Prince Hall Masonic Lodge
By Maya Chatila and Bianca Harris
“Someone may ask no matter who you are What is the Order of the Eastern Star? If you’ve not been a member for a while or so, There are just a few facts you may want to know. We belong to an Order, the largest of its kind. A fraternity in which men and women you will find. Its members are found in every corner of the globe, And each is part of the great Masonic fold. Our purpose is to inspire good; it’s that simple and plain; The tenets of truth, charity, loyalty and kindness we train. Charitable and benevolent projects are the things we do To help friends in need and to see their trouble through. Our principles are based on Biblical days But in no way conflict with our religious ways. We have lots of fun, too, as everyone should, Meeting and traveling and working for good. And because of our goals, we develop a bond For each member, one to another, we become very fond. This is an Order like no other you will find, A chance to do good for your fellow mankind.” — Author Unknown – Full text of “Ritual of the Order [of the] Eastern star”
The Hidden Find
We drove along East Broad Street, looking for a potential field site. During our fourth pass through the street, it caught our attention. My partner and I left the familiarity of the car, to explore the unfamiliar. We walked up to the building, and read the printed words that identified its purpose to the public: Prince Hall Masons, Order of Eastern Star.
The building didn't fit the image that has been burned into our minds of the typical appearance of a masonic lodge. At first glance, any passerby would mistake the building for another church, or historic building located in greater Savannah.
The façade of aged, burnt red bricks and white molding is peppered with masonic symbols and plaques that commemorate the builders and founders of the lodge. Upon further inspection, we started noticing how “let go” the building was. The windows of the building were showing their age and neglect; the glass of the main entrance was punctured in several spots and the second floor windows looked like they hadn't been cleaned in years. Regardless, the shroud of intrigue and mystery surrounding this place seemed to grow, and we were drawn into the unknown.
Prince Hall Freemasonry And The Order Of The Eastern Star
We ventured to the Georgia Historical Society to research about the lodge’s history, but to our misfortune, we were met with a lack of information. However, the few snippets of information we found helped us understand more about the Prince Hall sect of Freemasonry. Prince Hall Freemasonry, an off-shoot of Freemasonry, was founded by Prince Hall, an African American, in Boston in 1779. Prince Hall was a famed leader and abolitionist within the African American community in Boston. The Order of the Eastern Star may be a unique factor of Freemasonry; it is a fraternal organization that is mostly made up of women of all races, according to the caretaker of the Prince Hall Lodge.
The Caretaker
After exhausting all the research tools at the Georgia Historical Society, we revisited the Prince Hall Lodge, and tried to get ahold of its caretaker, Walter. His contact information was listed on a sign mounted onto the building. An elderly woman who refused to identify herself, answered our first call. She informed us that she is the caretaker, not Walter, and that she wouldn't be able to help us out with anything, including showing us the interior of the building, due to her being injured in an accident. She did, however, supply us with a number of an individual she called James, and told us that he’d be able to help us out. We thanked her for her help and called James.
After several tries over the course of a few days, James finally answered our call. We introduced ourselves, the premise of our project, and asked for permission to access the interior of the lodge. It was then that James’ tone and manner with us turned from normal to very defensive. He began to question our motives, and refused to accept our explanations. He did not believe that we were SCAD students working on a research project and the phone call ended abruptly from his end. Being unfamiliar with Freemasonry and its secrecy, this posed a major stumbling block to our project.
Going Back To Square One
We needed to change our approach, but didn't have the answer as to how. Not wanting to abandon our field site, we decided to push forward. We started looking for possible informants- anyone that would cooperate with us. Our targets were the locals, either people that owned small businesses or lived nearby, but they were a rarity. The houses are mostly vacant, and there are only a couple of open storefronts. Just when all the doors seemed to be slammed shut in our face, we found Juliette, a graduate SCAD student that works in a furniture store located across the street from the lodge. We explained the purpose of our project, and to our relief, she was more than willing to help us. When asked about the lodge, she started talking about strange incidents she has noticed at certain times during the month. She talked about conspiracy theories she has about the place; theories such as underprivileged youth groups being “hosted” and brainwashed by the masons, as well as seeing people that dressed “differently” going in and out of the building at odd times.
Following Juliette’s interview, we contacted the zoning department, hoping for information. We did not have much luck on our first try; we were told that no information regarding the interior of the building or anything related to it could be disclosed. Fortunately, we found an inspector, Diana Gonzalez, who was more willing to speak with us. While she was unable to supply any specific information of the building, she was able to direct us to her contact, Leah Strachner, at the Historic Preservation Metropolitan Planning Commission. Leah, too, was unable to supply information, but she was able to direct us to her director, Ellen. Ellen indicated that she had been contacted previously about the building, but due to its location, they had no records and it hadn’t been researched previously.
With the Historic Preservation Metropolitan Planning Commission turning out to be a dead end, we turn to the people of the community to ascertain their knowledge of the building or its occupants.
A Society Frozen In Time
We interviewed an elderly man named Tim, who told us that he thought the Freemasons who frequent this lodge are still “living in medieval times and following medieval practices.” He has heard stories that their origins date back to the Medieval Crusades. He has also heard stories that their roots are from the Knights Templar, after their return from Jerusalem. Tim also talked about a myth that says when London burned down, the Freemasons were “reborn” and rebuilt cities. Basically, he stated that most of the legends agree that they were former guilds of Freemasonry that were able to band together and use their wealth and their ability with stone-masonry to build most of the civilizations and control the governments, operating from within their secretive lodges and the shadows, as they do at Prince Hall Masonic Lodge.
Structured And Secretive
An elderly couple we interviewed, who did not want to be identified, speculated about organization’s structure. They said that the key to any organization is its structure. They said that even though the Order of the Eastern Star is a fraternal organization for women, it remains still that: a fraternal organization.
This, they point out, means that the head of the lodge is a man, and that men have to be present at their meetings. They spoke of the different levels and responsibilities within the organization, of certain oaths and rituals — few known, lots unknown — that they go through. Another person we interviewed, named Chris, mentioned that the ranking system is still the same in this off-shoot of Freemasonry. The ranking system, according to Chris, is made up of various degrees. For example the first degree, third, and so on. The higher up you are, the more you know about the on-goings in the lodge, the more you’ve memorized, and more of the story is available to you.
Rituals
Our anonymous elderly informants spoke about the secretive rituals that go on within the confines of the lodge. Although they are secretive, they have seen people, mostly women and a few elderly men, entering and exiting the lodge wearing very distinctive clothing. They described them as dressed all in white, and some of them appeared to be wearing aprons. Their wardrobe is but a small part of the rituals that are performed inside the lodge. The couple also spoke about the oath, and its possible sinister undertones.
Of course, they mentioned that they understand why people would get such an impression, due to the secretive nature of the Prince Hall Freemasons. Steven Heisel, an elderly man we encountered, has known about the lodge for more than 20 years. He says that a lot of banquets, gatherings, and various other “occasions” have taken place in the lodge. He has heard stories about the rituals that go on in there, including satanic rituals, but doesn’t take those seriously. Even though he has lived in close proximity to the lodge for more than 20 years, most of the information he knows about Prince Hall Freemasonry comes from the History Channel. He concluded that “it can’t be too bad, because George Washington was a Freemason.”
The Prince Hall Lodge, The Illuminati, And The Banking Families
Savannah locals, Lyn and Richard White, raised a new aspect that added to the mysteriousness of the lodge. They claim that the lodge’s members are more involved in the banking industry than they let on. The Whites mentioned three prominent banking families: the Rothschilds, the Fitzgeralds, and the Rockefellers. When asked why a small lodge in the middle of Savannah would be affiliated with the aforementioned banking families, their answer was “because they’re masons.” They also brought up the Illuminati: they likened the Prince Hall Freemasons and the Illuminati to the Tea Party and the Republicans- their understanding is that the Illuminati are more of the hard right wing, more extreme radicals of the Freemasons.
The Prince Hall Lodge And The Holy Grail
On the outside, the lodge melds with the rest of Savannah, however, on the inside, it’s a dark, secret place, that is locked to the public. It is supposed that most Catholic Cathedrals house a relic, and our informant, Chris, thinks that masonic lodges, including the Prince Hall Lodge, have one as well. His theory is that minor lodges, like the Prince Hall Lodge, are utilized by the more prominent and powerful lodges for the very purpose of concealing relics within their walls. No one would assume that a relic would be hidden in a place like Prince Hall Lodge.
Moreover, Chris raised an interesting point: where is the Holy Grail? Wouldn’t the small, hidden, inconspicuous Masonic Lodge in the middle of Savannah be the best place to hide it? He has heard that rumor circulated before, and thinks that there could be some credibility to it, especially when you consider that Savannah was the only Georgian city that survived the Civil War. It is said that it didn’t get burned to the ground because of General Sherman’s mistress, but he could have been a lodge-man, as many high ranking officials in that era were, and he could have been protecting the Prince Hall Masonic Lodge. Now, you would expect something of that value to be hidden at a major lodge like the Grand Solomon, but that would be obvious. That’s why, Chris says, that in a place like Savannah, a city that wasn't burned to the ground like all the others in Georgia, it is a likely possibility the Holy Grail could be here, that something of importance was being guarded.
If the Grail story were true, and the Freemasons hid holy relics or other valuables in minor lodges, it is understandable why they would be secretive by nature. The rituals, the chants, the knowledge, and the tiers of inclusion would all be safeguards in protecting these relics or the knowledge of their location. Furthermore, the mistrust of secrecy would necessitate more secrecy to protect from suspicions of non-members. Due to this, there may be many members that you know and would never realize. As a result of the perpetuation of its secrecy, the legend of the Freemasons has likely taken on a life of its own.
A Unique Encounter
We encountered a gentleman called Lyle Voss that claimed he attended events hosted by the lodge in the 1980s. We asked him what more he could share about their practices, the lodge’s interior, the rituals they do, and if there are some misconceptions about the lodge and its members that he could clear up. To our surprise, he said he knew nothing about the Prince Hall Freemasons, even though he claimed that he attended their events. Whether he was being sincere or trying to hide something was unclear, but it definitely was an interview that left us with more questions to be answered. If it were true, and he was invited and attended their gatherings, and if it was true, as he claimed, that he knew nothing of their organization, then it attests to how secretive, and introverted the lodge members are.
A Reunion With James Cooper
We decided to head to the lodge one last time. There, we saw an elderly man approaching the lodge; his arrival was most opportune. He introduced himself as James Cooper, the very James Cooper that questioned our intentions when we spoke to him on the phone. Luckily, he was willing to give us a few minutes of his time. We found out more about the building’s history, including that the original owner was that of Roger Woods Foods. We also asked him about the perception the locals have about the lodge and what goes on there. That is when James’ voice dimmed: he said that there have been a lot of issues lately, the neighborhood is changing, that the lodge has been getting a lot of complaints, accusations, and a lot of rumors being spread. Despite sharing that with us, James was defiant and claimed that “they” don’t have the power to get rid of a universal organization, and that their enemies spreading rumors about them won’t succeed. Whom James was talking about when he made those comments, he wouldn’t share. Towards the end of our interview, when asked why they were so secretive, he became defensive again, saying that one question leads to another and he would have to divulge more information than he could. The interview ended, and he proceeded to walk into the lodge. It dawned on us that we had just spoken to a Prince Hall Freemason. We were both amazed and shocked by his continued defensiveness, but didn't expect anything less.
The Shroud Of Secrecy Remains
The myth still lives on at 602 East Broad Street. While we do not know what they do, or their true purpose, their place in our community connects us to them. Not all masons, like Mr. Cooper, reflect the power and occult that their secrecy causes non-members to believe. However, their clandestine nature will always shroud them in secrecy, and keep them apart from the rest of the community.
