6. Prince Hall Masonic Lodge
Prince Hall Masonic Lodge
In the late eighteenth century, noted abolitionist Prince Hall (1735–1738—1807) led a group of free black men to petition and become members of a Masonic lodge attached to an Irish regiment stationed in Boston, Massachusetts. They were initiated into Masonry by members of the lodge but they sought to create their own lodge, Thus Prince Hall Freemasonry was born. By 1784, the group had developed and founded their very own lodge. The first Prince Hall Masonic Lodge established in Columbus was Bradwell Lodge no. 4 on June 24th, 1871. Since 1871 seven additional lodges, as well as three Chapters of the Order of Eastern Star, have been established in Columbus. Many pillars of the community have belonged to Prince Hall Masonic bodies in the Columbus area.in 1958, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke to over 1000 people at this lodge on 6th Avenue, proclaiming: “We must tell this to the white south; we will meet your physical force with soul force. We will match your ability to mete out suffering with our ability to endure it. We will wear you down with our capacity for love and suffering.” (Image 1 “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Columbus, Georgia on July 1, 1958 at the Prince Hall Masonic Lodge”) The Prince Hall Maso
ns are the oldest and largest group of Masons of African origin in the world. Today there are forty Grand Lodges of Prince Hall Freemasonry in the United States, Canada, the Bahamas, and Liberia. These Grand Lodges preside over more than 5,000 lodges. All of them claim descent from the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts which is traced back to the African Lodge No. 459.
Submission composed by Zachary Edrington, April 11, 2017
References and Further Reading
Columbus State University Archives, Prince Hall Freemasonry Collection (MC 356).
Swanson, Abigail, Prince Hall Masons. http://www.blackpast.org/aaw/prince-hall-masons-1784
