Freemasonry or simply Masonry includes various fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 14th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities and clients. Freemasonry is the oldest fraternity in the world and among the oldest continued organizations in history.
A Masonic lodge, also called a private lodge or constituent lodge, is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry.
Prince Hall Freemasonry is a branch of North American Freemasonry created for African Americans founded by Prince Hall on September 29, 1784. Prince Hall Freemasonry is the oldest and largest predominantly African-American fraternity in the United States.
The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, commonly referred to as the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts and abbreviated GLMA, is the main governing body of Freemasonry within Massachusetts, and maintains Lodges in other jurisdictions overseas, namely Panama, Chile, the People's Republic of China, and Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba.
This is a general survey on the historical and modern presence of Freemasonry in countries located in Asia.
A Grand Master is a title of honour as well as an office in Freemasonry, given to a freemason elected to oversee a Masonic jurisdiction, derived from the office of Grand Masters in chivalric orders. He presides over a Grand Lodge and has certain rights in the constituent Lodges that form his jurisdiction. In most cases, the Grand Master is styled "Most Worshipful Grand Master." One example of a differing title exists in the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, where the Grand Master is titled "Right Worshipful". Under the Grand Lodge of Scotland, the role is titled "Grand Master Mason".
In Craft Freemasonry, sometimes known as Blue Lodge Freemasonry, every Masonic lodge elects or appoints Masonic lodge officers to execute the necessary functions of the lodge's life and work. The precise list of such offices may vary between the jurisdictions of different Grand Lodges, although certain factors are common to all, and others are usual in most.
Henry Pelham Holmes Bromwell was an American lawyer, politician from Illinois, and prominent Freemason. He was a lawyer and judge who served as a U.S. representative from Illinois from 1865–1869 and continued to practice law when he moved to Colorado in 1870 where he was appointed to compile the state's statutes. Bromwell was initiated into freemasonry in 1854, and he became the Grand Master of Illinois in 1864. When he moved to Colorado he became that state's first Honorary Grand Master. He developed the Free and Accepted Architects, a new rite for Freemasonry which sought to teach its initiates the lost work of the craft embodied in Bromwell's Geometrical system. After his death, the Grand Lodge of Colorado published his work on the esoteric nature of Sacred geometry in the book Restorations of Masonic Geometry and Symbolry.
This is a chronology of the formation of "regular" or "mainstream" Masonic Grand Lodges in North America, descending from the Premier Grand Lodge of England or its rival, the Antient Grand Lodge of England. A Grand Lodge is the governing body that supervises "Craft" Freemasonry in a particular jurisdiction or geographical area.
The Grand Lodge of New York, officially the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York, is the largest and oldest of several organizations of Freemasons that are based in the U.S. state of New York. The offices of the Grand Lodge are located at Masonic Hall in New York City.
The Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of Indiana is one of two statewide organizations that oversee Masonic lodges in the state of Indiana. It was established on January 13, 1818. In 2016 the number of Freemasons in the Grand Lodge of Indiana was 55,553 amongst its 394 separate lodges, currently making it the sixth largest Masonic jurisdiction in the U.S. The Grand Lodge of Indiana's offices and archives are located in the Indianapolis Masonic Temple. The historically black Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Indiana F&AM is the second regular Masonic grand lodge in the state, and it was originally established in 1856 as the Independent Union Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of Indiana. The two grand lodges agreed to mutual recognition in May 1998, and they jointly share sovereignty over the Masonic fraternity in Indiana.
The Grand Lodge of Ohio, formally known as the Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of Ohio, is the governing body of the largest group of Masonic lodges in Ohio. The Grand Lodge of Ohio follows the Anglo-American tradition of Freemasonry that is common in the United States. In 2023, the Grand Lodge reported a total membership of 75,000 Master Masons.
The Grand Lodge of North Dakota, formally known as the Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free & Accepted Masons of North Dakota, is the governing body of the largest group of masonic lodges in North Dakota. It follows the Anglo-American tradition of Freemasonry common in the United States.
The Most Worshipful National Grand Lodge Free & Accepted Ancient York Masons Prince Hall Origin National Compact USA is a body of Masonry in the United States of America composed predominantly of African American Freemasons. It governs Grand Lodges within the United States and the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.
The Grand Lodge of Cyprus, or in the Greek language, Μεγάλη Στοά της Κύπρου, is the sovereign governing body of freemasonry within the Republic of Cyprus. Its formal English name is "The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Cyprus, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons." While four of its constituent lodges are approaching 100 years of age, the Grand Lodge of Cyprus itself came into being on February 15, 2006. Thus it is one of the youngest grand lodges in the world.
The Grand Lodge of New Jersey Free & Accepted Masons is the official governing body of New Jersey Masonic Lodges as recognized by other Grand Jurisdictions throughout the world. As early as 1730, New Jersey was one of the first states with active Freemasonry. The Grand Lodge of NJ was formally established in 1787. The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of State of New Jersey and The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of New Jersey recognize each other as Masonic Grand Lodges.
The Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of California, commonly called the Grand Lodge of California, is one of the two Masonic Grand Lodges in the state recognized by the United Grand Lodge of England, the other being the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of California Free & Accepted Masons. The Grand Lodge of California is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
The Most Worshipful Smooth Ashlar Grand Lodge F&AAYM is a subordinate Masonic Grand Lodge of the Most Worshipful National Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Ancient York Masons Prince Hall Origin - National Compact in and for the State of Georgia. Through it subordination to the National Grand Lodge, Smooth Ashlar Grand Lodge has lineage to African Lodge No. 459.
African Lodge, No. 459 was the founding lodge of Prince Hall Freemasonry. It is the lodge from which all modern Prince Hall Lodges trace their descent.
The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Colorado, also known as the M.W. Grand Lodge of Colorado, A.F.&A.M., or simply the Grand Lodge of Colorado, is a Masonic Grand Lodge, being one of two sovereign Masonic jurisdictions in the State of Colorado, having a mutual recognition and relationship by compact with the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Colorado and its jurisdiction. It was originally formed in 1861 by three lodges holding charters from the Grand Lodge of Nebraska and the Grand Lodge of Kansas. It currently has 114 active Masonic lodges in its jurisdiction, along with four memorial lodges and one research lodge.
