What Is Freemasonry?

Freemasonry is the oldest and largest fraternal organization in the world, built on the principles of brotherly love, relief, and truth.

Its roots trace back to the stonemason guilds of medieval Europe, whose members built the great cathedrals and castles and passed their craft down through structured levels of skill — apprentice, journeyman, and master. Over time, these "operative" masons' lodges began admitting men who weren't stonemasons by trade but who valued the fraternity's teachings and symbolism. This transition to "speculative" Masonry, using the tools of the stonemason's craft as symbols for moral and ethical lessons, gave rise to Freemasonry as it's practiced today.

The first Grand Lodge was formed in London in 1717, and the fraternity spread quickly across Europe and to colonial America. The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, chartered in 1731, is among the oldest Masonic bodies in the United States, with early members including Benjamin Franklin.

What Masons Believe

Freemasonry is not a religion, and it doesn't replace any member's personal faith. It does require a belief in a Supreme Being, and it uses allegory and symbolism — drawn from architecture and the builder's craft — to teach lessons about self-improvement, charity, and integrity.

Freemasonry Today

Modern Masons meet in local Lodges, like Huguenot Lodge No. 377, to conduct Lodge business, confer degrees on new members, and support charitable causes in their communities. Pennsylvania Masons and their affiliated charities support causes ranging from children's homes to senior care communities to blood and organ donation.