Early Freemasonry In America

Freemasonry in the United States of America occurs on this side of 1717, and so its history is much clearer than that of England, though not without hazards. The greatest pitfall, because the records are scant and incomplete, seems to lie in trying conclusively to establish one state for the first appearance of Masonry in America. Nonetheless, we can easily find evidence of Masonic activity in the American colonies shortly after 1717.

The account book of a St. John's Lodge in Philadelphia, known as "Libre B," has its first entry dated June 24, 1731, just fourteen years after the formation of the premier Grand Lodge in London. It is not known where St. John's Lodge met, but the earliest known meeting place of a Pennsylvania Lodge was at the Tun Tavern. The first lodge in Boston was constituted July 30, 1733, at the house of Edward Lutwych, an inn at the Sign of the Bunch of Grapes in King Street. In 1736, Solomon Lodge No. 1 of Charleston, South Carolina, held its first meeting; by 1738 there is evidence of Masonry in Savannah, Georgia, and New York City, and 1739 saw the meeting of the lodge at Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Very quickly Masonic lodges spread throughout the colonies and established themselves as accepted adjuncts of civic responsibility.

In 1776 a group of African-American Masons in Boston began meeting as a lodge; they were formally chartered by England in 1784 as African Lodge No. 459. African Lodge and its descendants developed a separate Grand Lodge system, known as Prince Hall Masonry (after the first Master of African Lodge) which continues today. Prince Hall Masonry has all of the usual collateral Masonic Bodies: Eastern Star, York and Scottish Rite, Shrine, and so on.

To appreciate the character of early American Masonry, it is instructive to consider the formation of the Grand Lodge of Rhode Island. On May 27, 1791, following the lead of other recently freed colonies, the Masons of Rhode Island decided to form their own Grand Lodge. After installing their Grand Officers, note what the Proceedings of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Rhode Island show were the first two official actions of the new Grand Lodge:

....the Brethren walked in Regular Procession to Trinity Church where an Excellent discourse was delivered by the Reverend William Smith, Rector thereof, & a collection made of œ11.9.4 Law. Money, to be invested into Wood & distributed to the Poor of this Town the ensuing Winter.

Worship and charity were of central importance not only to the Masons of Rhode Island but also to their brethren throughout the new nation.

In the development of social services in the emerging nation, the Masonic definition of charity diverged sharply from that of many states. Dorothy Ann Lipson captured this idea clearly in her book Freemasonry in Federalist Connecticut.

Masonic charity differed in its underlying assumptions and in its style from civic charity. In Connecticut charity was available to the settled members of a town, regulated by law, and invoked in times of extreme need and as a last resort. Persistent vestiges of the older Puritan ethic, which associated misfortune with divine retribution, made appeals to civic charity a painful necessity. Masonic charity, more broadly defined than its civic counterpart, was available to its members in times of personal crisis wherever they were. (p. 213)

Masonic charity was secret unlike civic charity whose administration made the entire town privy to the needs of each recipient. The derogation of character implicit in acknowledging poverty must have compounded suffering. In contrast the Masons asked, "What has the world to do with private transactions whether a widow, an orphan, or a pilgrim has obtained relief?" (p. 207)

A touching example of this private, compassionate relief during personal crisis is cited by Professor Lipson (pp. 208-209). Federal Lodge in Watertown, Connecticut, purchased a cow for the use of a widow and her children, and the cow was carried on its books for several years as a lodge asset, presumably to spare the family the embarrassment of accepting charity.