The Grand Lodge of Ancient Free & Accepted Masons of the State of Connecticut is the main governing body of

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 ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

as recognized by the

United Grand Lodge of England The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) is the governing Masonic lodge for the majority of freemasons in England, Wales and the Commonwealth of Nations. Claiming descent from the Masonic grand lodge formed 24 June 1717 at the Goose & Gridiron T ...

. The Grand Lodge of Connecticut is headquartered at Wallingford, Connecticut.

History

Freemasonry was first established in

from the city of

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

in 1750.

David Wooster David Wooster ( – May 2, 1777) was an American general who served in the French and Indian War and in the American Revolutionary War. He died of wounds sustained during the Battle of Ridgefield, Connecticut. Several cities, schools, and public ...

was the charter Master of "The Lodge at New Haven", which later became Hiram Lodge No. 1. This lodge was formed under warrant from St. John's Provincial Grand Lodge at Boston. The Grand Lodge of

was founded on July 8, 1789 with

Pierpont Edwards Pierpont Edwards (April 8, 1750 – April 5, 1826) was a delegate to the Congress of the Confederation and was a United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. Educa ...

as its first Grand Master. At the founding of the Grand Lodge of Connecticut, it had 14 lodges with five more being chartered in the following two years. The first lodge chartered by the Grand Lodge of Connecticut was Moriah Lodge No. 15 in Brooklyn Connecticut constituted on October 15, 1790. In 1887, Hiram Lodge challenged the authority of the Grand Lodge of Connecticut to dictate the style of ritual it would use.

Membership

As in most Masonic jurisdictions, membership in a

Masonic Lodge A Masonic lodge, often termed a private lodge or constituent lodge, is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also commonly used as a term for a building in which such a unit meets. Every new lodge must be warranted or chartered ...

under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Connecticut is open to any male over 18 years of age who believes in a Supreme Being and is of sound moral character. One member of a Local Lodge being petitioned must be willing to sign his petition as Recommender, and any other Master Mason must sign as Avoucher. His election is by unanimous consent. In addition,

Lodges require a candidate to be a Connecticut resident for at least one year.

Prince Hall Freemasonry in Connecticut

On October 14, 1989, the Grand Lodge of Connecticut became the first Mainstream Grand Lodge in the United States to formally recognize and maintain the recognition of

Prince Hall Freemasonry Prince Hall Freemasonry is a branch of North American Freemasonry for African Americans founded by Prince Hall on September 29, 1784. There are two main branches of Prince Hall Freemasonry: the independent State Prince Hall Grand Lodges, most of ...

. Both Grand Lodges allow dual-membership rights for its members.

Notable Connecticut Freemasons

Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold ( Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American military officer who served during the Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of major general before defect ...

- American Revolutionary War General and Notable Defector - Hiram Lodge No. 1, New Haven *

Samuel Colt Samuel Colt (; July 19, 1814 – January 10, 1862) was an American inventor, industrialist, and businessman who established Colt's Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company (now Colt's Manufacturing Company) and made the mass production of r ...

- American inventor and industrialist - St. John's Lodge No. 4, Hartford *

- Delegate to the American Continental Congress and United States Federal judge - Hiram Lodge No. 1, New Haven *

Israel Putnam Israel Putnam (January 7, 1718 – May 29, 1790), popularly known as "Old Put", was an American military officer and landowner who fought with distinction at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). He als ...

- American Revolutionary War general, who fought with distinction at the Battle of Bunker Hill - Military lodge in Crown Point *

Rob Simmons Robert Ruhl "Rob" Simmons (born February 11, 1943) is an American politician and retired U.S. Army colonel who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2007, representing Connecticut's second congressional d ...

- Retired U.S. Army Colonel and former U.S. Congressman from Connecticut - Coastal Lodge No. 57, Stonington *

- American Revolutionary War general - Hiram Lodge No. 1, New Haven *

Lyman Law Lyman Law (August 19, 1770 – February 3, 1842), son of Richard Law and father of John Law, was a United States representative from Connecticut. He was born New London, Connecticut. He pursued classical studies and was graduated from Yale C ...

- Member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Sixth Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Connecticut - Wooster Lodge No. 10, Colchester *

Hiram Bingham III Hiram Bingham III (November 19, 1875 – June 6, 1956) was an American academic, explorer and politician. He made public the existence of the Inca Empire, Inca citadel of Machu Picchu in 1911 with the guidance of local indigenous farmers. Late ...

- American academic, explorer and politician. He made public the existence of the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu. Later, Bingham served as a member of the United States Senate for the state of Connecticut - Hiram Lodge No. 1, New Haven *

Oliver Wolcott Jr. Oliver Wolcott Jr. (January 11, 1760 – June 1, 1833) was an American politician and judge. He was the second United States Secretary of the Treasury, a judge of the United States Circuit Court for the Second Circuit, and the 24th Governor of Co ...

- 2nd

United States Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

, a

United States circuit judge In the United States, federal judges are judges who serve on courts established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. They include the chief justice and the associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, the circuit judges of the U.S. Cou ...

of the United States Circuit Court for the Second Circuit and the 24th

Governor of Connecticut The governor of Connecticut is the head of government of Connecticut, and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Connecticu ...

St. John's Lodge No. 4, Hartford.

References

External links