The Marvelous Men of Prince Hall Masonic Lodge Number 0111
77
A Request Granted
I was recently given the privilege of attending a get-together with the men of the Prince Hall Masons at their lodge in Tyler, Texas. I inquired if I might be allowed to attend the scheduled activity because of what they were doing that night.
A few phone calls were made, my request was forwarded and I was happy when I received word that I’d be permitted to attend, ask questions and take pictures during their gathering. I was excited and filled with anticipation because for many outsiders the Masonic Halls are shrouded in mystery and speculation. My dealings with the Masons have been largely professional in both the medical and funeral services industries. As I’ve gotten older, my respect for this brotherhood has deepened.
Because of the work of the Masons, burn victims receive skin grafts. Victims of various illnesses and birth defects receive surgeries, and many students receive assistance in their quest for a higher education that could not otherwise afford to pursue their dream. Masons make things happen that help people in need.
That’s what the men of the Masonic Lodge 0111 in Tyler had planned for the evening, helping people in need. They were meeting to put together boxes of food for families enduring financial struggles during the Christmas holiday. This is an outreach they perform every year.
I was met with warm and friendly greetings in the parking lot, and offered to help carry boxes of items to the top floor of their lodge building. Introductions were made, and then they got to work forming an assembly line, filling boxes with various food items all of them purchased with their own finances. While they worked, I took pictures and jotted down information in my notebook. Upon my return to Fort Worth I furthered my research and was amazed at the rich and exemplary history of how the Prince Hall Masons came to be.
As I got acquainted with the members of the lodge, I discovered that two of them are ministers. Their senior member, Mr. Theodore Royce was born December 12, 1924 and was granted a membership to the lodge in 1953 by a local physician. I'd met him in the parking lot, and he greeted me with a magnificent smile. But, in the lot, my hands were full because I was carrying a box of food. When we got upstairs, I shook his hand when we were more formally introduced. Later, when I discovered he’s a fellow Kentuckian, from Lexington (an area not far from where I was born and where many of my Kentuckian family still live) as well as a World War II U.S. Air Force veteran, I was was permitted to hug him as well, and thanked him for his military service. Mr. Royce gave me a tour of the lodge, and we shared some smiles and laughter about our connected heritages of Appalachia, bluegrass, horses and tobacco farming. Mr. Royce said he was adept in riding horses and plowing with them too. (On a personal note, Mr. Royce won my heart with his first smile, and he's truly one of the kindest gentlemen I've ever met.)
Rev. Vasques Granberry is the lodge Worshipful Master. He’s a veteran of the U.S. Marines and currently attending the Baptist Missionary Association Seminary in Jacksonville, Texas, working towards a degree in ministry. Another of the lodge members, Rev. Gary Whitaker is pastor of a home-based congregation in Tyler called NPPA Ministries – No Perfect People Allowed. Obviously, these men have a heart for helping people both in and out of their lodge. The other members that showed up bringing food and packing boxes were Tracy Black, Gordon Stanford, Reginald Hart, Wendell Jackson, and Staff Sergeant Randall Morris, U.S. Army National Guard (retired).
The birth of Prince Hall Freemasonry
Prince Hall was born September 12, 1748, and was the founder of the Prince Hall Freemasonry. He formed the African Grand Lodge of North America. He was unanimously elected its Grand Master, and served until his death in 1807. He was not only a Freemason, but an outspoken abolitionist, and respected leader of the black community in Boston, Massachusetts during his era. He worked hard for years, to bring about reform for education as well as other rights to be granted to the black citizens. They were being taxed as equally as the white citizens, but they didn’t share in the privileges or the freedoms their taxes paid to support. Does taxation without representation ring a bell?
Prince Hall was adept and confident in debate, even as far as speaking out against slavery to Christians who made up the majority of the Massachusetts legislature. It seemed that proclaiming Christ’s love out of one side of their mouths and invoking racism out of the other was an acceptable practice, even though the very religion they professed to believe and practice taught against it.
In March of 1787, the charter establishing the Freemasonry African Lodge No. 459 was delivered to Captain James Scott, brother-in-law of John Hancock, signer of the Declaration of Independence and President of the Second Continental Congress. The charter was signed by Deputy Grand Master Roland Holt and witnessed by Grand Secretary William White. This bears significance for several reasons, one of which is the charter document is the only known original 18th Century charter in existence, issued to any American Lodge by the Grand Lodge of England.
In 1869 a fire destroyed the Massachusetts Grand Lodge headquarters. Sadly, several priceless documents were lost. But, the valuable charter had been placed in a protective metal tube and stored in a Grand Lodge chest. The tube kept the charter from being completely burned up in the flames, but it still sustained some scarring from the intense heat. Grand Master S.T. Kendall is said to have crawled into the burning building to retrieve the tube, thus saving the document from being totally destroyed. The charter is now kept between heavy plate glass and secured in a vault in a Boston Bank.
Today the Prince Hall Masonic Fraternity has over 4,500 lodges world-wide and over 300,000 members. They have my respect and appreciation for their ongoing dedication in caring for their communities and their commitment in maintaining the their noble heritage throughout their Masonic generations. They have much to be proud of and I thank them for the opportunity to get better acquainted with their members and the works they continue to perform in assisting others.
We The People Bid Farewell To David Hall With His Liberty Bell
Tobias Robinson - Why Isn't He Teaching? (by femmeflashpoint)
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Angelia I'm so very pleased to see this hub on Prince Hall 0111. Two good friends are 32nd degree masons and theres nothing "Illuminati like" about them. The Shriners have the hospitals for sick children and I've personally seen this benefit numerous needy children. Mr.Royce looks and reads like a sweetheart btw. This was great you getting to experience the lodge men; and the history is quite interesting and a new discovery here. Well done my friend!
Nee,
If Mr. Royce were about 40 years younger, I'd ask to marry him myself, but alas, Mrs. Royce beat me to it, lol.
Alastar, the Mason who worked to get me the permission is a Shriner. And, two of my neighbors in Pumpkin Run, IN were Shriners and riders in the Hadi White Horse Patrol. Very cool guys that I've know most of my life. But the mystique of the Masonry is alive and well in the minds of a whole lot of folks. I even encountered it amongst some friends and colleages when telling them I was going to do a story on the Prince Hall lodge and that I'd gotten to attend a gathering, even if it was an informal one.
When I worked in Transplant, Shriners and Masons were considered heroes, of course, and rightfully so. Their efforts bring about medical miracles for loads of families every day.
Sadly, we lost the Shriners' skin bank in Galveston during the last hurricane there. It sat next to the University of Texas Medical Branch hospital in Galveston and both facilities were deemed un-repairable. I used to do transplant recoveries frequently at UTMB, and one of my Dallas colleagues was a transfer from the Shriners' skin bank there.
It was a big loss to the local community and the medical community at large as well.
The guys in Tyler ... they were the bomb! And hopefully, I'll get to continue staying in touch with them. They're a very inspiring bunch!
Thank you so much for writing this hub. My dad is a Mason and I have seen them do great things. Thank you for this great informational hub. Thanks Femme.
Happy New Year.
Sunnie
rock and roll, Angel!
Great Hub Angie. Have a Happy New Year. I'm all moved in and comfy now.
The Frog
Hi Sunnie,
The Masons are wonderful for making extraordinary contributions. Word on the wire is that many of the lodges are dwindling in number, which is sad. But, the active Masonry are taking steps to revive it. I don't know if the decline is only being experienced here in the U.S. or if it's world-wide. The Masons are a group I hope never goes away.
femme
Gavin,
Thanks so much for stopping by and reading!
Happy New Year to you and your Texas Lady!
femme
Good morning FrogMan,
Hope you and Bullet had a wonderful Christmas and making plans for a spectacular New Year as well!
Stay warm ... I was just out back and it's flipping freezing outside, lol!
femme
Thank you for this interesting visit with the Masons. Any group, Masons, Lions, Shriners, dedicated to the welfare of the unfortunate deserve all the attention we can give them. I wish that giving spirit of the holiday season could be spread out over the other eleven months... Thanks also for the history of this lodge. Lynda
Hi femme,
Thank you so much for sharing this really interesting hub.
I have to vote an up up and away here.
Take care my friend.
Eddy.
Immartin and Eddy -
Ladies, thank you for reading and for commenting. I had a great time with these guys! They were wonderful hosts! They were also promoting a raffle for a new 2012 Chevy Malibu, with a state-wide drawing. The monies raised will go into a college fund they support.
femme
You know, I am so guilty of not learning more about this organization. I know people who are Masons and they are wonderful people.
As a Christian, I cannot help but have a less than desriable feeling about the organization. I am simply being honest with my thoughts.
I know they do wonderful things and help many people.
Maybe I should not reply to this, but my heart tells me to say to you, please be careful.
Chris
Chris,
No worries and I appreciate your honesty. So far, nearly all of the Masons I've met have been very kind folks, and literally all of them have been of Christian faith, of one form or another.
They're allegiance to one another is remarkable, however I was saddened to learn in my research that an orginization built on equality amongst men still suffers from the fallout of racism. The two ideologies simply can't mix.
Thankfully, it's not a total corruption throughout the orginization and I believe (or at least hope I'm right in believing) that the majority of Masons regard one another with equal respect that isn't diminished by skin color.
femme
Voted up, useful, awesome, and interesting Femme. Kudos to the group for helping those in need during the holidays and for writing such a special article. Love the history and the entire story in general. If more people were equally caring, this would be such a better world to live in. Great group of men. Hope all is well with you Femme. Great article. Best wishes.
Hi Lyric!
Happy New Year to you and thank you for reading!
Angie - You have definitely provided a service for the Masons with this interesting and revealing article that should go a long way in dispelling the mistaken, even subversive, writing about them in some books and other literature. Well done, m'dear.
Doc,
The mystique wrapped around the Masons, and their Shriners and their Knights Templar is kinda cool, don't you think? I think they've been treated with kid gloves in the past partly because of their secretive behavior, but, they probably HAD to be secretive if they wanted to survive through whatever government power they were having to contend with.
I haven't met any Masons that "felt" bad to be around, and usually my internal alarm bells work well - at least most of the time. The ones I know are good people, so I can't condemn them for being Masons.
I only see what todays Masonic lodges are doing, and that's been helping people who are having a hard time helping themselves.
Thank you so much for reading and the very kind comment. I appreciate it a great deal.
If the ones I know hadn't earned my admiration, that movie "National Treasure" did, lol! I LOVED it!
femme
Very interesting information femme. Thank you. I knew little about the Masons. The Mr. Royce has such a wonderful smile. I can see why you fell for him.
Thanks Hyph,
He's quite the Kentucky Gentleman and his laugh is as charming as his smile. :)
femme
I REALLY ENJOYED READING THIS ARTICLE.
The Mason's, my goodness they are guarded better than hen's teeth here in Ireland. A secret that no woman can share, so how privileged are you? Brilliant hub so full of inspiration. I visited too through your eyes. xx
BAMAGIRL,
Thank you for the read and for commenting! So glad you liked it. :)
femme
Irish - I've never heard that before, "guarded better than hens' teeth." I LOVE it, lol!!!
You are RIGHT girlfriend! I was feeling HUGELY privileged!! I was worried I say the wrong thing, look at something I wasn't supposed to, step where I ought not to, but those guys put me completely at ease and were incredibly gracious and accomodating.
femme
I had a few friends who are Masons and they were a great bunch of guys. They would never discuss anything, very secretive. But I do know of the good deeds they did to help those in need.
It was interesting to read of the history and learn more about their organisation.
Thank you for sharing you visit with us.
Good morning Rosemay,
Thank you! I'm happy you found the article interesting. Masonic origins aren't something I remember covering in history class in school.
When I started learning the history of the Prince Hall Masonsk, I feel like we were done a dis-service in that the Masonic histories aren't spent much time on in school, even in regards to world history.
Their members have played significant roles in many countries and are still doing it today.
femme
Hi femme
I have a friend in Ottawa who is a Shriner.
Voted up and awesome.
Hi Sue!
Thank you for reading and commenting!
Please tell your friend femme says "thank you!"
f.
A very inspiring Hub, femmeflashpoint. And I'm so glad to read a positive article on the good deeds of the Masons. I have a half-brother and half-sister who were born with spinal conditions and the Shriners treated them and provided braces for them when no one else would help our mother. And in my adoptive family we have several Masons, all good men who spent years offering help to the community and asking nothing back in return. Thank you so much for posting.
Beth,
Thank you for reading and it was my privilege to get to meet with them and interview for the article.
Please say hello to your adoptive family Masons from me and send them a big "thank you!"
femme
Thank you for this truly fascinating story. I especially was enriched by reading about Prince Hall himself.
My Uncle John was Grand Master of a Masonic Lodge for quite sometime and he is an excellent man. I agree with your assessment that the Masons do many wonderful deeds for the community.
Well done!
Hi James,
Thank you for reading and commenting. There's a great deal of information about Prince Hall but much of it is unsubstantiated in regards to his origin and the physical roles he and his Masonic brothers played in the American Revolution. However, with what I learned of his associates that IS substantiated, I'm inclined to believe the spoken history of the other highlightes of their activities passed down through the history from lodge to lodge, is true.
femme
Hi, Femme,
For me, this article is very interesting, informative and educational.
Interestingly, my maternal grandfather was a high-ranking member of the Prince Hall Masons and before he died, he encouraged me, on numerous occasions, to join the organization but I always refused.
However, after reading your post, I am going to give the organization another look and give thought to joining. Now that I am a "grownup," I am sure that I will be more open-minded towards the group.
Feenix,
That's a wonderful idea!
Please keep me posted because I'm gonna be curious as to what you find out and decide to do!
Thanks for the comment and reading too, lol!
femme
Hi, femme,
I will keep you posted, my dear friend.
Another great read Angelia...good job!! I especially loved this quote "It seemed that proclaiming Christ’s love out of one side of their mouths and invoking racism out of the other was an acceptable practice, even though the very religion they professed to believe and practice taught against it." This rings so true for so many people today, claiming their love for Christ while in their hearts despising another for the color of their skin....I love how you point this out. Excited to read more!! Your ATX pal...:)
Nikki,
Makes no sense does it? Not a bit.
Thank you for reading and I appreciate the comment as well.
We can enlighten peeps who are ignorant, but there's no cure for determined stupidity.
Big hugs!!
femme
Great piece on your local Masonic hall. Very interesting to read. It gives a different point of view from the conspiracy theories and I would really enjoy reading more pieces about the history of the Masons. Thanks!
Hi Rick,
Thank you so much! I loved doing the interview. I learned so much from a section of the Masons I didn't even realize existed.
I'm like you, I'd be interested in reading more articles on the Masonic history. They've been around a long time and it's been interesting learning more about their brotherhood.
femme
Thank you so much for this excellent hub about the Masons, Freemasonry and Prince Hall. Hold your breath... Down here the Masons are doomed by churches; judgments are based on books written by revengeful ex-masons. I am sharing this with my friends down here. Hope they don't kill the messenger. Voted up and very interesting.
Martie,
Glad you're sharing it. I hope they don't break bad on the messenger either!
femme
What an interesting glimpse behind the curtain. I have a friend who is a long time Freemason and I have been to a few of their ladies night's with the better half.
We had a great time and I know they do a lot of good work.
They asked me if I wanted to join.
Like Groucho Marks said:-
'I wouldn't join a club, that would have me as a member' lol
Great hub votes up.
Hi Michael,
LOL @ the Groucho Marks comment!
Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to comment. Much appreciated!
femme
I knew of some college friends who were into being freemasons, and also in the US Navy, but I never thought of going in that direction. I think people get the wrong idea, of things when it comes to the original Masonic order originating in mid evil times, and the Free Masons of today.
I like what these guys are doing with all the community work & help for people where you reside, only if more people could be this kind spirited, to those in need.
They may surely sound the same, but are entirely different groups all together, thus the word free, being used to define such a group, as you have so eloquently done in your hub @ Femmeflashpoint.
Great info, useful as well and this one is getting voted up indeed.
CloudExplorer,
My thanks to you for reading and commenting. I met truly wonderful people in their lodge that night. They were kind, friendly and I felt so privileged to be welcomed among them and for the opportunity to share what they're doing.
It was such a busy part of the year, right before Christmas, and I'm sure there were many other things they could have been doing, but they were there, working to help others.
I was touched and impressed with their vision, and the effort they made to make it happen.
femme
Hi Femme, this was such an interesting read, they certainly do some amazing work and I enjoyed reading about their history, thank you and voted up.
Good morning MM,
Thank you for reading and happy you enjoyed it.
They do have a very intriguing history! Don't know if you've seen the movie National Treasure, but it's got some very cool innuendos regarding the American Masons and the work they were involved in when the U.S. of A. was first established. :)
femme
nee 5 months ago
Very interesting history, he does have a magnificent smile and His bless all their hard work .