© 2012 St. Mark's Lodge No. 7 Prince Hall Free & Accepted Masons. All Rights Reserved
It can be argued that one of the most important battles of racism was fought in the circles of Freemasonry. Even though we became a legitimate body of Masons when Prince Hall and the 14 other brethren were raised
and then applied for a Charter to form African Lodge No. 459 (which was granted,) we did not receive official recognition again from the Grand Lodge of England until 1994. 219 years after the initiation of these brave
men.
To some Masonry is a mystery; to others it is a way of life. As Carl H. Claudy wrote in Foreign Countries, "Freemasonry begins teaching the profane long before they apply for membership. Her reputation is her first
contact with the unelect; she is secret; she is universal; she has enlisted the interest and the services of great and good men for hundreds of years." It was this reputation that attracted a man named Prince Hall to this
ancient and honorable fraternity.
Details concerning the early life of Prince Hall are limited due to the lack of credible information. He is said to have been born between 1735 and 1738. Masonic historians cannot agree on his place of birth. Some say that
he was born in Barbados of the West Indies, while others claim he may have been born in Africa. It is interesting to note that the picture we generally use of Prince Hall may not be an accurate depiction. Bro. Charles H.
Wesley, Ph.D., wrote "In appearance, our Prince Hall was unlike the portrait which was near to a white man in appearance." He gave several accounts of people describing Price Hall as a man with strong African
features.
When Hall arrived in Boston, he noticed that there were no provisions made for its Black citizens. He acquired a job as a leather maker and lived quite well. He became very outspoken about the conditions of Blacks. He
demanded the education of Black children, the abolition of slavery and the inclusion of Blacks in the government on the same terms as whites. As an abolitionist, he, together with several others, addressed a petition
protesting against the existence of slavery in the colony to the Massachusetts Legislature.
In the late 1700s, Prince Hall became interested in Freemasonry. He convinced 14 other Blacks to petition a lodge in Boston. They attempted to petition St. John's Lodge and were turned away. The 15 men then
attempted to petition Military Lodge No. 441, attached to the British Garrison's 38th Regiment of Foot, which belonged to the Grand Lodge of Ireland. The brethren of this lodge saw no reason to deny their request. On
the night of March 6, 1775, Prince Hall, Cryrus Jonbus, Buestop Slinger, Prince Rees, John Carter, Peter Freeman, Benjamin Tiler, Cuff Bufform, Thomas Sanderson, Prince Taylor, Cato Spears, Boston Smith, Peter
Best, Forten Howard and Richard Tilly were initiated into Masonry at Castle William in Boston Harbor.
When Lodge No. 441 left Boston, they left Prince Hall and the others a permit that authorized them to meet as a Lodge, bury their dead in due form and celebrate St. John's day. Hall later obtained a charter from England
that would entitle the men to all the rights of a Masonic Lodge. This warrant was issued on September 29, 1784. The original charter which is still held by the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, is the most
prized possession of Prince Hall Freemasons. Through it, we can prove our long and illustrious history and legitimacy. It is the only original charter held by any American Masonic Body. There have been many doubts of
Prince Hall Masonry's legitimacy in our mystic circle. Some have claimed that the brothers that formed African Lodge No. 459 did not have the right to form a Grand Lodge, even though there are examples of this being
an acceptable custom during the time. One must ask, were the questions on the legitimacy of Prince Hall Masonry were based on fact, or on racism?
Even though the war that was waged on Prince Hall Masonry was often declared one based on Masonic regularity, the real opposition to Blacks being Freemasons was based on race. Alvin J. Schmidt maintains that, "In
surveying Prince Hall Freemasonry, one discovers first hand what effect racial prejudice and discrimination has had in American society, even among fraternal orders." Nevertheless, Masonry would thrive under its,
founder Prince Hall. The question of extending Masonry arose when Absalom Jones of Philadelphia, Penn. appeared in Boston in 1791. He was an ordained Episcopal priest and a Mason who was interested in
establishing a Masonic Lodge in Philadelphia. In 1792, Black men came from Providence, Rhode Island to Boston to inquire about becoming Masons.
Prince Hall entered the Grand Lodge Above on December 4, 1807. He is buried in Copps Hill burial ground in Boston Massachusetts; his grave is marked by a broken pillar. Soon after his death, the lodges that were in
Boston at the time, met and changed the name of the Grand Lodge, to the Prince Hall Grand Lodge, in honor of its founder. Since that time, every state Grand Lodge has incorporated Prince Hall's name into their title.
As Joseph Walks, Jr. wrote in Jno. G. Lewis, Jr. End of an Era, "The history of Prince Hall Freemasonry is in reality the history of the Black experience in America." Black Freemasons were leaders and key figures in
helping runaway slaves through the Underground Railroad. They helped establish the first schools for African-American children and played key roles in the struggle for civil rights.
Considering the trials Prince Hall had to endure to open the doors of Masonry for Blacks, and our struggle to be recognized as a legitimate body, it is amazing that we are over 200 years old. We are the oldest fraternal
order of Black men in America; in fact, we are older than America. We have a heritage that is to be protected and enhanced. Let us not stand still my brethren; let us add on to the legacy of our order.
and then applied for a Charter to form African Lodge No. 459 (which was granted,) we did not receive official recognition again from the Grand Lodge of England until 1994. 219 years after the initiation of these brave
men.
To some Masonry is a mystery; to others it is a way of life. As Carl H. Claudy wrote in Foreign Countries, "Freemasonry begins teaching the profane long before they apply for membership. Her reputation is her first
contact with the unelect; she is secret; she is universal; she has enlisted the interest and the services of great and good men for hundreds of years." It was this reputation that attracted a man named Prince Hall to this
ancient and honorable fraternity.
Details concerning the early life of Prince Hall are limited due to the lack of credible information. He is said to have been born between 1735 and 1738. Masonic historians cannot agree on his place of birth. Some say that
he was born in Barbados of the West Indies, while others claim he may have been born in Africa. It is interesting to note that the picture we generally use of Prince Hall may not be an accurate depiction. Bro. Charles H.
Wesley, Ph.D., wrote "In appearance, our Prince Hall was unlike the portrait which was near to a white man in appearance." He gave several accounts of people describing Price Hall as a man with strong African
features.
When Hall arrived in Boston, he noticed that there were no provisions made for its Black citizens. He acquired a job as a leather maker and lived quite well. He became very outspoken about the conditions of Blacks. He
demanded the education of Black children, the abolition of slavery and the inclusion of Blacks in the government on the same terms as whites. As an abolitionist, he, together with several others, addressed a petition
protesting against the existence of slavery in the colony to the Massachusetts Legislature.
In the late 1700s, Prince Hall became interested in Freemasonry. He convinced 14 other Blacks to petition a lodge in Boston. They attempted to petition St. John's Lodge and were turned away. The 15 men then
attempted to petition Military Lodge No. 441, attached to the British Garrison's 38th Regiment of Foot, which belonged to the Grand Lodge of Ireland. The brethren of this lodge saw no reason to deny their request. On
the night of March 6, 1775, Prince Hall, Cryrus Jonbus, Buestop Slinger, Prince Rees, John Carter, Peter Freeman, Benjamin Tiler, Cuff Bufform, Thomas Sanderson, Prince Taylor, Cato Spears, Boston Smith, Peter
Best, Forten Howard and Richard Tilly were initiated into Masonry at Castle William in Boston Harbor.
When Lodge No. 441 left Boston, they left Prince Hall and the others a permit that authorized them to meet as a Lodge, bury their dead in due form and celebrate St. John's day. Hall later obtained a charter from England
that would entitle the men to all the rights of a Masonic Lodge. This warrant was issued on September 29, 1784. The original charter which is still held by the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, is the most
prized possession of Prince Hall Freemasons. Through it, we can prove our long and illustrious history and legitimacy. It is the only original charter held by any American Masonic Body. There have been many doubts of
Prince Hall Masonry's legitimacy in our mystic circle. Some have claimed that the brothers that formed African Lodge No. 459 did not have the right to form a Grand Lodge, even though there are examples of this being
an acceptable custom during the time. One must ask, were the questions on the legitimacy of Prince Hall Masonry were based on fact, or on racism?
Even though the war that was waged on Prince Hall Masonry was often declared one based on Masonic regularity, the real opposition to Blacks being Freemasons was based on race. Alvin J. Schmidt maintains that, "In
surveying Prince Hall Freemasonry, one discovers first hand what effect racial prejudice and discrimination has had in American society, even among fraternal orders." Nevertheless, Masonry would thrive under its,
founder Prince Hall. The question of extending Masonry arose when Absalom Jones of Philadelphia, Penn. appeared in Boston in 1791. He was an ordained Episcopal priest and a Mason who was interested in
establishing a Masonic Lodge in Philadelphia. In 1792, Black men came from Providence, Rhode Island to Boston to inquire about becoming Masons.
Prince Hall entered the Grand Lodge Above on December 4, 1807. He is buried in Copps Hill burial ground in Boston Massachusetts; his grave is marked by a broken pillar. Soon after his death, the lodges that were in
Boston at the time, met and changed the name of the Grand Lodge, to the Prince Hall Grand Lodge, in honor of its founder. Since that time, every state Grand Lodge has incorporated Prince Hall's name into their title.
As Joseph Walks, Jr. wrote in Jno. G. Lewis, Jr. End of an Era, "The history of Prince Hall Freemasonry is in reality the history of the Black experience in America." Black Freemasons were leaders and key figures in
helping runaway slaves through the Underground Railroad. They helped establish the first schools for African-American children and played key roles in the struggle for civil rights.
Considering the trials Prince Hall had to endure to open the doors of Masonry for Blacks, and our struggle to be recognized as a legitimate body, it is amazing that we are over 200 years old. We are the oldest fraternal
order of Black men in America; in fact, we are older than America. We have a heritage that is to be protected and enhanced. Let us not stand still my brethren; let us add on to the legacy of our order.
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