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This is a contributing entry for Landscape of African American History in Central Pennsylvania and only appears as part of that tour.Learn More.

Prince Hall/Letort Star Masonic Lodge

Introduction

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In many ways, life as an African American person mirrored society in general. This tour stop acknowledges a basic human desire for a place of fellowship with people who share common values. This site, in its function as both an AME church and an African American Masonic Lodge, fulfilled multiple roles. As an AME church, it met the needs of the community similar to the other churches on the tour. As a masonic lodge, it provided a place to foment friendship, cooperation, and camaraderie for African American men at a time when other social networks in society were closed to them.

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Prince Hall Masonic Lodge

Prince Hall Masonic Lodge

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

Prince Hall/Letort Star Masonic Lodge was originally constructed as a one story AME church in 1835 on North Street in Carlisle. It was sold to the Prince Hall African American Freemasons who preserved this piece of African American history. By around 1835, a one-story African American church sat on the lot owned by Cyrus Richardson in Carlisle. The two story building that currently sits on the land was built in the subsequent years and was used as the “North Street Hall” by the local community.

In the early 1900’s, the building was sold to be used as an AME church and renovated to its current form with stained glass windows and tower structure. In 1951, the building became owned by a Masonic Lodge. The building was used as exclusively a lodge for a time, but then began to be used as a multipurpose building in addition to a masonic lodge. The first and second floors were used for different purposes, with the first floor being used for a business and the second floor occupied by a tenant.

The building is still standing and is a registered historic building of Cumberland County.

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