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.