Prince Hall Mystic Cemetery
Prince Hall Mystic Cemetery is a site in Arlington, Massachusetts, listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 25, 1998.
Plan your visit
- Access
- Access information not verified
Last checked October 31, 2026 - Location
- Arlington, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
National Register listing does not mean a place is open to the public. Parking and accessibility are shown only when verified.
History
The Prince Hall Mystic Cemetery, also known as the Prince Hall Cemetery, is a historic cemetery located on Gardner Street, Arlington, Massachusetts, United States. It may be the only remaining African American Masonic cemetery in the United States.
The cemetery is a burial place for members of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge F & AM, founded by Prince Hall in Boston in 1776. Prince Hall Freemasonry was the first African American Masonic group in the United States. In 1864, Grand Master William B. Kendall deeded this site to his lodge. The cemetery was dedicated in 1868 and put in trust to be used exclusively as a Prince Hall Freemasonry burial ground. Records indicate it was in use until about 1897 when it fell into disuse.
As time passed it was forgotten until its rediscovery in 1987. It was rededicated in 1990 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. Today the cemetery is the last extant cemetery associated with Prince Hall Masons. It contains a small park with a monument. A 1988 survey found remains of the original gate and an obelisk.
Excerpt from the Wikipedia article, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. The official nomination form is linked under Sources.
Other listings in Arlington
- Arlington Center Historic District District · listed 1974
- Kensington Park Historic District District · listed 1985
- Pleasant Street Congregational Church Building · listed 1983
- Allyn House Building · listed 1985
- Arlington Center Historic District (Boundary Increase) District · listed 1985
- Arlington Coal & Lumber Building · listed 1985
- Arlington Gaslight Company Building · listed 1985
- Arlington Pumping Station Building · listed 1985
- Arlington Reservoir Structure · listed 1985
- Baptist Society Meeting House Building · listed 1985
- Bassett, Maria, House Building · listed 1985
- Butterfield-Whittemore House Building · listed 1978
- Call-Bartlett House Building · listed 1985
- Calvary Methodist Church Building · listed 1983
- Capitol Theater Building Building · listed 1985
Nearby historic places
- Grace Episcopal Church Medford, MA · about 1 mi
- Salem Street Burying Ground Medford, MA · about 2 mi
- Walden Street Cattle Pass Cambridge, MA · about 2 mi
- Mystic Dam Winchester, MA · about 2 mi
- Mystic Gatehouse Winchester, MA · about 2 mi
- Warren, Langford H., House Cambridge, MA · about 2 mi