Prince Hall Masonry in Maryland  

Prince Hall Masons in Maryland trace their history to Massachusetts and to Prince Hall (born: September, 1738, died: December 7, 1807). On March 6, 1775, Prince Hall and fourteen others were initiated into a military Lodge at what is now Fort Independence, Massachusetts. In March, 1784, Prince Hall petitioned the Grand Lodge of England for a warrant or charter authorizing that a regular Lodge be constituted. It was issued on September 29, 1784. On May 6, 1787, The African Lodge No. 459 was formed. On June 6, 1791, a Grand Lodge adopted the name The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons of Massachusetts.

On February 2, 1825, Friendship Lodge No. 1 was constituted in the state of Maryland, by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. Saint James Lodge No. 2 and Enterprise Lodge No. 3 soon followed, warranted by the same authority.

In 1845, these three(3) subordinate lodges formed the first African-American Grand Lodge in the state of Maryland. In 1847, another Grand Lodge was organized under the authority of the National Grand Lodge.

These two Grand Lodges remained in the field until 1876, when, being convinced that the object each Grand Master sought to accomplish would be better served by a union of the two, efforts to consolidate were made by the leading members of the two organizations.

On September 12, 1876, the two Grand Lodges merged. Later, in 1878, the name was changed to The Most Worshipful United Grand Lodge of the State of Maryland. In 1947, the name of the Grand Lodge was changed to The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Maryland and its Jurisdictions, Inc.

In 1960, The Grand Lodge moved to its present location at 1307 Eutaw Place at Lanvale Street. The Temple was duly named after Grand Master Willard W. Allen. Later in that same year, Grand Master Allen stepped down and Grand Master Samuel T. Daniels assumed the mantle of leadership which he served until 1998.

Today, there are one-hundred and two (102) constituent lodges in Maryland and its jurisdictions, seventy (70) are within the state of Maryland, twenty-two (22) are in Germany, six (6) are in England, three (3) are in Italy, and one (1) is in Belgium. Maryland Lodges and Prince Hall Lodges of other states evolved from Massachusetts and Prince Hall