May 14 was gorgeous and sunny, perhaps the only nice Saturday we’ve had this spring, making it a perfect day to work outdoors.
And that’s just what the lodge brothers, under the direction of the Most Worshipful Grand Master Lee A. Taylor Jr., were doing in front of the Francis Scott Key Memorial.
For the last five years, the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Maryland (MWPHGLM) has taken responsibility for beautifying the median park in the 1300 block of Eutaw Place, assisted by long-time park supporter Henri Daniels, who lives in that block.
Inspired by the example of Sara and Marvin Bigham’s work maintaining the median strip in the 1400 & 1500 blocks of Eutaw Place, Henri Daniels sought their guidance and started sprucing up the 1300 block in the spring of 2005. That year and many other years, Cylburn Arboretum supplied the plant materials.
Henri said that those first year plants included some particularly beautiful red begonias, and recalled that shortly after planting, there was a wedding at the Masonic Temple. She was touched that the wedding party choose to take their photos in the median, surrounded by the freshly planted flowers.
Since they became involved, the Prince Hall Lodge has supplied all the materials and most of the manpower. This spring, the group worked all morning, and produced stunning results.
The Lodge is named in honor of Prince Hall, a black Bostonian who became a freemason before the American Revolution. In 1784, Hall was granted a charter by the freemasons in England to create a chapter in the United States. Read more on Prince Hall history.
The Prince Hall chapter has grown since then, with affiliates in many states. Under the MWPHGLM’s jurisdiction, Most Worshipful Grand Master Lee A. Taylor Jr. leads over 60 lodges in Maryland and beyond, including some lodges overseas.
The Grand Lodge at 1307 Eutaw place has many grand rooms suitable for large groups, which they make available for rental to the community for meetings, parties and other gatherings.
We welcome the Prince Hall Grand Lodge as a new MRIA member and thank them for being such great neighbors.
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