Skip to main content

Please note The Museum of the Reconstruction Era will be closed for house tours Wednesday, Feb. 1 - Friday, Feb. 3 due to garden renovations.

Menu Close Menu

Historic Columbia

Donate
  • FAQs
Upcoming Events

Navigation

  • Tours
    • House Tours
      • Robert Mills House and Gardens
      • Hampton-Preston Mansion and Gardens
      • Mann-Simons Site
      • The Museum of the Reconstruction Era
      • Modjeska Monteith Simkins House
      • Hours and Pricing
    • Garden Tours
      • Garden Database
    • Offsite Tours
      • Walking Tours
    • African American History Tours
    • Online Tours
  • Education
    • Field Trips
      • House Tours
    • Adult Education
  • Preservation
    • Current Projects and Initiatives
      • Bull Street Campus 
      • Columbia's Green Book Sites
      • Veterans Administration Regional Office
      • Women’s Club of Columbia
    • Preservation Awards
    • Resources for the Public
      • For Property Owners
      • For Neighborhoods
      • Take Action!
    • LGBTQ Columbia
  • Support
    • Corporate Support
    • Donate
    • Membership
    • Volunteer
    • Partners and Donors
  • Rent a Venue
    • Gardens of the Woodrow Wilson Family Home
    • Seibels House and Garden
    • Robert Mills Carriage House and Gardens
    • Gardens of the Hampton-Preston Mansion
    • Recommended Vendors
    • Contact Us
  • About
    • Blog
    • Board Members
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
    • Gift Shop at Robert Mills
      • Online Store
    • Local History
      • Columbia Jewish Heritage Initiative
    • Newsletter
    • Staff Directory

Donate

  1. Home
  2. Online Tours
  3. Lower Waverly
  4. 2324 Gervais Street

2324 Gervais Street

2324 Gervais Street

M.W. Prince Hall Grand Lodge

Following the Civil War, participation in fraternal orders assumed an important role within the African-American community throughout the South, as notable citizens became members of organizations like the Masons. In 1909 within a former fire station at 1125 Washington Street, Columbia blacks established the Prince Hall Lodge, in honor of the "Father of black masonry." By 1963, the order had purchased enough land on Gervais Street to begin construction on its new building that still stands today. Along with its affiliate organizations, the Knights of Pythogas, the Grand Girls Assembly, and the Order of the Eastern Star, the Lodge is known for facilitating charitable events, including food and clothing drives. The Eastern Star was a benevolent organization founded in 1855, open to both the wives of Masons and Masons themselves. In Columbia, the Eastern Star Chapter would meet in the Masonic Temple at 2314 Gervais Street.

  • 2324 Gervais Street

    2324 Gervais Street, 2018. Historic Columbia collection

  • hopkins family

    Harriet McMillan (far left), Maryanne McMillan (back), Shirley Alberta Sanders (far right), and Lucy Elizabeth Sanders (front), play on Senate Street, circa 1950. These homes were demolished before the temple was built. Image courtesy Jean Hopkins

  • Prince Hall members

    Members of the Prince Hall Lodge are pictured wearing their lodge regalia. Image courtesy Folklife Resource Center, McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina

  • Eastern Star board

    Members of the Eastern Star board. Image courtesy Folklife Resource Center, McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina

Lomas Gist chronicles the process of acquiring land and building the Prince Hall Grand Lodge.

Jean Hopkins describes living in a Shotgun style house where the Prince Hall Grand Lodge now stands.

Directions:

    Previous2100-2300 Blocks of Gervais Street

    Next2338 Gervais Street

    Newsletter Signup

    newsletter signup

    Subscribe to our monthly newsletter for events, news, and updates from Historic Columbia!

    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Flickr
    Historic Columbia

    © 2023 Historic Columbia

    Administrative Offices
    1601 Richland Street
    Columbia, SC 29201

    Tours
    All historic house and garden tours start at the Gift Shop at Robert Mills.
    1616 Blanding Street
    Columbia, SC 29201

    Questions? Call (803) 252-7742.

    Website by Cyberwoven