Prince Hall Freemasonry is a branch of North American

Freemasonry Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

created for

African Americans African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa ...

, founded by

Prince Hall Prince Hall (December 7, 1807) was an American Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist and leader in the Free negro, free black community in Boston. He founded Prince Hall Freemasonry and lobbied for Right to education, education rights ...

on September 29, 1784. Prince Hall Freemasonry is the oldest and largest (300,000+ initiated members) predominantly African-American fraternity in the United States. Different organizations purport to be of Prince Hall Freemasonry: one group is the independent, 'Prince Hall Affiliated' or 'PHA' Grand Lodges, most of which are recognized by their State Grand Lodge counterparts and the United Grand Lodge of England, being considered 'regular' in Freemasonry. Others are under the jurisdiction of a ' National Grand Lodge', 'Prince Hall Origin', or otherwise non-Prince Hall Affiliated Lodge or Grand Lodge. These are considered 'irregular', 'clandestine', and unrecognized by the Prince Hall Affiliated masonic bodies and their 'mainstream' masonic counterparts.

History

Petitions for admittance into existing lodges

Before the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

and fourteen other free black men petitioned for admission to the white Boston St. John's Lodge.Maurice Wallace, "Are We Men?: Prince Hall, Martin Delany, and the Masculine Ideal in Black Freemasonry," ''American Literary History'', Vol. 9, No. 3. They were declined. The Masonic fraternity was attractive to some free blacks such as

because

freemasonry Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

was founded upon ideals of

liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

, equality, and

peace Peace is a state of harmony in the absence of hostility and violence, and everything that discusses achieving human welfare through justice and peaceful conditions. In a societal sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (suc ...

Grand Lodge of Ireland

Having been rejected by colonial American Freemasonry, Hall and 14 other men sought and were initiated into Masonry through Lodge No. 441 of the Grand Lodge of Ireland on March 6, 1775. This military lodge was attached to the 38th Foot (renamed "The 1st Staffordshire Regiment") in 1782. The Lodge was attached to British forces stationed in Boston during the colonial period. Hall and other free black men founded African Lodge No. 1 and he was elected Master. Other African Americans included Cyrus Johnston, Bueston Slinger, Prince Rees, John Canton, Peter Freeman, Benjamin Tiler, Duff Ruform, Thomas Santerson, Prince Rayden, Cato Speain, Boston Smith, Peter Best, Forten Horward, and Richard Titley, all of whom were free by birth. After the United States gained independence, when men wished to become Masons in the new nation the existing members of the Lodge had to vote unanimously to accept the petitioner. That person would be rejected if any white member voted against a black petitioner. Discrimination against African Americans persisted for decades. Masonic and Grand Lodges generally excluded African Americans. Since the votes were anonymous, it was impossible to identify the member who had voted against accepting a black member. The effect was that black men who had legitimately been made Masons in integrated jurisdictions could be rejected in a new area. The black Masons therefore had limited power. When the military lodges left the area following the Revolutionary War, the African Americans were given the authority to meet as a lodge and take part in the Masonic procession on St. John's Day, and bury their dead with Masonic rites, but they could not confer Masonic degrees or perform any other essential functions of a fully operating Lodge.

Premier Grand Lodge of England

The African Americans applied to the Premier Grand Lodge of England, and their Grand Master, H. R. H. The Duke of Cumberland, issued a charter for African Lodge No. 459 September 29, 1784, later renamed African Lodge No. 1. The lodge was the country's first African Masonic lodge. Six years later, on March 22, 1797, Prince Hall organized a lodge in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, called African Lodge #459, under Prince Hall's Charter. They later received their charter. On June 25, 1797, he organized African Lodge (later known as Hiram Lodge #3) at Providence,

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

.Coleman, 2007. ''Prince Hall History Education Class'', Grand Historian Prince Hall Grand Lodge Free and Accepted Masons Jurisdiction of Massachusetts
Author and historian James Sidbury stated:

Prince Hall and those who joined him to found Boston's African Masonic Lodge built a fundamentally new "African" movement on a preexisting institutional foundation. Within that movement, they asserted emotional, mythical, and genealogical links to the continent of Africa and its peoples.

In 1788 John Marrant became the chaplain of the African Masonic Lodge. The lodge met in the "Golden Fleece," located near Boston Harbor, during the 1780s and 1790s. They later met at Kirby Street Temple in Boston.

Intervisitation attainment

By 1797 there were at least 34 members in the Boston black lodge, but still the lodge was overlooked by white Boston Masons.Loretta J. Williams, ''Black Freemasonry and Middle-Class Realities,'' (University of Missouri Press, 1980). Integration with the American white Masons was not imminent. Since they were unable to attain integration, the blacks concentrated on recognition from white Masons that, because black Masonry descending from Prince Hall of Massachusetts had received its charter from the English Grand Lodge, it was legitimate and not "clandestine," and was entitled to all Masonic rights, such as intervisitation between black and white lodges, without prejudice.Williams A. Muraskin. ''Middle-Class Blacks in a White Society.'' Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1975. Many Grand Masters hoped that ultimately recognition would lead to integration, but they knew it would be a long time before that happened.

African Grand Lodge

After the death of Prince Hall, on December 4, 1807, the brethren were eager to form a Grand Lodge. On June 24, 1808, they organized the African Grand Lodge with lodges from Philadelphia, Providence, and Boston. The latter was later renamed the Prince Hall Grand Lodge, in his honor. The Lodge was struck from the rolls after the 1813 merger of the Antients and the Moderns (two rival Grand Lodges of England), along with many other Lodges. African Lodge (and many others) was omitted from the register, due to the lack of recent contact, but it was not formally erased.

Independent lodge

After being denied acknowledgment by the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, the African Lodge declared itself to be an independent Grand Lodge, the African Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. In 1827 the African Grand Lodge declared its independence from the United Grand Lodge of England, as the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts had done 45 years earlier. It also stated its independence from all of the white Grand Lodges in the United States, declaring itself to be a separate Masonic body. This led to a tradition of separate, predominantly African-American jurisdictions in North America, known collectively as Prince Hall Freemasonry. Widespread racial

segregation Segregation may refer to: Separation of people * Geographical segregation, rates of two or more populations which are not homogenous throughout a defined space * School segregation * Housing segregation * Racial segregation, separation of human ...

in North America made it impossible for African Americans to join many predominantly white lodges. Most predominantly white Grand Lodges in North America refused to recognize the Prince Hall Lodges and Prince Hall Masons in their territory as legitimate. In the period after the Civil War, former Confederate general

Albert Pike Albert Pike (December 29, 1809April 2, 1891) was an American author, poet, orator, editor, lawyer, jurist and Confederate States Army general who served as an List of justices of the Arkansas Supreme Court, associate justice of the Arkansas Supr ...

wrote to his brother in 1875, "I am not inclined to mettle in the matter. I took my obligations to white men, not to Negroes. When I have to accept Negroes as brothers or leave Masonry, I shall leave it." After some successes in the civil rights movement in the United States in the 1960s, beginning in the late 1900s, predominantly white Grand Lodges of the United States began to recognize the legitimacy of their Prince Hall counterparts who were meeting in the same states. Even this change was met with considerable resistance by membership, especially in Southern states and among members of rural Lodges. A few states still lack such recognition. "Recognition" does not mean full integration, but it does mean that members of the two kinds of Masonry can visit each others' Lodges and engage in Masonic discourse freely. This is considered a step forward but full integration is still considered unlikely. Today, Prince Hall Affiliated Grand Lodges are recognized by the

United Grand Lodge of England The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) is the governing Masonic lodge for the majority of freemasons in England, Wales, and the Commonwealth of Nations. Claiming descent from the Masonic Grand Lodge formed 24 June 1717 at the Goose & Gridiron ...

(UGLE), as well as the overwhelming majority of US state Grand Lodges, and even many international Grand Lodges. The situation is complicated by the level of recognition that is granted. Some lodges give full "blanket" recognition to all Prince Hall Grand Lodges, while others put limits on issues such as "intervisitation rights" or dual membership, sometimes treating Prince Hall Grand Lodges as regular but foreign jurisdictions.

Organization

There are two competing sets of organizations within Prince Hall Freemasonry. A minority of lodges, which are subject to the

Prince Hall National Grand Lodge The Most Worshipful National Grand Lodge Free & Accepted Ancient York Masons Prince Hall Origin National Compact USA (also referred to as Prince Hall Origin as well as Compact Masons) is a body of Masonry in the United States of America composed ...

, are referred to as Prince Hall Origin (PHO) and traces its lineage to African Lodge #459. The majority of lodges, which are subject to 41 independent state grand lodges, are known as Prince Hall Affiliation (PHA. They are regular and, except for a few, are recognized by their Grand Lodge of State counterparts and The United Grand Lodge of England. The Conference of Prince Hall Grand Masters determines the regularity of Prince Hall Freemasonry known as Prince Hall Affiliation (PHA). All regular and recognized Prince Hall Grand Lodges Prince Hall Affiliation (PHA) are represented at the Conference. A comprehensive list of all Prince Hall grand lodges deemed regular is listed on the conference website. Each regular Grand Lodge also traces its lineage back to African Lodge #459, where Prince Hall was made a Mason. The group using the name Prince Hall Origin has no affiliation to the conference of Prince Hall Grand Masters.

Lodges

Today, predominantly black Prince Hall Grand Lodges exist in the original state jurisdictions of the United States; additionally, Prince Hall jurisdictions have been established in Canada, the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

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, and

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, governing Prince Hall Lodges throughout the world. The Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the Caribbean was founded with the assistance of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of New York. It is based in

Christ Church, Barbados The parish of Christ Church is one of eleven historic political divisions of Barbados. It has a land area of and is found at the southern end of the island. Christ Church has survived by name as one of the original six parishes created in 1629 ...

, the location of

's birth. A monument to Prince Hall has been erected outside the Grand Lodge building. Caribbean Prince Hall Masonry was established in Barbados with the chartering of Prince Hall Memorial Lodge #100 in July 1965 by the Grand Master and officers of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the State of New York and Jurisdiction. The same jurisdiction subsequently chartered additional lodges in Guyana, St. Maarten, St. Lucia, Barbados, and Dominica, constituting them into a District administration known as the New York 9th District (Caribbean). In June 1975, senior members met at the New York Sheraton Hotel to commence discussion of the possible formation of an independent Caribbean Grand Lodge. Following many years of discussion, the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the Caribbean and Jurisdiction was finally inaugurated on 24 April 1993. The Grand Lodge Prince Hall São Paulo, Brazil, was chartered by the Prince Hall National Grand Lodge on August 20, 2022. File:Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site August 2016 07 (Prince Hall Masonic Building).jpg, Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, Atlanta, GA: Prince Hall Masonic Temple (Atlanta, Georgia) File:Prince Hall Masonic Temple (Los Angeles, California).jpg, Prince Hall Masonic Temple (Los Angeles, California) File:Madison, WI, Prince Hall Lodge.jpg, Prince Hall Masonic Temple (Madison, WI) File:Prince Hall Masonic Temple.jpg, Prince Hall Masonic Temple (Washington, D.C.) File:Seattle - Prince Hall Masonic Temple 01.jpg, Prince Hall Masonic Temple (Seattle, WA) File:Fidelity Lodge No. 10 - Close up View.jpg, Fidelity Lodge #10 (San Diego, CA)

Legacy

Prince Hall's legacy as a Freemason and a leader has survived with the lodges; Hall is considered the "father of African-American Freemasonry". As a

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

Mason noted, the original local lodge rules written by Prince Hall and his followers in the late 18th century were the first set of regulations drafted by colored men for self-government in the United States, and Masonry ever since has striven to teach its members 'the fundamentals of central government' which is the basis of American life." After nearly two centuries of controversy, the Grand Lodge of England was asked by a US "mainstream" Grand Lodge to decide the matter of Prince Hall Masonic legitimacy. While no Grand Lodge of any kind is universally recognized, at present, Prince Hall Masonry is recognized by some UGLE-recognized Grand Lodges and not by others, but it is working its way toward further recognition. When two Grand Lodges recognize and are in Masonic communication with each other, they are said to be '' in amity'', and the brethren of each may visit each other's lodges and interact Masonically. When two Grand Lodges are not in amity, inter-visitation is not allowed. Exclusive Jurisdiction can be waived when the two over-lapping Grand Lodges are themselves in Amity and agree to share jurisdiction (for example, since the Grand Lodge of Connecticut is in Amity with the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Connecticut, the principle of Exclusive Jurisdiction does not apply, and other Grand Lodges may recognize both). After carefully studying the records, the

Grand Lodge of England The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) is the governing Masonic lodge for the majority of Freemasonry, freemasons in England, Wales, and the Commonwealth of Nations. Claiming descent from the Masonic Grand Lodge formed 24 June 1717 at the Goos ...

concluded that the original Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts was indeed entitled to Masonic recognition, despite the general tradition of "exclusive jurisdiction", which meant that only one recognized Masonic body could exist in each state. According to data compiled in 2021, 46 out of the 51 mainstream U.S. Grand Lodges recognize Prince Hall Grand Lodges. The few mainstream state Grand Lodges that currently do not recognize Prince Hall Grand Lodges are located in southern states, an area with an estimated 50% of Prince Hall Freemasons:

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

and

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

. While African-Americans can join any lodge in North America, Prince Hall Masonry remains a vital part of American tradition. On January 19,2025 on his last day in office President Joseph Biden was presented with a “resolution of membership” in the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of South Carolina.

Notable members

There have been many notable Masons who were affiliated with Prince Hall originated Grand Lodges, including: * John Conyers, US Representative *

Elijah Cummings Elijah Eugene Cummings (January 18, 1951October 17, 2019) was an American politician and civil rights advocate who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1996 until his death in 2019, when he was succeeded by his predecess ...

, US Representative * Norris Wright Cuney, politician, businessman, union leader, and civil rights activist; 1st (1875–1876) and 4th (1879–1881) Grand Master, Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Texas * Thomas Dalton, Boston, Massachusetts, Grand Master 1831–1832, son-in-law of Barzillai Lew. He and David Walker oversaw the publication of John T. Hilton's ''An Address, Delivered Before the African Grand Lodge of Boston, No. 459, June 24th, 1828, by John T. Hilton: On the Annual Festival, of St. John the Baptist'' (Boston, 1828) *

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...

Harlem Renaissance jazz musician and composer * A. G. Gaston, entrepreneur * Al Green, American singer, songwriter, and record producer *

, Boston, Massachusetts, Grand Master 1791–1807 * John T. Hilton, Grand Master 1826–1827 Hilton helped organize the National Grand Lodge of Prince Hall Freemasonry and served as the first National Grand Master. Hilton was the Grand Master of the National Grand Lodge of North America for ten years * Benjamin Hooks, civil rights leader and government official * Jesse Jackson, Civil Rights leader * Emmanuel Lewis, former child actor, known for Webster * John Lewis, US Representative * Walker Lewis,

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, United States. Alongside Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, it is one of two traditional county seat, seats of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in ...

, Grand Master 1829–1830. After the African Lodge declared its independence from the Grand Lodge of London and became its own African Grand Lodge, Walker Lewis was the Grand Master of African Grand Lodge #1 for 1829 and 1830 *

Thurgood Marshall Thoroughgood "Thurgood" Marshall (July 2, 1908 – January 24, 1993) was an American civil rights lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1967 until 1991. He was the Supreme C ...

, lawyer, first African American to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States * Ralph Metcalfe, US Representative * Kweisi Mfume, US Representative * George Middleton, Boston, Massachusetts, Grand Master 1809–1810. Commander, Bucks of America, a unit of black soldiers during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

; a founder of the African Benevolent Society *

Kwame Nkrumah Francis Kwame Nkrumah (, 21 September 1909 – 27 April 1972) was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He served as Prime Minister of the Gold Coast (British colony), Gold Coast from 1952 until 1957, when it gained ...

, politician, political theorist and revolutionary, Prime Minister, 1952 - 1960; President of Ghana, 1960 - 1966 *

Richard Pryor Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Known for reaching a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, he is widely regarded ...

, comedian and actor *

Charles Rangel Charles Bernard Rangel ( ; June 11, 1930 – May 26, 2025) was an American politician who served as United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for districts in New York City for 46 years. A member of the Democratic Party (Unite ...

, US Representative * Sugar Ray Robinson, Hall of Fame boxer * Louis Stokes, US Representative * Booker T. Washington, Educator and Civil Rights leader. * James Monroe Whitfield, Abolitionist poet from Exeter, NH. Author of "America and other Poems" 1853. In 1864–1869 he was Grand Master of the California order of Prince Hall Masons. Originally a member of Hannibal #1. He is buried in the Masonic Cemetery in San Francisco * Harry Albro Williamson, prolific researcher and writer on the subject of black Freemasonry

References

External links

Conference of Grand Masters Prince Hall Masons, Inc.
– an umbrella group for Prince Hall affiliated Grand Lodges and Grand Chapters of the Eastern Star.
Prince Hall Freemasonry

by Tony Pope, editor of the Australian & New Zealand Masonic Research Council's publications.

* ttp://www.afroammuseum.org/site2.htm Museum of Afro-American History website George Middleton house and has a photo of Bucks of America flag-for reference only}
Famous Prince Hall Freemasons
{{Boston African American community pre-Civil War, state=expanded Freemasonry in the United States African-American fraternal orders African-American upper class