The Grand Lodge of Minnesota, formally known as "The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Minnesota," is the oldest independent Masonic

Grand Lodge A Grand Lodge (or Grand Orient or other similar title) is the overarching governing body of a fraternal or other similarly organized group in a given area, usually a city, state, or country. In Freemasonry A Grand Lodge or Grand Orient is the us ...

established in Minnesota. It was formed in 1853.

History

Many early settlers from the eastern and southern states brought

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

with them to their new homes in the frontier west. In the growing and thriving villages of Stillwater and

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

these men sought the companionship of other Masons. The first recorded Masonic meeting in the Territory was held on May 31, 1849 in Saint Paul. A meeting notice had been published in the first newspaper in the Territory, the Minnesota Pioneer. The meeting was held in a room above the newspaper office. No written record exists as to what transpired at this, or at two subsequent meetings; it may be surmised, however, that this group of Masons discussed the varied forms of the masonic work from their home jurisdictions. They would have also made plans for obtaining a dispensation to confer the degrees on willing and deserving candidates. Similarly, other Masons were meeting and talking about the formation of a lodge in Stillwater as early as November 1849. Not until 1851 would a third group of Masons seek to form a lodge in the hamlet of Saint Anthony. The Grand Lodge of Minnesota was formed by the union of three chartered Lodges: Saint Johns Lodge No. 1, operating under a charter from the Grand Lodge of Wisconsin, dispensation granted October 12, 1850; Cataract Lodge No. 2, operating under a charter granted by the Grand Lodge of Illinois, dispensation granted February 5, 1852; and St. Paul Lodge No. 3, operating under a charter granted by the

Grand Lodge of Ohio The Grand Lodge of Ohio, formally known as the Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of Ohio, is the governing body of the largest group of Masonic lodges in Ohio (the next largest being the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Ohio). The G ...

, dispensation granted August 8, 1849. The creation of the Grand Lodge took place at a convention held on February 23–24, 1853 in Saint Paul, five years before Minnesota was admitted to the union. The Grand Lodge was formally constituted on February 24, 1853, with its headquarters in Saint Paul. It later relocated to Bloomington in 2006, where it remains to this day.

References

External links

Grand Lodge of Minnesota
Freemasonry in the United States 1853 establishments in Minnesota Territory {{Grand Lodges in the United States