The

Grand Lodge A Grand Lodge, also called Grand Orient, Obedience, or by another similar title, is a name for the overarching governing body of a fraternal or other similarly organized group in a given area, usually a city, state, or country. In Freemasonry A ...

of the

Republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...

is a

fraternal organization A fraternity (; whence, " brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular aims. Fraternity in the Western conce ...

based on the principles of

Prince Hall Freemasonry Prince Hall Freemasonry is a branch of North American Freemasonry created for African Americans, founded by Prince Hall on September 29, 1784. Prince Hall Freemasonry is the oldest and largest (300,000+ initiated members) predominantly African-A ...

. Prior to 1980, its membership tended to consist of

Americo-Liberians Americo-Liberian people (also known as Congo people or Congau people),Cooper, Helene, ''The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood'' (United States: Simon and Schuster, 2008), p. 6 are a Liberian ethnic group of African Am ...

and it was influential within the ruling True Whig party from its founding until the coup of

Samuel Doe Samuel Kanyon Doe (6 May 1951 – 9 September 1990) was a Liberian politician and military officer who served as the 21st President of Liberia from 1986 to 1990. He ruled Liberia as Chairman of the People's Redemption Council (PRC) from 1980 ...

in 1980, when much of its senior leadership was killed and the new military regime banned masonic activities in the country.

History

Expansion and political dominance

The Grand Lodge of Liberia was founded in 1867.Monrovia – Masonic Grand Lodge
/ref> By the 1970s there were 17 subordinate lodges and the majority of Liberia's high-ranking officials were Masons. Matters of state were widely believed to have been decided from within the lodges. Being a Mason was a veritable prerequisite for positions of

political Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...

leadership in the

True Whig Party The True Whig Party (TWP), also known as the Liberian Whig Party (LWP), is the oldest political party in Liberia and Africa as a whole. Founded in 1869 by primarily darker-skinned Americo-Liberians in rural areas, its historic rival was the Re ...

. Liberia's Masons were criticized for their influence as well as for the exclusion of indigenous Liberians from their ranks.

Prohibition and reinstatement

After Master Sgt.

assumed leadership in a '' coup d'etat'' in 1980, Liberia's masons faced violent retribution. The President of Liberia and the order's Grand Master, William R. Tolbert, Jr., was overthrown and killed in the coup.The Tragic History of Freemasonry in Liberia
Chris Hodapp, Freemasonry for Dummies Blog Freemasonry was banned by Doe in 1980, which caused the Grand Lodge's influence in Liberia to greatly diminish. President Doe, who later desired to become a Mason, lifted the ban on Masonic activities which led to the convening of a special Prince Hall meeting held in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

in 1987 to elect a new Grand Master. This was followed by a meeting in

Monrovia Monrovia () is the administrative capital city, capital and largest city of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast and as of the 2022 census had 1,761,032 residents, home to 33.5% of Liber ...

in 1988 when Freemasonry was formally reinstituted. President Doe was subsequently initiated in 1989. In 1990, Samuel Doe in turn was murdered by

Prince Johnson Prince Yormie Johnson (6 July 1952 – 28 November 2024) was a Liberian warlord and politician, who served as a senator for Nimba County from 2006 to 2024. Once a rebel leader, Johnson played a prominent role in the First Liberian Civil War. ...

, one time ally of Charles Taylor, in an internationally televised display. To prove that Doe was not protected by black magic, his ears were cut off, then some of his fingers and toes, and finally he was murdered by decapitation and buried (his body was later exhumed and reburied). The spectacle of his torture was videotaped and seen on news reports around the world. The video shows Johnson sipping a beer and being fanned by an assistant as Doe's ear is cut off.

During and after the civil war

During the

First Liberian Civil War The First Liberian Civil War was the first of Second Liberian Civil War, two civil wars within the West African nation of Liberia which lasted between 1989 and 1997. President Samuel Doe's regime of totalitarianism and widespread Political cor ...

, the Grand Masonic Temple in

was the scene of many battles,
Old Ruling Elite Making a Comeback in Liberia
', Tim Sullivan,

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

, September 29, 2001. and its ruins became home to thousands of

squatter Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building (usually residential) that the squatter does not Land ownership and tenure, own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estima ...

s.
Liberia- No More War
', Jessie Deeter,

Frontline (PBS) ''Frontline'' (stylized in all capital letters) is an investigative documentary program distributed by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the United States. Episodes are produced at WGBH in Boston, Massachusetts. The series has covered a ...

, May 2005. On trial, President Charles Taylor made light of allowing his troops to post human heads and skulls of enemies at checkpoints, saying it was no worse than the display of skulls in “Western fraternal organizations.” The Masons evicted squatters from the Grand Lodge by 2005, and the Masonic Temple has resumed to hold meetings for the subordinate Lodges in the Blue Lodge Room, quarterly Grand Communications in the Grand Lodge room as well as meetings for the Order of Eastern Star and its subordinate Chapters in their respective rooms within the Temple. According to the Grand Lodge's 2015 reports, there are 19 Subordinate Lodges in Liberia with a total membership of 1,750.

Benoni Urey Benoni Wilfred Urey (born 22 June 1957) is an Americo-Liberian businessman and politician, who was formerly the Liberian Commissioner of Maritime Affairs. In 2014 ''The Economist'' reported that Urey was Liberia's wealthiest man.Grand Lodge of Masons, A.F & A.M Republic of Liberia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Masonic Order Of Liberia

1860s establishments in Liberia Prince Hall Freemasonry Clubs and societies in Liberia Masonic organizations Former squats Squatting in Liberia 1867 establishments in Africa