Prince Hall and 14 Free Black Men Initiated into Freemasonry — Found African Lodge

On March 6, 1775, Prince Hall and 14 free Black men in Boston were initiated into Irish Military Lodge No. 441 — the only Masonic lodge that would accept Black members. In 1784 they received a charter from the Grand Lodge of England forming African Lodge No. 459, the first Black Masonic lodge in America. Prince Hall Freemasonry became a cornerstone institution of free Black civic life, providing mutual aid, social networks, and a platform for anti-slavery activism in Northern cities.