PRINCE HALL HISTORY African Lodge No. 1            -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Prince Hall is recognized as the Father of Black Masonry in the United States. He made it possible for us to also be recognized and enjoy all privileges of Free and Accepted Masonry. Many rumors of the birth of Prince Hall have arisen. Few records and papers have been found of him either in Barbados where it was rumored that he was born, but no record of birth, by church or state, has been found there, and none in Boston. All 11 countries of the day were searched and churches with baptismal records were examined without a find of the name of Prince Hall. 1 One widely circulated rumor states that "Prince Hall was free born in British West Indies. His father, Thomas Prince Hall, was an Englishmen and his mother a free colored woman of French extraction. In 1765 he worked his passage on a ship to Boston, where he worked as a leather worker, a trade learned from his father. Eight years later he had acquired real estate and was qualified to vote. Religiously inclined, he later became a minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church with a charge in Cambridge." This account, paraphrased from the generally discredited Grim shaw book of 1903, is suspect in many areas.2 Black Freemasonry began when Prince Hall and fourteen other free black men were initiated into Lodge No. 441, Irish Constitution, attached to the 38th Regiment of Foot, British Army Garrisoned at Castle William (now Fort Independence) Boston Harbor on March  6, 1775. The Master of the Lodge was Sergeant John Batt. Along with Prince Hall, the other newly made masons were Cyrus Johnson, Bueston Slinger, Prince Rees, John Canton, Peter Freeman, Benjamin Tiler, Duff Ruform, Thomas Santerson, Prince Rayden, Cato Speain, Boston Smith, Peter Best, Forten Howard and Richard Titley. When the British Army left Boston in 1776, this Lodge, No 441, granted Prince Hall and his brethren authority to meet as African Lodge #1 (Under Dispensation), to go in procession on St. John's Day, and as a Lodge to bury their dead; but they could not confer degrees nor perform any other Masonic "work". For nine years these brethren, together with others who had received their degrees elsewhere, assembled and enjoyed their limited privileges as Masons. Thirty-three masons were listed on the rolls of African Lodge #1 on January 14th, 1779.  Finally on March 2, 1784, Prince Hall petitioned the Grand Lodge of England, through a Worshipful Master of a subordinate Lodge in London (William Moody of Brotherly Love Lodge No. 55) for a warrant or charter. The Warrant to African Lodge No. 459 of Boston is the most significant and highly prized document known to the Prince Hall Mason Fraternity. Through it our legitimacy is traced, and on it more than any other factor, our case rests. It was granted on September 29, 1784, delivered in Boston on April 29, 1787 by Captain James Scott, brother-in-law of John Hancock and master of the Neptune, under its authority African Lodge No. 459 was organized one week later, May 6, 1787. Prince Hall was appointed a Provincial Grand Master in 1791 by H.R.H., the Prince of Wales. The question of extending Masonry arose when Ab shalom Jones of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania appeared in Boston. He was an ordained Episcopal priest and a mason who was interested in establishing a masonic lodge in Philadelphia. Under the authority of the charter of African Lodge #459, Prince Hall established African Lodge #459 of Philadelphia on March 22, 1797 and Hiram Lodge #3 in Providence, Rhode Island on June 25, 1797.  African Lodge of Boston became the "Mother Lodge" of the Prince Hall Family.  It was typical for new lodges to be established in this manner in those days.  The African Grand Lodge was not organized until 1808 when representatives of African Lodge #459 of Boston, African Lodge #459 of Philadelphia and Hiram Lodge #3 of Providence met in New York City.   Upon Prince Hall's death on December 4, 1807, Nero Prince became Master. When Nero Prince sailed to Russia in 1808, George Middleton succeeded him. After Middleton, Petrert Lew, Samuel H. Moody and then, John T. Hilton became Grand Master. In 1827, Hilton recommended a Declaration of Independence from the English Grand Lodge. In 1869 a fire destroyed Massachusetts' Grand Lodge headquarters and a number of its priceless records. The charter in its metal tube was in the Grand Lodge chest. The tube saved the charter from the flames, but the intense heat charred the paper. It was at this time that Grand Master S.T. Kendall crawled into the burning building and in peril of his life, saved the charter from complete destruction. Thus a Grand Master's devotion and heroism further consecrated this parchment to us, and added a further detail to its already interesting history. The original Charter No. 459 has long since been made secure between heavy plate glass and is kept in a fire-proof vault in a downtown Boston bank. Today, the Prince Hall fraternity has over 4,500 lodges worldwide, forming 45 independent jurisdictions with a membership of over 300,000 masons. Want more light? Mount Olive 21 HISTORY History of Mount Olive Lodge # 21 Free and Accepted Masons of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge Jurisdiction of Louisiana Mount Olive Lodge #21 was organized and chartered by the Most Worshipful Eureka Grand Lodge for the State of Louisiana, now the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the State of Louisiana, on April 22, 1886, in the city of New Orleans.  Mount Olive Lodge was publicly announced, consecrated, and solemnized at ceremonies held at St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church. Mount Olive Lodge was entered on the registry of Eureka Grand Lodge F. & A. M. 23 years after the end of the Civil War, 14 years before we moved into the 20th and probably most exciting century of our country's history, and became the 21st Lodge of Master Masons on the register of our Grand Lodge of Louisiana; An act of commemoration for and to Prince Hall, the founder of Free Masonry in America among Negroes, “free men of color”. The Masonic institution, particularly Prince Hall Masons, as we are universally known, reflects those who have assisted in charting the course of history and outstanding achievements in America, and throughout the world. Mount Olive Lodge #21 and our Grand Lodge are no exception in the progress of these achievements, rather they are examples of the results of dedicated leadership and practitioners of the Masonic ideals as a way of daily living. The original charter of Mount Olive Lodge #21 has the names and signatures of the first Lodge Officers: Frank Anderson, Worshipful Master Joseph Dupuy, Senior Warden Edward Thompson, Junior Warden The Hon. C.F. Ladd was, at the time, Grand Master, and the fourth Grand Master for the Grand Lodge of Louisiana. The complete list of Past Grand Masters (*deceased) were: *John Parson *Charles Karney Brown *Oscar J. Dunn *Elias A. Williams *James Lewis *Louis R. Price *Calvin Ladd *John G. Lewis Sr. *Louis Banks *Scott A. Lewis *John G. Lewis Jr. Earle L. Bradford Presently, our Grand Master is the Honorable Ralph Slaughter, who resides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The District Deputy Grand Master, for the first Masonic District (Greater New Orleans) is Right Worshipful Brother , who also lives in the city of New Orleans. The list of Past Masters for Mount Olive Lodge #21 is as follows: Frank Anderson 1886-1887 Joseph Dupuy 1887-1888 E. Thompson 1888-1889 James A. Brooks 1889-1891 F. Anderson 1891-1893 Athos Claude 1893-1894 Louis Brazeley 1894-1895 A. Turner 1895-1896 E.D. Burke 1896-1898 Thomas J. Hill 1898-1899 L.M. Spriggins 1899-1901 Albert Wicker 1901-1902 A. McFarland 1902-1903 A.R. Aldridge 1903-1904 T.I. Galbreth 1904-1906 E. Prudhomme 1906-1907 J.W. Harding 1907-1908 Robert Smith 1908-1909 Alfred Turnbull 1909-1910 E.T. Simmons 1910-1911 F.H. Lewis 1911-1912 J.E. Oglsive 1912-1913 T.I. Galbreth 1913-1914 C.I. Dowden 1914-1915 W.L. Cohen 1915-1916 Robert Smith 1916-1917 H.L. Kendrick 1917-1919 William C. Harris 1919-1920 Joseph Dupuy 1920-1921 Charles Ross 1921-1922 H.B. Boatner 1922-1923 W.J. Huntley 1923-1924 Vance S. Johnson 1924-1925 Edward W. Mitchell 1925-1927 J.D. Savwoir 1927-1928 Joseph Misshore 1934-1938 W.M. Harris 1938-1940 Joseph Misshore 1940 No Report 1942-1943 Edward Mitchell 1944-1945 R. A. Theodore 1945-1949 George Hall 1949-1950 George M. Gates 1950-1951 Jessie L. Wicker 1951-1952 A.Victor Williams 1952-1955 Charles L. Speaker 1955-1957 Austin Tatum 1957-1959 Elbert J. Durden 1959-1961 William Blacher 1961-1962 Elbert J. Durden 1962-1963 Roland King 1963-1965 Johnnie A. Clark 1965-1966 Elbert Durden 1966-1967 Marcus Neustatder 1967-1971 Frank T. Williams 1971-1973 Walter Peck 1973-1975 Frank T. Williams 1975-1977 Philip J. Gooden 1977-1982 Huey Hill 1982-1986 Mack Severan 1986-1988 Overton Thierry 1988-1989 Nathan Brumfield 1989-1991 Gerald Lane 1991-1994 Huey Hill 1994-1995 Charles Spencer 1995-1997 Alvin Wesson 1997-1998 Charlie Sneed – 1999-2000 Dennis Banks – 2001 – 2002 Charles McDonald 2003 – 2004 Ricky Grant – 2005 -  2006 James Small - 2006 - 2007 Barron Franks - 2008 - Present The following are Past Masters who are still living: Roland King Frank Williams Johnny Clark Huey Hill Walter Peck Mack Severan Nathan Brumfield Gerald Lane Charles Spencer Alvin Wesson Charlie Sneed Dennis Banks Charles McDonald Ricky Grant James Small Brother Barron Franks presently presides as Worshipful Master of Mount Olive Lodge#21 for the year of 2008.

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