What Happened on this Date in Masonic History
The purpose of this webpage is to list events that specifically related to Freemasonry, and show which took place on which date of the year.
This webpage is not intended to list events whose significance was not primarily related to Freemasonry, but in which Freemasons participated. There is another place where you can find interesting historical events in which Freemasons participated. It is Andrew Boracci’s webpage at http://www.americanmason.org
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January 1 |
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| January 2 | On this date in 1901, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt received his 1st degree in Matinecock Lodge #806, Oyster Bay, New York. |
| January 3 | |
| January 4 | |
| January 5 | |
| January 6 | |
| January 7 | On this date in 1808, the Grand Lodge of Ohio was established.On this date in 1785, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart received his 2nd degree. |
| January 8 | On this date in 1844 or 1843, the Grand Lodge of Iowa was formed |
| January 9 | |
| January 10 | |
| January 11 | |
| January 12 | On this date in 1886 Quatuor Coronati Lodge #2076 was consecrated and constituted in London. It is considered by many to be the premiere masonic research lodge in the world. |
| January 13 | On this date (or January 12) in 1818, the Grand Lodge of Indiana was formed |
| January 14 | |
| January 15 | |
| January 16 | |
| January 17 | On this date (or January 16 or 26) in 1865, the Grand Lodge of Nevada was formedOn this date in 1872, the Grand Lodge of Utah was formed |
| January 18 | |
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| January 20 | |
| January 21 | |
| January 22 | |
| January 23 | |
| January 24 | |
| January 25 | |
| January 26 | On this date in 1866, the Grand Lodge of Montana was formedOn this date in 1887, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle received his 1st degree. |
| January 27 | |
| January 28 | |
| January 29 | |
| January 30 | |
| January 31 | |
| February 1 | |
| February 2 | |
| February 3 | |
| February 4 | |
| February 5 | |
| February 6 | |
| February 7 | On this date in 1981, the Grand Lodge of Alaska was organized |
| February 8 | |
| February 9 | On this date in 1909, Harry S. Truman received his 1st degree in Belton Lodge #450, Missouri. |
| February 10 | |
| February 11 | On this date in 1988, a group of masonic leaders met with President Ronald Reagan; the Grand Master of DC presented him with a certificate, and the Scottish Rite and Shrine made him an honorary member of those bodies. |
| February 12 | |
| February 13 | |
| February 14 | |
| February 15 | |
| February 16 | |
| February 17 | |
| February 18 | On this date in 1909, U.S. President William Howard Taft received his 1st degree in Kilwinning Lodge #356, Cincinnati, Ohio |
| February 19 | On this date in 1811, the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia was formed in Washington D.C. |
| February 20 | |
| February 21 | |
| February 22 | |
| February 23 | On this date in 1887, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle received his 2nd degree. |
| February 24 | On this date in 1853, the Grand Lodge of Minnesota was formed |
| February 25 | |
| February 26 | |
| February 27 | |
| February 28 | |
| February 29 | |
| March 1 | |
| March 2 | |
| March 3 | On this date in 1753, George Washington received his Fellow Craft degree in Fredericksburg Lodge in Virginia |
| March 4 | |
| March 5 | On this date in 1792, the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts was organized |
| March 6 | On this date in 1775, several black men, including one named Prince Hall, were initiated into Freemasonry in Boston. This marked the beginning of what became a huge movement or organization in the United States known as Prince Hall Masonry, composed mainly of African Americans. |
| March 7 | |
| March 8 | |
| March 9 | On this date in 1822, a national Masonic Congress was held in Washington DC, in the U.S. Capitol building |
| March 10 | |
| March 11 | |
| March 12 | |
| March 13 | |
| March 14 | |
| March 15 | |
| March 16 | |
| March 17 | On this date in 1856, the Grand Lodge of Kansas was formedOn this date in 1848, the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Washington DC was established |
| March 18 | On this date in 1902, the Tall Cedars of Lebanon was incorporated, in Trenton, New Jersey. |
| March 19 | |
| March 20 | |
| March 21 | |
| March 22 | |
| March 23 | On this date in 1887, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle received his 3rd degree. |
| March 24 | |
| March 25 | On this date in 1882, the Grand Lodge of Arizona was organizedOn this date in 1902, Sir Winston Churchill received his 3rd degree in Studholme Lodge #1591, London |
| March 26 | |
| March 27 | |
| March 28 | |
| March 29 | |
| March 30 | |
| March 31 | |
| April 1 | |
| April 2 | |
| April 3 | |
| April 4 | On this date in 1778, Voltaire was initiated in “Les Neuf Soeurs” Lodge in Paris. His conductors were Benjamin Franklin and Count Gebelin |
| April 5 | On this date in 1886, Rudyard Kipling received his 1st degree. |
| April 6 | |
| April 7 | |
| April 8 | On this date in 1790, the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire was constituted |
| April 9 | |
| April 10 | |
| April 11 | |
| April 12 | |
| April 13 | |
| April 14 | |
| April 15 | |
| April 16 | |
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| April 18 | |
| April 19 | On this date in 1787, the Grand Lodge of Maryland was formedOn this date (or April 18) in 1850, the Grand Lodge of California was formed |
| April 20 | On this date in 1884, Pope Leo XIII issued a famous Papal Bull against Freemasonry, titled Humanum Genus |
| April 21 | On this date in 1821 the Grand Lodge of Missouri was founded. |
| April 22 | On this date in 1785, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart received his 3rd degree. |
| April 23 | |
| April 24 | On this date in 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt received his 3rd degree. |
| April 25 | |
| April 26 | |
| April 27 | |
| April 28 | On this date in 1738, Pope Clement XII issued the first Papal Bull attacking FreemasonryOn this date in 1840, the Grand Lodge of Illinois was formed |
| April 29 | |
| April 30 | |
| May 1 | On this date in 1865, William McKinley (U.S. President 1898-1901) received his 1st degree in Hiram Lodge #21, Winchester, Virginia. |
| May 2 | |
| May 3 | On this date in 1886, Rudyard Kipling received is 2nd degree. |
| May 4 | On this date in 1821, the Grand Lodge of Missouri was formedOn this date in 1821, the Grand Lodge of Illinois was founded. |
| May 5 | On this date in 1851, Andrew Johnson (U.S. President 1865-1869) received his 1st degree in Greenville Lodge #119, Tennessee |
| May 6 | |
| May 7 | |
| May 8 | On this date in 1843, a national Masonic Congress was begun in Baltimore, sometimes referred to as the Baltimore Convention, to attempt to establish a uniform ritual for United States Grand Lodges. |
| May 9 | |
| May 10 | |
| May 11 | On this date in 1865, the Grand Lodge of West Virginia was formed |
| May 12 | On this date in 1932, the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, in Alexandria, Virginia, was dedicated in a very large ceremony, attended by thousands, including the President of the United StatesOn this date in 1931, Senator Barry Goldwater (candidate for U.S. President in 1964) received his 1st degree in Arizona Lodge #2, Phoenix AZ.
On this date in 1999, the Grand Lodge of D.C., under the leadership of Grand Master Dan L Frederick, voted to recognize the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of D.C. |
| May 13 | |
| May 14 | |
| May 15 | |
| May 16 | On this date in 1866, the Grand Lodge of West Virginia was founded. |
| May 17 | On this date in 1921, High Twelve International was organized. |
| May 18 | On this date in 1959, Harry S. Truman (U.S. President 1945-1953) received his 50 year masonic award. |
| May 19 | |
| May 20 | |
| May 21 | |
| May 22 | |
| May 23 | |
| May 24 | On this date in 1901, Sir Winston Churchill received his 1st degree in Studholme Lodge #1591, London. |
| May 25 | |
| May 26 | |
| May 27 | On this date in 1957, Carl H. Claudy, Masonic author and playwright, D.C. Grand Master in 1943, Executive Secretary of MSA, died |
| May 28 | |
| May 29 | |
| May 30 | |
| May 31 | On this date in 1801, the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, “mother council of the world,” was established, in Charleston, South Carolina. |
| June 1 | On this date in 1820, the Grand Lodge of Maine was founded. |
| June 2 | |
| June 3 | |
| June 4 | |
| June 5 | On this date in 1820, James K. Polk (U.S. President 1845-1849) received his 1st degree in Columbia Lodge #31, Columbia, Tennessee.On this date in 1923, groundbreaking took place for the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, in Alexandria, Virginia |
| June 6 | On this date in 1787, the Grand Lodge of New York became independentOn this date in 1806, the Grand Lodge of Delaware was established |
| June 7 | |
| June 8 | |
| June 9 | On this date in 1849, the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Delaware was established |
| June 10 | |
| June 11 | On this date in 1986, the United Grand Lodge of England required the removal of references to the physical penalties from all obligations. |
| June 12 | |
| June 13 | On this date (or June 12) in 1889, the Grand Lodge of North Dakota was organized |
| June 14 | |
| June 15 | |
| June 16 | On this date in 1821, the Grand Lodge of Alabama was formed |
| June 17 | |
| June 18 | |
| June 19 | |
| June 20 | On this date in 1812, the Grand Lodge of Louisiana was formedOn this date in 1881, Albert G. Mackey, Masonic author and Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction of the U.S., died. |
| June 21 | |
| June 22 | |
| June 23 | On this date in 1780, Wolfgang Goethe was initiated in Amalia Lodge in Weimar |
| June 24 | On this date in 1717, what is referred to as the premiere Grand Lodge was formed in London, at the Goose and Gridiron Ale-houseThis date is the first entry, for 1731, of a Lodge meeting in the colonies that became the United States, in an account book of St. John’s Lodge in Philadelphia
On this date in 1734, Benjamin Franklin became Grand Master of what would be known as the “Moderns” Grand Lodge in Pennsylvania. On this date in 1791, the African Grand Lodge of North America was organized in Boston. It later became the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. On this date in 1797, the second Grand Lodge for African Americans was founded in Philadelphia On this date in 1820, the Grand Lodge of Maine was formed |
| June 25 | |
| June 26 | |
| June 27 | On this date (or June 25) in 1791, the Grand Lodge of Rhode Island was organized |
| June 28 | On this date in 1901, Warren G. Harding (U.S. President 1921-1923) received his 1st degree in Marion Lodge #70, Ohio |
| June 29 | |
| June 30 | |
| July 1 | On this date in 1964, Roscoe Pound, a Masonic scholar and the Dean of Harvard Law School, died.On this date in 1989, the Grand Lodge of Hawaii was organized |
| July 2 | |
| July 3 | |
| July 4 | On this date in 1781, Robert Burns received his 1st degree. |
| July 5 | |
| July 6 | On this date (or July 5) in 1830, the Grand Lodge of Florida was formed |
| July 7 | |
| July 8 | On this date in 1789, the Grand Lodge of Connecticut was formed |
| July 9 | |
| July 10 | |
| July 11 | |
| July 12 | |
| July 13 | |
| July 14 | |
| July 15 | |
| July 16 | |
| July 17 | |
| July 18 | |
| July 19 | On this date in 1901, Sir Winston Churchill received his 2nd degree in Studholme Lodge #1591, London. |
| July 20 | |
| July 21 | On this date in 1758, the Grand Lodge of Scotland granted a charter to Fredericksburg Lodge in Virginia, the lodge that had conferred the Masonic degrees on George Washington in 1752 and 1753.On this date in 1875, the Grand Lodge of South Dakota (Dakota) was formed |
| July 22 | |
| July 23 | |
| July 24 | |
| July 25 | |
| July 26 | |
| July 27 | On this date in 1818, the Grand Lodge of Mississippi was formed |
| July 28 | |
| July 29 | |
| July 30 | |
| July 31 | |
| August 1 | |
| August 2 | On this date in 1861, the Grand Lodge of Colorado was formed |
| August 3 | |
| August 4 | On this date in 1753, George Washington received his Master Mason degree in Fredericksburg Lodge in Virginia |
| August 5 | |
| August 6 | |
| August 7 | On this date in 1877, the Grand Lodge of New Mexico was formed |
| August 8 | |
| August 9 | |
| August 10 | |
| August 11 | |
| August 12 | |
| August 13 | |
| August 14 | On this date in 1826, William Morgan obtained a copyright for Illustrations of Masonry, By One of hte Fraternity Who Has Devoted Thirty Years to the Subject, a book that publicly exposed the secrets of Masonic ritual. Although many similar books had been published before, this caused great excitement, and led to the “Morgan affair” and the Antimasonic Party of the 1820s and 1830s. |
| August 15 | |
| August 16 | On this date in 1851, the Grand Lodge of Oregon was founded. |
| August 17 | |
| August 18 | |
| August 19 | |
| August 20 | |
| August 21 | On this date in 1993, the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania and thousands of Freemasons dedicated the Friend to Friend Masonic Monument in the cemetery in Gettysburg, commemorating acts of kindness between Freemasons who fought on opposite sides in the American Civil War. |
| August 22 | |
| August 23 | |
| August 24 | |
| August 25 | |
| August 26 | |
| August 27 | On this date in 1920, Warren G. Harding (U.S. President 1921-1923) received his 3rd degree in Marion Lodge #70, Ohio. |
| August 28 | |
| August 29 | |
| August 30 | |
| August 31 | |
| September 1 | |
| September 2 | |
| September 3 | |
| September 4 | On this date (or June 5) in 1820, James K. Polk (U.S. President 1845-1849) received his 1st degree in Columbia Lodge #31, Tennessee. |
| September 5 | |
| September 6 | |
| September 7 | |
| September 8 | |
| September 9 | |
| September 10 | |
| September 11 | On this date in 2000, the Grand Masters of the Grand Lodge of D.C. and the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of D.C. signed a ceremonial “proclamation” symbolizing their mutual recognition that had been voted on favorably by both Grand Lodges in 1999. |
| September 12 | On this date in 1826, William Morgan, who had published an exposé of Masonic secrets, was taken from the jail in Canandaigua, New York, kidnapped, and possibly later murdered. This was the trigger for the Morgan Affair and the Antimasonic movement and Antimasonic Party in the United States from the 1820s through the 1840s. |
| September 13 | On this date in 1882, a monument was dedicated in Batavia, New York, to William Morgan, the man whose kidnapping and possible murder by Freemasons started the antimasonic movement in the United States in 1826. The monument says Morgan was a “martyr to the freedom of writing and printing the truth.” |
| September 14 | On this date in 1844, the Grand Lodge of Michigan was founded. |
| September 15 | On this date in 1851, the Grand Lodge of Oregon was formed |
| September 16 | |
| September 17 | |
| September 18 | On this date in 1793, the cornerstone of the United States Capitol building in Washington D.C. was laid in an elaborate, formal Masonic ceremony, with George Washington personally playing a key role and wearing Masonic regalia.On this date in 1856, the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Indiana was organized. |
| September 19 | |
| September 20 | On this date in 1784, the Grand Lodge of England issued a warrant to African Lodge #459. This charter is a prized possession of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, and African Lodge #459 has continued to exist to the present time. |
| September 21 | |
| September 22 | |
| September 23 | On this date in 1857, the Grand Lodge of Nebraska was formed |
| September 24 | |
| September 25 | On this date in 1786, the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania was organized |
| September 26 | On this date in 1872, the Shrine of North America (AAONMS) was organized, in New York City. |
| September 27 | |
| September 28 | |
| September 29 | |
| September 30 | On this date in 1949, Gerald R. Ford (U.S. President 1974-1977) received his 1st degree in Malta Lodge #465, Grand Rapids, Michigan. |
| October 1 | On this date in 1928, the Philalethes Society was organized. |
| October 2 | |
| October 3 | |
| October 4 | |
| October 5 | On this date in 1874, the Grand Lodge of Oklahoma (Indian Territory) was formed |
| October 6 | |
| October 7 | |
| October 8 | |
| October 9 | |
| October 10 | |
| October 11 | On this date in 1911, Franklin D. Roosevelt (U.S. President 1933-1945) received his 1st degree in Holland Lodge #8, New York City. |
| October 12 | |
| October 13 | On this date in 1778, the Grand Lodge of Virginia was organized |
| October 14 | On this date in 1989, the Grand Lodge of Connecticut recognized the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Connecticut. This was the first U.S. recognition of Prince Hall Masonry that remained in force, and led to similar actions by more than 2/3 of all U.S. Grand Lodges. |
| October 15 | On this date in 1794, the Grand Lodge of Vermont was organized |
| October 16 | On this date in 1800, the Grand Lodge of Kentucky was established |
| October 17 | |
| October 18 | |
| October 19 | |
| October 20 | On this date in 1953, the Grand Lodge of the State of Israel was constituted |
| October 21 | |
| October 22 | |
| October 23 | |
| October 24 | |
| October 25 | |
| October 26 | |
| October 27 | |
| October 28 | |
| October 29 | |
| October 30 | On this date in 1937, Lyndon B. Johnson (U.S. President 1963-1969) received his 1st degree in Texas. |
| November 1 | On this date in 1922, the cornerstone of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, in Alexandria, Virginia, was laid in a Masonic ceremony. |
| November 2 | |
| November 3 | |
| November 4 | On this date in 1752, George Washington received his Entered Apprentice degree in Fredericksburg Lodge in Virginia |
| November 5 | |
| November 6 | |
| November 7 | |
| November 8 | |
| November 9 | |
| November 10 | |
| November 11 | |
| November 12 | |
| November 13 | |
| November 14 | |
| November 15 | |
| November 16 | |
| November 17 | |
| November 18 | |
| November 19 | |
| November 20 | |
| November 21 | On this date in 1838, the Grand Lodge of Arkansas was formed |
| November 22 | On this date in 1991, Jerry Marsengill was killed in an automobile accident. He was a very active Freemason, editor of the Philalethes magazine, the Royal Arch Mason magazine, and Past President of the Philalethes Society. |
| November 23 | |
| November 24 | |
| November 25 | On this date in 1813, the Articles of Union of the United Grand Lodge of England were signed |
| November 26 | On this date in 1737, a letter to the editor appeared in the New York Gazette newspaper, criticizing the secrecy of Freemasons and the words of the obligations’ penalties (as disclosed in a previous exposé of Freemasonry). This appears to have been the first antimasonic effort in the colonies that became the United States. |
| November 27 | |
| November 28 | On this date in 1884, Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076, in London, England, the first research lodge in the world, received its warrant.On this date in 1911, Franklin D. Roosevelt (U.S. President 1933-1945) received his 3rd degree. |
| November 29 | |
| November 30 | |
| December 1 | |
| December 2 | |
| December 3 | |
| December 4 | On this date in 1807, Most Worshipful Brother Prince Hall, the first African American known to have received the Masonic degrees in America, died. |
| December 5 | On this date in 1730, Benjamin Franklin’s Pennsylvania Gazette included news about several Lodges of Free-Masons meeting in that “province.” Franklin was not yet a Freemason when his newspaper printed this item. |
| December 6 | |
| December 7 | |
| December 8 | On this date in 1858, the Grand Lodge of Washington State was formed |
| December 9 | On this date in 1999, the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of D.C. voted to recognize the Grand Lodge of D.C. |
| December 10 | |
| December 11 | |
| December 12 | On this date in 1787, the Grand Lodge of North Carolina was organized |
| December 13 | |
| December 14 | On this date in 1994, the United Grand Lodge of England issued a statement that it found the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, the source of all Prince Hall Masonry in the United States, to be regular and deserving of recognition. |
| December 15 | On this date in 1779, American Union Lodge, a traveling lodge under the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, met and proposed that George Washington become the General Grand Master of Masons in the United States. There is no evidence that Washington ever heard about this, and no evidence that he ever held any Masonic position other than Master of a lodge (and no evidence that he attended this lodge while he was Master, or possibly ever).On this date in 1874, the Grand Lodge of Wyoming was formed |
| December 16 | On this date in 1786, the Grand Lodge of Georgia was organized |
| December 17 | On this date in 1867, the Grand Lodge of Idaho was formed |
| December 18 | On this date in 1786, the Grand Lodge of New Jersey was organizedOn this date in 1799, George Washington’s funeral was conducted in Masonic fashion, at Mount Vernon, Virginia
On this date in 1843, the Grand Lodge of Wisconsin was formed |
| December 19 | |
| December 20 | |
| December 21 | |
| December 22 | On this date in 1753, the Royal Arch degree was conferred in Fredericksburg Lodge in Virginia. This is the first unquestioned evidence of the conferral of this degree. |
| December 23 | |
| December 24 | |
| December 25 | |
| December 26 | On this date in 1972, Harry S. Truman, former President of the United States, Past Grand Master of Missouri, and a very active Freemason, died. He had requested a Masonic funeral, but instead the government, which handled the details, permitted a short Masonic ceremony during the funeral service. |
| December 27 | On this date in 1783, the Grand Lodge of South Carolina was organizedOn this date in 1813, the Grand Lodge of Louisiana was formed
On this date in 1813, Grand Officers and Brethren of the United Grand Lodge of England consummated the union of the Moderns and Ancients into the UGLE |
| December 28 | |
| December 29 | |
| December 30 | On this date in 1837, the Grand Lodge of Texas was formed |
| December 31 |
