The bicentennial of organized Freemasonry in Illinois was celebrated in 2005 with the observance of the chartering of Western Star Lodge, established in 1805 in the town Kaskaskia in what was then known as the “Indiana Territory.”  Shadrach Bond, Illinois’ first governor, became a member of this lodge in 1806 and went on to serve as its presiding officer in 1815 and again in 1818, the year in which Illinois achieved statehood.

The first Grand Lodge of Masons of Illinois was formed by a small group of Lodges in 1822 and flourished for several years before ceasing operations in 1827, a period that coincided with the short-lived anti-Masonic national political movement.  However, by 1839, Freemasonry was on the rebound and Illinois’ current Grand Lodge was formed in 1840.

Today, the Masonic Fraternity under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Illinois is comprised of more than 500 Lodges and 70,000 Masons—men of character from every walk of life all working together to build a better world!