The Beacon Light Lodge Hall

The Beacon Light Lodge Hall. This two-story structure was the second building at this site to house the activities of the Beacon Light Hall Association, a fraternal organization chartered in 1909 by the Prince Hall Free Masons., Free Masonry was organized in England as a secret society for men that initiated those chosen for membership into a brotherhood that featured signs, passwords, rituals and a hierarchy of stages or degrees that members attained as they gained greater understanding of the organization's purpose. The membership met regularly in a Lodge Hall., Because of racial prejudice in the United States, Negroes could not join the white Masonic lodges so they formed their own., The primary function of the brotherhood was to minister to the needs of members and their families; in particular, to assure that at death brothers in good standing received an appropriate funeral and burial., The Lodge served other important functions in the community: it offered fellowship and benevolence in a socially and economically segregated community; it provided a sheltered environment where leadership and organizational skills could develop; it helped build bonds of unity., Lodge meetings were held on the second floor of the building. From 1918-1922, a series of mortuaries owned by Williamson, and Carter and Sutton occupied the first floor. Over the years, a number of businesses occupied the downstairs level of the building, among them a tailor shop, a barber shop and a beauty parlor., In 1969, the building was remodeled, with grey stucco applied to the wood frame siding.