The Grand Lodge of Idaho (full formal name Grand Lodge of Idaho, Ancient Free & Accepted Masons) is one of several bodies that govern

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 sove ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...

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 ...

. It was established in 1867 by five Masonic Lodges operating in Idaho Territory. Membership in Freemasonry nationwide peaked during the period from 1900-1950. In Idaho "membership in Masons statewide has declined from 11,000 in 1982 to 4,388 members" in 2010, and "the number of lodges has declined to 56." The Grand Lodge of Idaho is headquartered in

Boise Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown area' ...

History

The first organized Masonic activity in present-day Idaho dates to 1862, when a group of Freemasons organized an informal Masonic club in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

in what was then

Washington Territory The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington. It was created from the ...

. That same year, a dispensation was granted by the Grand Lodge of Washington to form a new

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 ...

in Lewiston. This Lodge was chartered in 1864 but disbanded a year later after a decline in gold mining activities in the area. In July 1863 the Grand Lodge of Oregon granted a dispensation to a Masonic group in Bannock City (now Idaho City). This Lodge was chartered as Idaho Lodge No. 35 in 1864. The Grand Lodge of Washington, which considered all of Idaho Territory to be within its jurisdiction, charged the Grand Lodge of Oregon with illegally chartering the lodge. This controversy continued for some time and spread throughout the Masonic community in the United States. Even so, over the next couple years Masonic Lodges in northern Idaho Territory were granted charters in Washington while southern Idaho Territory Lodges continued to receive charters from Oregon. By 1867 the need for a local Grand Lodge was recognized by the active Masonic Lodges in southern Idaho Territory. These Masonic Lodges, Idaho Lodge of Idaho City, Boise Lodge of Boise, Placer Lodge of Placerville, Pioneer Lodge of Pioneerville, and Owyhee Lodge of Silver City, met in December 1867 to form the Grand Lodge of Idaho. This meeting is considered to be the founding of the Grand Lodge of Idaho. The new Grand Lodge issued charters to these five Lodges in June 1868 which superseded their original charters from Oregon. Idaho Lodge, which spearheaded the drive to create a Grand Lodge in Idaho Territory, was given the distinction of being recognized as its first chartered Lodge. Today Idaho Lodge No. 1 is headquartered in Boise. A Masonic Lodge in Grangeville was chartered by the Grand Lodge of Idaho in December 1873, becoming the first northern Idaho Lodge under the Grand Lodge of Idaho's jurisdiction. Freemasonry spread quickly in Idaho. By the time Idaho attained statehood in July 1890 there were 21 active regular Masonic Lodges in the new state. In 1910 there were nearly 60. Since its founding the Grand Lodge of Idaho has chartered 97 regular Masonic Lodges. However in the post-World War II era, the number of Masonic lodges has declined. As of 2006, there were only 64 actives lodges in Idaho, and by 2020, the number had further decreased to 47. The Idaho Lodge of Research, a special Masonic Lodge dedicated to Masonic scholarship, was chartered in 1965.

Membership

As in most Masonic jurisdictions, membership in a Masonic Lodge under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Idaho is open to any male over 18 years of age who believes in a Supreme Being. In addition, Idaho Lodges require a candidate to be an Idaho resident for at least six months and apply for membership in his local Lodge. However, once he becomes a member of his local Lodge he may become a "plural affiliate" (i.e. a member of another Lodge simultaneously) elsewhere.

Prince Hall Freemasonry in Idaho

In the early 1990s the Grand Lodge of Idaho formally recognized

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 ...

. However, as of 2006 there is no separate Prince Hall Masonic jurisdiction in Idaho. Prince Hall Freemasonry in the state is currently administered by the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Oregon.

Current Lodges under the Grand Lodge or Idaho

: Known as Nampa No. 29 until 1988. : Known as Acacia No. 62 until 1943. : Previously existed as Kaniksu No. 85, 1922-1987. : Lodge of Research No. 1965 is a special Lodge dedicated to Masonic scholarship.

References

External links

Grand Lodge of IdahoIdaho Masonic Family AllianceGoogle book passage on "Grand Lodge of Idaho"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grand Lodge Of Idaho 1867 establishments in Idaho Territory

Freemasonry in the United States