Origins of U.S. Grand Lodges
| U.S. Grand Lodges’ Names, Modern/Ancient Origin, State Derivation | ||||
| chart done by Paul M. Bessel on February 25, 1995, revised 1998 and 1999 | ||||
| based on information from Coil’s Masonic Encyclopedia and other sources | ||||
| Grand Lodges that currently use “AF&AM” or “AFM” are in the “Ancient” column Grand Lodges that currently use “F&AM” or “FAAM” are in the “Modern” columninformation in each box indicates origins of that State’s Freemasonry abbreviations: A=Ancients M=Moderns |
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| “Ancient” | “Modern” | |||
| A.F. & A.M. (Ancient Free and Accepted Masons)in South Carolina, A.F.M. (Ancient Free Masons) | F. & A.M. (Free and Accepted Masons)in D.C., F.A.A.M. (Free and Accept Masons) | |||
| Northeast | ||||
| New England | Maine | Massachusetts (50-50 A&M) | ||
| New Hampshire | 50-50 Ancient & Modern | |||
| Vermont | Massachusetts Ancients | |||
| Massachusetts | 50-50 Ancient & Modern | |||
| Rhode Island | 100% Modern | |||
| Connecticut | 65% Modern | |||
| Middle Atlantic | New York | 50-50 Ancient & Modern | ||
| New Jersey | 50-50 Ancient & Modern | |||
| Pennsylvania | 100% leader of Ancients | |||
| Midwest | ||||
| East North Central | Ohio | Massachusetts (50-50 A&M), New Jersey (50-50 A&M), Connecticut (65% Modern), Kentucky (from Virginia, 50-50 A&M) – & Pennsylvania (Ancient) | ||
| Indiana | Kentucky (mixed A&M) & Ohio (mixed A&M) |
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| Illinois | Missouri (mixed A&M) & Kentucky (mixed A&M) | |||
| Michigan | New York (50-50 A&M) & Canada Ancient | |||
| Wisconsin | Missouri (mixed A&M) & Illinois (mixed A&M) | |||
| West North Central | Minnesota | Ohio (mixed A&M), Wisconsin (mixed A&M), Illinois (mixed A&M) | ||
| Iowa | Missouri (mixed A&M) | |||
| Missouri | Tennessee (mixed A&M), Pennsylvania (Ancient) | |||
| North Dakota | Dakota | |||
| South Dakota | Iowa (mixed A&M) | |||
| Nebraska | Illinois (mixed A&M), Missouri (mixed A&M), Iowa (mixed A&M) | |||
| Kansas | Missouri (mixed A&M) | |||
| South | ||||
| South Atlantic | Delaware | 100% Ancient, Pennsylvania & Maryland (Ancient) | ||
| Maryland | 100% Ancient | |||
| D.C. | Maryland (Ancient), Massachusetts (50-50 A&M), Virginia (50-50 A&M) | |||
| Virginia | 50-50 Ancient & Modern | |||
| West Virginia | Virginia (50-50 A&M) | |||
| North Carolina | 90% Modern | |||
| South Carolina | 75% Ancient | |||
| Georgia | 50-50 Ancient and Modern | |||
| Florida | Alabama (mixed A&M), Georgia (50-50 A&M), South Carolina (75% Ancient) |
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| East South Central | Kentucky | Virginia (50-50 A&M) | ||
| Tennessee | North Carolina Modern, South Carolina (75% Ancient) |
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| Alabama | Kentucky (mixed A&M), South Carolina (75% Ancient), Georgia (50-50 A&M), North Carolina (90% Modern), Tennessee (mixed A&M) | |||
| Mississippi | Tennessee (mixed A&M) | |||
| West South Central | Arkansas | Tennessee (mixed A&M), Louisiana (mostly Ancient), Alabama (mixed A&M) | ||
| Louisiana | Pennsylvania (Ancient), South Carolina (75% Ancient), New York (50-50 A&M), France |
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| Oklahoma | Arkansas (mixed A&M) | |||
| Texas | Louisiana (mostly Ancient) | |||
| West | ||||
| Mountain | Montana | Kansas (mixed A&M) & Colorado (mixed A&M) | ||
| Idaho | Oregon (mixed A&M) & Washington (mixed A&M) | |||
| Wyoming | Colorado (mixed A&M) & Nebraska (mixed A&M) | |||
| Colorado | Kansas (mixed A&M) & Nebraska (mixed A&M) | |||
| New Mexico | Missouri (mixed A&M) | |||
| Arizona | California (mixed A&M) & New Mexico (mixed A&M) | |||
| Utah | Montana (mixed A&M), Kansas (mixed A&M), Colorado (mixed A&M) | |||
| Nevada | California (mixed A&M) | |||
| Pacific | Washington | Oregon (mixed A&M) | ||
| Oregon | Missouri (mixed A&M) & California (mixed A&M) | |||
| California | D.C. (mixed A&M), Missouri (mixed A&M), Connecticut (mostly Modern) |
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| Alaska | Washington (mixed A&M) | |||
| Hawaii | California (mixed A&M) | |||
| Totals | 25 | 26 | ||
| current name of Grand Lodge sounds Ancient & Masonry there is clearly of Ancient origins, or vice versa | 4 | 1 | ||
| current name of Grand Lodge sounds Ancient but Masonry there is not clearly of Ancient origins, or vice versa | all the rest | all the rest | ||
Dates of Formation of U.S. Grand Lodges
according to Coil’s Masonic Encyclopedia
color coded by decade
| # | Grand Lodge | Date Grand Lodge was Formed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia | 1778, October 13 |
| 2 | South Carolina | 1783 December 27 – claims 1737 also reported to be March 24, 1787 |
| 3 | Pennsylvania | 1786 September 25 – claims 1731 |
| 4 | Georgia | 1786 December 16 – claims 1735 also reported to be 1735 |
| 5 | New Jersey | 1786 December 18 |
| 6 | Maryland | 1787 April 19 |
| 7 | New York | 1787 June 6 – claims 1781 |
| 8 | North Carolina | 1787 December 12 |
| 9 | Connecticut | 1787 July 8 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | 1790 April 8 – claims 1789 |
| 11 | Rhode Island | 1791 June 27 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | 1792 March 5 – claims 1733 |
| 13 | Vermont | 1794 October 15 |
| 14 | Kentucky | 1800 October 16 |
| 15 | Delaware | 1806 June 6 |
| 16 | Ohio | 1808 January 7 |
| 17 | District of Columbia | 1811 February 19 |
| 18 | Louisiana | 1812 June 20 |
| 19 | Tennessee | 1813 December 27 |
| 20 | Indiana | 1818 January 13 |
| 21 | Mississippi | 1818 July 27 |
| 22 | Maine | 1820 June 24 |
| 23 | Missouri | 1821 May 4 |
| 24 | Alabama | 1821 June 16 |
| 25 | Florida | 1830 July 6 |
| 26 | Texas | 1837 December 30 also reported to be April 16, 1838 |
| 27 | Arkansas | 1838 November 21 |
| 28 | Illinois | 1840 April 28 |
| 29 | Wisconsin | 1843 December 18 |
| 30 | Iowa | 1844 January 8 Also reported to be 1843 |
| 31 | Michigan | 1844 November claims 1826 also reported to be Sept. 14, 1844 |
| 32 | California | 1850 April 19 |
| 33 | Oregon | 1851 September 15 |
| 34 | Minnesota | 1853 February 24 |
| 35 | Kansas | 1856 March 17 also reported to be 1850 |
| 36 | Nebraska | 1857 September 23 |
| 37 | Washington | 1858 December 8 |
| 38 | Colorado | 1861 August 2 |
| 39 | Nevada | 1865 January 17 |
| 40 | West Virginia | 1865 May 11 also reported to be May 16, 1866 |
| 41 | Montana | 1866 January 26 |
| 42 | Idaho | 1867 December 17 |
| 43 | Utah | 1872 January 17 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | 1874 October 5 also reported to be Nov. 10, 1892 or 1983 |
| 45 | Wyoming | 1874 December 15 |
| 46 | South Dakota | 1875 July 21 |
| 47 | New Mexico | 1877 August 7 |
| 48 | Arizona | 1882 March 25 |
| 49 | North Dakota | 1889 June 13 |
| 50 | Alaska | 1981 February 7 |
| 51 | Hawaii | 1989 July 1 |