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Memorial Day 2014, Mystic Valley Lodge welcomed the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts to Arlington. The Prince Hall Grand Lodge celebrated the 150th Anniversary of the Prince Hall Cemetery on Gardner Street in East Arlington. The Cemetery is a small plot of land that was sold to the Prince Hall Grand Master William Kendall in 1856. Kendall then deeded the land to the Prince Hall Grand Lodge in a perpetual trust in 1864, to be used as a Masonic Burial Ground for those in need of such purpose.
On behalf of Arlington’s Mystic Valley Lodge, Wor. Master Philip J. Privitera presented a plaque to the Prince Hall Grand Master Compton Jones in appreciation of Prince Hall’s selfless contributions to the Prince Hall Cemetery and to the Arlington community. In its 150 year history, the abandoned cemetery almost fell prey to developers. Through the dedication of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge, in conjunction with the Town of Arlington and the Arlington Historical Society, the cemetery was saved and renovated. Today, the Prince Hall Mystic Arlington Cemetery Association manages the grounds.
rince Hall members, members of its Concordant Bodies and general supporters come from all over Massachusetts, as well as, the country for this Annual Celebration. Brother Dennis Lloyd, for example, whose ancestor was one of the first persons buried in the Cemetery, traveled all the way from Atlanta for the Rededication (unfortunately he had to return to Atlanta early due to personal business).
The Prince Hall Cemetery was dedicated on October 13, 1864. The cemetery’s sesquicentennial will be celebrated in the fall of 2014.
