An Early History of Shakespeare Lodge
W Bill Thomas, March, 2003

This paper was first presented on March 6, 2003, at a joint meeting of Shakespeare Lodge, Allied Lodge No.1170, and Boyer Lodge No.1 (MW Prince Hall Grand Lodge of New York).

The petition to organize Shakespeare Lodge was granted and is dated February 16, 1874. But to look at its origins, we must make a trip back further in time, and to a historically most surprising source. For Shakespeare's founders were originally members of a Prince Hall Lodge - the only Caucasian Lodge known in the history of Prince Hall Masonry.

In December 1869, Hamilton Lodge, UD, was formed in the Prince Hall United Grand Lodge of New York with Worshipful Abraham Levy as its Master.

On January 24, 1870, at a Special Communication, a petition was submitted to change the name to Downshire Lodge, owing to the "bad odor surrounding the name of Hamilton."

A week later, on Thursday, February 3, 1870, Right Worshipful Brother William H. Anthony, Deputy Grand Master, duly constituted Downshire Lodge No. 12. Worshipful Abraham Levy was the first Master. All members except the secretary were Caucasian Jewish men of Eastern European extraction. The secretary was Brother Albert Wilson, who was at the same time Grand Secretary.

From February through December, 12 regular communications were held, and typical Masonic events were held, including degree work and a burial.

At the annual communication in June 1873, the name was changed again to Progress Lodge No. 12.

The 1874 proceedings of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge reflect that "Progress Lodge No.12, New York City, changed to Shakespeare Lodge No.750 under the jurisdiction of the New York Grand Lodge (white)." Brother Harry E. Davis has done research on the New York Prince Hall Grand Lodge, and has remarked that the warrant was recalled although it is not clear exactly when that happened.

Thus we have a number of Caucasian Prince Hall brothers without a Lodge. The earliest records of Shakespeare no longer exist, but we can make some inferences based upon New York Grand Lodge records.

The Dispensation to form Shakespeare was issued February 16, 1874. The founding members, including Worshipful Brother Jacob P. Solomon as Master Under Dispensation, were from True Craftsman's Lodge, Emanuel Lodge, Mt. Neboh Lodge and Montgomery Lodge. They instituted Shakespeare on March 10, 1874.

To digress for a moment, it is interesting to note that this was the second lodge to be named "Shakespeare" for which Brother Solomon had petitioned. In 1867, he and nine others petitioned the Grand Master, who inexplicably changed the name to "Philanthropic Lodge, UD." When the Charter finally issued, the Grand Master again changed the name, this time to "True Craftmens [sic]"

Brother Solomon's Lodge, True Craftsman, recommended the Shakespeare for its Warrant. The Charter was granted on June 16, 1874. During the three-month period of Dispensation, Shakespeare held 18 communications. Thirteen men were made Master Masons, 11 were made Fellowcrafts, and 11 were made Entered Apprentices. Most Worshipful Ellwood Thorne, Grand Master, formally constituted the lodge six days later on June 22, 1874. Almost immediately, most of the petitioning members, including Brother Solomon, returned to their original lodges.

Brother Solomon sat in the East for the shortest time of all Shakespeare's Masters. He was a well-known Masonic lecturer, and Junior Grand Deacon for the Grand Lodge of New York in 1895-1896.

The Progress Lodge brothers who joined Shakespeare included Abraham Levy, who had been Worshipful Master of Downshire when it was chartered in February 1870. An 1870 list of Downshire brothers shows eight who joined Shakespeare in 1874. It is probable that there were many others, but the 1874 records for Progress Lodge have not been found for comparison. It is likely that the 18 communications and heavy degree work done in the three months under dispensation were to bring the Progress Lodge brothers into the Shakespeare.

Shakespeare's first meetings were held at Bennett's Hall at 96 Bowery, which is a block north of Canal Street in China Town. We can make an educated guess that the Progress Lodge likely met there as well, in that the new lodge went immediately into its habitat. Shakespeare continued to meet there. Meetings were held every Monday and Wednesday throughout the year; the lodge did not go dark in the summer.

It was not long before Shakespeare moved into the brand new Masonic Temple at 23rd Street and 6th Avenue. When the 24th Street addition was completed in 1909, the Lodge moved into the Corinthian Room.

In 1925, the Lodge met at the Koran Room of the Mecca Temple on West 56th Street. [Mecca Temple's building was sold eventually, and is now the beautiful City Center.] The Grand Lodge was giving incentives to move into its building, and it was in the late 1930's that Shakespeare moved back to 23rd Street, to the beautiful but un-air conditioned Colonial Room, where we meet to this day. (You will note that the room retains that flavor and remains un-air conditioned.)

The initiation fee was $20 in 1874, and annual dues were $6.35. That was equivalent to a month's wages to join, and a full week's wages for dues.

There is, however, another connection between Shakespeare and Prince Hall. In 1901, 20 Shakespeare brothers dimitted to form their own Lodge. They formed William McKinley Lodge No.840. McKinley built a grand temple, which fell on financially hard times. The trustees halted interest payments on Brothers' loans and no brother objected. However the widow of one brother petitioned for involuntary bankruptcy which the court granted and the building was sold in the Bankruptcy proceeding. [We might speculate that if the brother had stayed alive McKinley Lodge might have weathered the depression.] McKinley sold the building on 155th Street to the Prince Hall Grand Lodge. (I had the pleasure to sit in several communications in this old structure, and could feel the circle coming around again.)

Shakespeare has never forgotten its Prince Hall roots. In the early 1970's, members of the lodge labored to help constitute the first African American Lodge in the Grand Lodge of New York. Right Worshipful Daniel Semel was instrumental in the Charter process and was the first Master of Allied Lodge No.1170.