

The earliest documented Lodge west of the Allegheny Mountains was warranted in Detroit on April 27, 1764, by George Harison, Provincial Grand Master of the Provincial Grand Lodge of New York, with Lt. John Christie of the 2nd Battalion, 60th Royal American Foot Regiment as Worshipful Master. By 1772, there were at least three Lodges functioning at Detroit: Lodge No. 1 and two Irish Military Lodges, Nos. 299 and 378, warranted to Masons of the 10th Regiment, then stationed at Detroit. The next three Lodges warranted for work in Michigan were also started by members of the visiting military. These were Harmony Lodge in Detroit, St. John's Lodge No. 15 on the island of Mackinac and Zion Lodge No. 10 (now No. 1) warranted in 1794 for work in Detroit.

In September 1817 Zion Lodge provided much needed support for the newly created University of Michigan. The idea first took shape in the minds of Augustus Woodward, a Mason and the first Judge of the Territorial Supreme Court; the Reverend John Monteith, a Presbyterian clergyman and Father Gabriel Richard, a Roman Catholic Priest. On September 15, Zion Lodge met and subscribed the sum of $250 in aid of the University of Michigan, payable in the sum of $50 per year. Of the total amount subscribed to start the University two-thirds came from Zion Lodge and its members.

The members of Zion Lodge sponsored and supported additional Lodges in Upper Canada and Michigan including Detroit Lodge No. 337 (now No. 2), Oakland Lodge No. 343 in Pontiac, Menomenie Lodge No. 374 in Green Bay (then a part of the Territory) and Monroe Lodge No. 375 in Monroe. These five Lodges laid plans for a Grand Lodge in the Territory to handle the growing plans for Masonry in the area, and on 24 June 1826 a Grand Lodge for the Territory of Michigan was established in Detroit. There are 274 Lodges in the State of Michigan at the present time.

The Michigan Masonic Home (dba Masonic Pathways) was founded in 1890 in East Grand Rapids "for the purpose of providing a home for aged masons, mason’s widows and orphans." The facility was first dedicated on March 29, 1912, and was originally located in Grand Rapids, but after it was destroyed by a fire on February 16, 1910, it was relocated to Alma in the former Alma Sanitarium building of Alma’s Ammi Wright, and opened to residents in 1911

During the term of Grand Master Richard P. Ruhland from 2005-2006, the Grand Lodge Board of Directors decided to relocate the Grand Lodge office from Grand Rapids to Alma in 2005. The facility was dedicated on January 28, 2006.

Prince Hall recognition

The Grand Lodge of Michigan granted fraternal recognition to Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Michigan in 1997. A mutual recognition resolution between Grand Lodge of Michigan and the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Michigan was signed on March 28, 1997, by Grand Master’s Donald J. Van Kirk and Carl W. Sanders. The formal signing ceremony for the Mutual Recognition was celebrated at the 'Unity Celebration Gala' in 2025. The black tie gala and ‘celebration of brotherly love and mutual recognition’ was held in the Crystal Ballroom at the Detroit Masonic Temple on March 23, 2025, and signed by Grand Master's Eugene E. Abbaticchio and Bernt C. Walker.

List of Michigan Grand Lodges

List of the past iterations of, and the current, Grand Lodge of Michigan.

List of grand masters

List of past and current grand masters of the Grand Lodge of Michigan

List of lodges

List of Masonic Blue Lodges in Michigan, current and/or historic, from 1764 to Present. The lodge ‘’''Years Active''’’ date column shows year range that includes: dispensation or charter for first year, and dissolution or consolidation for last year.

Several of the early lodges in the northwest territory, before Michigan’s statehood in 1837, were chartered by remote or foreign jurisdictions prior to the establishment of the Grand Lodge of Michigan in 1826 and their integration into Michigan’s new jurisdiction as Free and Accepted Masons (F&AM). Due to this, several of these early “lodges of the Northwest Territory were then renumbered” and reordered between 1826 and 1850.

Over the years there have been examples of themed or ''Special Interest Lodges'' within the Michigan jurisdiction, although not as prevalent as the “more than 400 Special Interest Lodges across England and Wales” under United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) jurisdiction.

* ''Germania Lodge No. 79 (Saginaw):'' Lodge originally chartered for German membership only, with ritual work performed in German.
* ''University Lodge No. 482 (Detroit):'' Lodge membership composed of ‘university men,’ including graduates of the University of Michigan.
* ''Army and Navy Lodge No. 512 (Detroit):'' Lodge membership composed only of ex-Army and Navy military men.
* ''Daylight Lodge No. 525 (Detroit):'' Known as the “entertainers and entertainment lodge,” this lodge met in the mornings had a lodge membership composed mainly of Jewish entertainers like actors, musicians, motion picture operators, and stage hands, including: composer Samuel Benavie (1895-1981), comedian and actor ''William ‘Bud’ Abbott (1897-1975)'', orchestra conductor Eduard Werner (1892-1982), and Vaudeville comedian and band leader Al Tucker.
* ''Mosaic Lodge No. 530 (Detroit):'' Lodge membership composed mainly of Jewish faith.
* ''Grand Master Lodge No. 700 (Alma):'' Lodge membership composed of those brothers that have recently become 'Unattached Masons' following a lodge closure. This is a temporary lodge assignment not meant to last more than one to two years.
* ''Wayne Memorial Lodge U. D. (Detroit):'' Lodge was always Under Dispensation, and was formed for one purpose only: to perform Masonic “funeral rites for Masons belonging to Lodges outside Wayne County.”Masons Open New Lodge. Detroit Free Press (Detroit, Mich.), 08 Jun 1941, Sec 3 p. 17 (54), col. 8; and Grand Lodge of Canada Proceedings 1950. Available: https://dn790008.ca.archive.org/0/items/grandlodge1950onta/grandlodge1950onta_djvu.txt

See also

* Detroit Masonic Temple

References

External links

Michigan Masons
(official site)
Michigan Child ID Program

Masonic Pathways Senior Living Services

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Freemasonry in the United States
Organizations based in Michigan
1826 establishments in Michigan Territory