History of Widow's Son Lodge #4

From Whence We Came

It was said of Prince Hall, the Worshipful Master of African Lodge #459, that he was a man of "exceptional ability, and "that he worked zealously in the cause of Masonry until his death in 1807, exercising all the functions of a Provincial Grand Master," and was so recognized by the Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of England, who, under the date of August 20, 1792, wrote to Prince Hall inquiring about four of the Price (white) lodges, from which he had heard nothing for years; intimating that he was about to erase their names from the roster of Grand Lodges. The report of Prince Hall saved these (white) lodges from Masonic Death.

On March 22, 1797, Prince Hall organized a lodge in Philadelphia, consisting of thirteen African Americans who had been made Masons in England. He subsequently organized a lodge in Providence, Rhode Island. In 1808 these three lodges organized the African Grand Lodge in Boston, which is now known as "The Prince Hall Grand Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons of Massachusetts."

From the introduction of Masonry among African Americans in 1797 to 1815, enough lodges were formed in Pennsylvania to organize a second African American Grand Lodge, known as the "First Independent Masonic Code of the African Grand Lodge of North America." Owing to some friction among the lodges of this jurisdiction, Union Lodge, No. 4 and Harmony Lodge, No 5, were expelled from the First Independent Grand Lodge. This resulted in the formation of a rival Grand Lodge in Pennsylvania, known as "Hiram Grand Lodge.

On March 14, 1848, representatives of Boyer Lodge, No 1, of New York City, which was organized by the African Lodge of Boston in 1815, of Celestial Lodge, No. 2, of New York, organized by Harmony Lodge of Pennsylvania, and of Rising Sun Lodge No. 3, also of New York City organized by the First Independent African Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, joined with each other in the organization of the Grand Lodge now know as "The Most worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of New York."

In 1866, under authority of the Grand Lodge of New York, Past Grand Master Paul Drayton organized King Solomon Lodge no. 23 (now No. 1) at New Bern, North Carolina, and Giblem Lodge No. 28(now No. 2) at Wilmington, North Carolina. By authority of the same Grand Lodge, Past Grand Master James W. Hood, who had been appointed as supervisor, organized in 1867, Eureka Lodge, No. 30 (now No. 3) at Fayetteville, North Carolina and Widow's Son Lodge No 31 (now No. 4) at Raleigh, North Carolina. The four lodges last mentioned, on March 1 1870, met in Giblem Lodge room, in the city of Wilmington, and organized the present Most Worshipful Grand Lodge for the State of North Carolina with Most Worshipful James W. Hood, Grand Master, and Right Worshipful J.J. Sawyer as Grand Secretary.