Indiana Masonic Lodges

About Freemasonry in Indiana

A deep look at Masonic history, the oldest lodges, the admission process, and notable Freemasons connected to Indiana.

History of Freemasonry in Indiana

Freemasonry took root in Indiana before statehood. The first lodge in what would become Indiana was Vincennes Lodge No. 15, chartered by the Grand Lodge of Kentucky in 1809 in the territorial capital of Vincennes on the Wabash River. William Henry Harrison, then territorial governor and later the ninth U.S.

President, was an active member. Other early lodges followed under Kentucky and Ohio warrants as the population spread north into the Whitewater and East Fork valleys. With Indiana's admission to the Union in 1816, momentum grew toward an independent Grand Lodge. The Grand Lodge of Indiana was organized on December 3, 1817, when delegates from Vincennes Lodge, Lawrence Lodge, Madison Lodge, Brookville Lodge, and Salem Lodge met in Madison.

Indiana Masonry weathered the Anti-Masonic agitation of the 1820s and 1830s with notable resilience; the state never had as severe a collapse as some Eastern jurisdictions, although growth slowed for about a decade. The Civil War years were complicated for southern Indiana counties along the Ohio River, where Confederate sympathies were not unusual, but the Grand Lodge held together. The post-Civil War decades brought enormous expansion as railroad and industrial growth transformed Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Evansville, and South Bend. The Indiana Masonic Home, established in Franklin in 1916, became one of the major Masonic charities of the Midwest.

The 20th century brought membership peaks well above 150,000, followed by the long demographic decline characteristic of American mainstream fraternity life since the 1960s.

Oldest and Most Historic Lodges in Indiana

Indiana's oldest lodges trace back to the territorial period. Vincennes Lodge No. 1, originally chartered by the Grand Lodge of Kentucky in 1809 (and held No. 15 under Kentucky), is the senior lodge of Indiana.

Among its members in the territorial years was William Henry Harrison, then governor of the Indiana Territory and Worshipful Master of the lodge. Lawrence Lodge No. 4 (originally No. 2 of Indiana), chartered in the early 1810s, served the southern Indiana settlements.

Madison Lodge No. 44 in Madison on the Ohio River, an early commercial port town, was central to Indiana's antebellum river trade. Brookville Lodge No. 32, in the Whitewater Valley near the Ohio border, was another founding lodge.

Salem Lodge No. 21 served the early central settlements. Charity Lodge No. 92 in Greenfield is a notable mid-19th century lodge.

Lodge No. 17 in Lawrenceburg, near where William Henry Harrison's farm at North Bend was located across the river, has its share of Harrison-era history. Center Lodge No. 23 in Indianapolis was chartered in 1822 and is the oldest lodge in the state capital.

Each of these early lodges holds substantial archival material, and the Grand Lodge of Indiana archives in Indianapolis are an excellent resource for genealogical and historical research.

Indiana Masonic Lodges by the Numbers

The Grand Lodge of Indiana is a substantial Masonic jurisdiction. It currently oversees approximately 350 to 400 active constituent lodges across the state, with combined membership estimated in the 40,000 to 55,000 range. Indiana is divided into a number of Masonic Districts, each led by a District Deputy Grand Master. Major lodge concentrations exist in the Indianapolis metro area, Fort Wayne in the northeast, the South Bend/Mishawaka region, the Evansville/southern Indiana area, and the Lafayette and Bloomington university towns.

The Grand Lodge office is in Indianapolis, and the official website at indianamasons.org maintains the current lodge directory, district maps, calendar of events, and information for prospective members. The Indiana Masonic Home in Franklin remains one of the major Masonic charitable institutions in the state, providing care for elderly Masons and their families. The Indiana Scottish Rite Cathedral in Indianapolis, dedicated in 1929, is one of the largest and most architecturally distinguished Masonic buildings in the world.

How to Become a Freemason in Indiana

To become a Mason in Indiana, you must be a man at least 18 years old, of good moral character, and a believer in a Supreme Being. The standard process begins with an informal visit to a lodge near you. Most Indiana lodges welcome interested men to dinner before a stated meeting and are happy to answer questions. To formally apply, you submit a petition signed by two Master Masons in good standing of that lodge.

The petition is read in open lodge, an investigation committee is appointed, and committee members will typically visit you and your family at home for an interview. The lodge then takes a secret ballot which must be unanimously favorable. Fees in Indiana lodges generally range from $150 to $400 for the three degrees combined, with annual dues commonly between $75 and $200. From petition to becoming a Master Mason typically takes six months to a year, depending on degree schedules and the time you spend learning proficiency examinations between degrees.

The Grand Lodge of Indiana F. & A.M. is the sole authority for chartering lodges and conferring the three Symbolic Lodge degrees in the state under the mainstream system. Indiana has a particularly strong tradition of one-day classes for converting affiliated members and occasionally for new members, which can shorten the timeline considerably.

The Indianapolis Scottish Rite Cathedral is one of the most impressive Masonic spaces anywhere; once you complete your three Blue Lodge degrees, the appendant body options in Indiana, particularly Scottish Rite and York Rite in Indianapolis, are top-tier and worth exploring. Indiana lodges also tend to be very welcoming to military Masons stationed at Camp Atterbury or Grissom and to relocated brothers from neighboring jurisdictions.

Notable Indiana Freemasons in History

Indiana has produced many famous Freemasons. William Henry Harrison, ninth President of the United States, was a Mason and Worshipful Master of Vincennes Lodge during his time as territorial governor. Benjamin Harrison, his grandson and the 23rd President, was a Mason of an Indianapolis lodge. Schuyler Colfax, U.S.

Vice President under Grant and former Speaker of the House, was an Indiana Mason. Thomas Riley Marshall, U.S. Vice President under Wilson and former Indiana Governor, was a Mason. Senator Albert J.

Beveridge, the influential progressive era Senator, was a Mason. Eugene V. Debs, Indiana labor leader and five-time Socialist presidential candidate, was a Mason. Wendell Willkie, the 1940 Republican presidential nominee from Indiana, was a Mason.

Author Lew Wallace, Civil War general and writer of 'Ben-Hur,' was a Mason. Cole Porter, the legendary songwriter, was a Mason from Peru, Indiana. Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana was a Mason in more recent times. Indiana's Masonic rolls span a remarkable cross-section of American political, business, and cultural life across more than two centuries.

Prince Hall Freemasonry in Indiana

Prince Hall Masonry has been a vital institution of African American life in Indiana for more than 165 years. The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Indiana was chartered in 1856, making it one of the older Prince Hall Grand Lodges in the country and the oldest in the Old Northwest. From its earliest decades, Prince Hall Masonry in Indiana was concentrated in Indianapolis, Evansville, and the Calumet region of northwest Indiana, with growth accelerating during the Great Migration as African Americans relocated to industrial cities. Indianapolis became one of the major Prince Hall centers in the Midwest, with substantial business and civic life organized through the lodges.

Notable Indiana Prince Hall Masons have included civil rights leaders, educators at Indiana University and other institutions, and Black municipal officials across the state's history. The Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Indiana is headquartered in Indianapolis. Mainstream-Prince Hall recognition between the Grand Lodge of Indiana and the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Indiana was achieved in 2014, with both bodies now maintaining mutual recognition, inter-visitation rights, and cooperative civic relationships. The Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Indiana also oversees the parallel structure of Eastern Star, youth orders, and Scottish Rite and York Rite bodies serving the African American Masonic community.

Frequently Asked Questions about Masonic Lodges in Indiana

Sources & Further Reading

• https://www.indianamasons.org/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Lodge_of_Indiana
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Henry_Harrison
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Most_Worshipful_Prince_Hall_Grand_Lodge_of_Indiana