The beginnings of Lodge No. 2 are practically inseparable from the origins of Pennsylvania Freemasonry as it is today.  Pennsylvania Lodge No. 4, the first iteration of our lodge, was established on June 24, 1757.  However, as this new lodge began its work, it quickly became apparent that Lodge No. 4 was not following the “Modern” Masonic ritual under the rules of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania and the “Modern” Grand Lodge of England.  Instead, this new lodge was working in the “Ancient” form, a new branch of Freemasonry that sought to return to the Craft’s traditional landmarks and customs.  Long dissatisfied with the inconsistent and disorganized state of “Modern” Freemasonry, the “Ancients” had established their own “Ancient” Grand Lodge of England in 1751.  The brethren of Lodge No. 4, realizing that their true loyalties did not lie with the other “Modern” lodges, petitioned the Ancient Grand Lodge of England for the proper Masonic authority to constitute a new “Ancient” lodge in Philadelphia, the first of its kind in Pennsylvania.  On June 7, 1758, the Ancient Grand Lodge of England issued a warrant establishing Lodge No. 69 on the rolls of England and No. 1 in Pennsylvania.  This is the date that we in Lodge No. 2 celebrate as the day our lodge was born.

But not long after Lodge No. 1 was established, it quickly became apparent that a single lodge would not be able to fully promote the “Ancient” form of Freemasonry in opposition to the several “Modern” lodges.  The brethren of Lodge No. 1 therefore requested for the Ancient Grand Lodge of England to establish an Ancient Grand Lodge in Pennsylvania, so that new Ancient lodges could be lawfully warranted and created.  Anticipating that their petition would be granted, Lodge No. 1 renamed itself “Lodge No. 2” in 1760, surrendering “Lodge No. 1” to the forthcoming Provincial Grand Lodge.  The Ancient Provincial Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania was thereafter established by the Ancient Grand Lodge of England on July 15, 1761.  For the first several years of its existence, Lodge No. 2 was virtually synonymous with the Ancient Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania – all of the Grand Officers came from Lodge No. 2 until 1772. 

Fifty-four members of Lodge No. 2 were officers in the Continental Army during the American struggle for independence – sixteen colonels, ten majors, and twenty-eight captains.  As a result, the lodge was specifically targeted by the British Army during the occupation of Philadelphia, when British soldiers broke into the lodge hall at 2nd and Chestnut Streets and stole Lodge No. 2’s jewels and materials.  Those jewels subsequently came into the possession of the other Ancient lodges in Philadelphia, who were predominantly Loyalist and continued to work during the occupation.  In a strange twist of fate, those lodges pledged to temporarily hold the jewels, and subsequently returned them when Lodge No. 2 reopened after the British abandoned Philadelphia in 1778 – one of numerous examples of Freemasons assisting their brethren on the opposite side of a conflict.

By the end of the war, the “Modern” branch of Freemasonry was extinct in Pennsylvania, leaving only the “Ancient” lodges that originated with Lodge No. 2.  For that reason, Pennsylvania Freemasonry today is unique in that its rituals closely follow the “Ancient” form, distinguishing us from virtually every other Masonic jurisdiction in not only the United States but the world.  The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania declared itself independent of the Ancient Grand Lodge of England in 1786, and the warrant of constitution under which Lodge No. 2 works today was issued by that independent Grand Lodge in 1789. 

For over two centuries, Lodge No. 2 has been exemplifying Masonic virtues here in Philadelphia.  We are proud of our history–come help us write the next chapter…

Timeline of Lodge No. 2’s History