Massachusetts Masonic Lodges

About Freemasonry in Massachusetts

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

History of Freemasonry in Massachusetts

Massachusetts isn't just one of the oldest Masonic jurisdictions in America — it's THE oldest. Here's the deal: organized Freemasonry in the United States literally began in Boston. On July 30, 1733, Henry Price was appointed Provincial Grand Master for North America by the Grand Lodge of England, and he immediately constituted the First Lodge in Boston (later known as St. John's Lodge).

That makes Massachusetts the birthplace of American Masonry. No other state can claim that, and Massachusetts Masons rightly take a lot of pride in it. The Grand Lodge of Massachusetts traces its continuous history back to 1733, predating the United States itself by 43 years. The Bunch of Grapes Tavern on King Street (now State Street) in Boston was the original meeting site, and that location is now marked as a Masonic landmark.

Throughout the colonial period, Boston Masonry attracted the cream of New England's intellectual and political class — physicians, ship captains, merchants, lawyers, and political organizers. Many key figures of the American Revolution were Boston Masons. Paul Revere, James Otis, Joseph Warren, John Hancock, and a host of other revolutionary leaders were Masons, and they used St. Andrew's Lodge and the Green Dragon Tavern as meeting spots that doubled as planning sites for revolutionary activity.

The Boston Tea Party in December 1773 has long been associated with St. Andrew's Lodge, since the lodge minutes from that night famously read 'Lodge closed... on account of the few brothers present.' (No, the Tea Party wasn't a Masonic plot — it was a political action by the Sons of Liberty, who happened to overlap with St. Andrew's Lodge membership.) After independence, Massachusetts Masonry continued to grow and produce notable members.

The Anti-Masonic period of the late 1820s and 1830s hit Massachusetts hard — the movement actually started in upstate New York but Massachusetts became one of its most active battlegrounds. The fraternity recovered, and the 19th century saw continued growth alongside the state's industrialization. The Grand Lodge of Massachusetts headquarters at 186 Tremont Street in Boston, dedicated in 1899, is one of the most magnificent Masonic buildings in the world. Today Massachusetts Masonry retains its position as the senior American jurisdiction, with continuous activity stretching back to 1733.

Oldest and Most Historic Lodges in Massachusetts

St. John's Lodge in Boston, constituted on July 30, 1733 by Henry Price, is the oldest Masonic lodge in the Americas. Originally known as the First Lodge, it took the name St. John's Lodge in 1737 and has operated continuously for nearly 300 years.

The lodge's minute books document early American Masonic history in a way no other lodge can match. Master Mason's Lodge of Boston, constituted in 1738, is considered the second-oldest Massachusetts lodge. St. Andrew's Lodge in Boston, chartered by the Grand Lodge of Scotland in 1756, became one of the most politically significant Masonic lodges in colonial America — Paul Revere joined in 1760 and served as its Master, and the lodge was central to revolutionary-era Boston.

Massachusetts Lodge in Boston, chartered in 1769, is also among the colonial-era originals. Tyrian Lodge in Gloucester (chartered 1770) and Mount Lebanon Lodge in Lyon (chartered 1801) carry forward the early Massachusetts tradition. King Solomon's Lodge in Charlestown, chartered in 1783 just after independence, erected the very first monument to Joseph Warren — and to anyone fallen in the American Revolution — at Bunker Hill, in 1794. Many of these original Massachusetts lodges still meet in or near 18th and 19th century buildings, with Paul Revere-era furniture, hand-engraved jewels, and minute books that have witnessed the entire arc of American history.

The Grand Lodge of Massachusetts building at 186 Tremont Street, dedicated in 1899, contains incredible treasures: the original Henry Price commission from 1733, Paul Revere artifacts, George Washington memorabilia, and a museum that's open to the public. If you visit Boston and care about American history, the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts museum is genuinely a must-see.

Massachusetts Masonic Lodges by the Numbers

The Grand Lodge of Massachusetts oversees approximately 200 to 215 active subordinate lodges in 2026, with total membership of roughly 22,000 to 25,000 Master Masons. As the oldest American jurisdiction with continuous operation since 1733, Massachusetts holds a unique position in world Freemasonry. Lodges are spread across all 14 Massachusetts counties, with the heaviest concentrations in Middlesex County, Suffolk County (Boston), Worcester County, and Norfolk County. Average lodge size runs around 100 to 150 members.

The Grand Lodge of Massachusetts also has unusual jurisdiction extending beyond Massachusetts — it has historically chartered lodges in China, Panama, Chile, and other locations through its 'lodges abroad' system, which is unique among American grand lodges. The Massachusetts grand lodge maintains the Massachusetts Masonic Charitable Foundation, the Overlook (a senior community in Charlton), and significant medical and educational philanthropy. Massachusetts has lost a substantial portion of its peak mid-20th-century membership but remains one of the larger American grand lodges and is the symbolic mother lodge of American Masonry.

How to Become a Freemason in Massachusetts

Becoming a Massachusetts Mason follows the standard American mainstream Masonic process, but with the awareness that you're joining the senior American jurisdiction. You need to be a man at least 18 years old, a believer in a Supreme Being, and of good moral character. Massachusetts is unusual in the depth of its public outreach — the grand lodge maintains a robust website, hosts open events, runs public-facing 'Masonic Awareness' campaigns, and welcomes inquiries through its 'Find a Lodge' tool. Most Massachusetts lodges hold periodic 'open house' events specifically designed for prospects to meet members and learn about the fraternity.

After making contact and getting to know members, you'll request a petition signed by two current Master Masons. The lodge appoints an investigation committee that visits your home for a discussion of your background, beliefs, family, and motivations. The lodge votes by secret ballot, and if accepted, you progress through three degrees: Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason. Massachusetts has historically been very serious about ritual proficiency — between degrees, you're expected to demonstrate memorization of the relevant catechism.

The full process commonly takes six to twelve months. Initiation fees in Massachusetts typically run $300 to $600, with annual dues from $100 to $300. Boston-area lodges, given building costs, tend toward the higher end. Massachusetts also allows occasional 'one-day classes' for unique circumstances, and the grand lodge has recently emphasized programs to attract younger members and military veterans.

Notable Massachusetts Freemasons in History

Massachusetts has produced more historically significant Masons than any other American jurisdiction, which makes sense given how long it's been operating and how central it was to the founding of the country. Paul Revere, the Boston silversmith and revolutionary patriot, was a member of St. Andrew's Lodge and later Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts (1794–1797). Joseph Warren, the patriot leader killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill, was Grand Master before his death and one of the most beloved figures in American Masonic history.

John Hancock, the merchant and signer of the Declaration of Independence, was a Mason. James Otis, the lawyer and revolutionary orator, was a Mason. John Quincy Adams, sixth President of the United States, while not a regular Mason, had complex relationships with the fraternity. Several other revolutionary-era figures populated Boston lodges.

In the 19th century, Massachusetts Masonry produced senators, governors, judges, and military officers in abundance — Edward Everett, the famed orator who gave the two-hour speech at Gettysburg before Lincoln's brief one, was a Mason. Charles Sumner, the radical Republican senator, had Masonic ties. In the 20th century, multiple Massachusetts governors, senators, and Boston mayors were Masons. Buzz Aldrin, born in New Jersey but with Massachusetts ties, took a Masonic flag to the moon during Apollo 11 in 1969.

The Massachusetts Masonic Temple's portrait gallery of past grand masters is essentially a parallel history of New England leadership for nearly three centuries.

Prince Hall Freemasonry in Massachusetts

Massachusetts isn't just home to the oldest mainstream American Masonry — it's also the literal birthplace of Prince Hall Freemasonry. Prince Hall, a free Black man living in Boston, was initiated along with fourteen other Black men into a British military lodge (Lodge No. 441 of the Irish Constitution, attached to a British regiment in Boston) on March 6, 1775. After the British evacuated Boston, Prince Hall and his brothers continued meeting and eventually obtained a charter directly from the Grand Lodge of England in 1784, constituting African Lodge No.

459 in Boston. That lodge — and the men who founded it — are the source of every Prince Hall grand lodge in America today. Prince Hall himself died in 1807, but the work he started has continued for nearly 250 years. The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts (organized in 1808 from African Lodge) is the senior Prince Hall jurisdiction in the world.

Its headquarters in Boston serves as a kind of mother church for Prince Hall Masonry globally. The Grand Lodge of Massachusetts and the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts entered formal mutual recognition in 1995 — interestingly, this was achieved between the very oldest mainstream and the very oldest Prince Hall American jurisdictions, both based in Boston. Today MWPHGL Massachusetts oversees several dozen subordinate lodges in Massachusetts and across multiple other states (Massachusetts Prince Hall has historically had wide jurisdictional reach), with strong communities in Boston, Cambridge, Springfield, and Worcester. Prince Hall Masons in Massachusetts have been deeply involved in civil rights work, education, and community development for over two centuries.

Frequently Asked Questions about Masonic Lodges in Massachusetts

Sources & Further Reading

• https://massfreemasonry.org/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Lodge_of_Massachusetts
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Hall
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Most_Worshipful_Prince_Hall_Grand_Lodge_of_Massachusetts
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Price_(Freemason)
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Revere