Who Was Prince Hall?
Prince Hall is considered to be the founder of "Black Freemasonry" in the United States, known today as Prince Hall Freemasonry.
On March 6, 1775, Prince Hall and fourteen other free black men were initiated, passed and raised in Military Lodge No. 441, an integrated Lodge attached to the British Army and then stationed in Boston.
When the British Army left Boston in 1776, the black Masons were granted a dispensation for limited operations as African Lodge No.1. They were granted a charter by the Premier Grand Lodge of England in 1784 as African Lodge No.459.
In 1791, black Freemasons met in Boston and formed the African Grand Lodge of North America. Prince Hall was unanimously elected its Grand Master and served until his death in 1807. The African Grand Lodge was later renamed the Prince Hall Grand Lodge in his honor.
