PA HR424

Designates March 25, 2026, as "Prince Hall Mason Day at the Capitol" in Pennsylvania to honor The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania

Prince Hall Freemasonry dates to 1775 when Prince Hall and 14 other free Black men began their masonic journey, eventually forming African Lodge No. 459, the first African-American Lodge

Pennsylvania's first Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons among men of color was established on September 22, 1797, in Philadelphia by Prince Hall; the independent Grand Lodge was erected on December 27, 1815, with Rev. Absalom Jones as first Grand Master

The Grand Lodge currently has approximately 4,000 members across Pennsylvania, plus its female auxiliary, Deborah Grand Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star

Notable members include Octavius V. Catto (voting rights martyr) and Raymond Pace Alexander (first African-American judge on Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas)