Explore Black History

1953

A Prince Hall Masons certificate declaring Leroy Gilliard of Gothic Lodge No. 212 has reached the degree of "MASTER MASON." The certificate has been pre-printed with an elaborate design and Mr. Gilliard's details completed by hand in black ink. The certificate design features a lot of masonic imagery and symbols. Across the top of the certificate is the Eye of Providence, with a sun to the left and a moon to the right. The words [To all Free and Accepted / PRINCE HALL / MASONS] appears in large decorative fonts in between two ivy-wrapped columns topped by spheres on either side of the certificate information. The columns sit atop a checkerboard floor, on either side of a set of stone steps. The steps are labeled with the five senses ("Tasting, Smelling, Feeling, Seeing, Hearing"), the five types of columns ("Composite, Corinthian, Ionic, Doric, Tuscan"), and seven disciplines of study ("Grammar, Rhetoric, Logic, Arithmetic, Geometry, Music, Astronomy"). At the center of the design is the main certificate text. It reads in part "Greetings / We the Master and Wardens of / Gothic Lodge No. 212 Free and accepted Masons P.H. / constituted under a Charter from the / Grand Lodge of the State of S-C / Worthy Brother Leroy Gailliard (sic) has been regularly / Initiated as an ENTERED APPRENTICE passed the Degree of / FELLOW CRAFT and Raised to the Sublime Degree of / MASTER MASON and is distinguished for his zeal and / fidelity to the Craft.] The certificate is dated July 23, 1953 and is signed by several members of the organization at bottom right, next to a small depiction of a lectern with [PRINCE HALL] on the front, an open book and two compasses on top, surrounded by three lit candles. Just beneath the printed design is printed [© 1949 MASONIC SUPPLY CO. 175 FIFTH AV. NEW YORK 10 N.Y.]. A handwritten inscription below reads [Donated To Building Fund. $15.00]. At the very bottom of the certificate is an embossed seal within a printed black circle, and a printed section that has been crossed out with [TEMPLE ASSOCIATION] stamped in black ink and [Joseph Graham, Pres. / Rev. J.J. Taylor Sec'y] handwritten in black ink. There is a small loss at mid-right center, along crease lines from the document being folded.

National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Families of Leroy Buster Gilliard & Mr. and Mrs. James L. Gilliard

National Museum of African American History and Culture

2021.24.3

ceremonial objects

Unknown - Restrictions Possible
Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.

ink on paper

H x W: 16 9/16 × 10 13/16 in. (42 × 27.5 cm)

Object Name • Master mason certificate for Leroy Gilliard

nmaahc_2021.24.3

NMAAHC

MASTER MASON CERTIFICATE FOR LEROY GILLIARD

National Museum of African American History and Culture

CC0

1950s

Gilliard, Leroy Buster • Prince Hall Freemasonry • Masonic Supply Company

Charleston County • Charleston • United States • North and Central America • South Carolina

Design • American South • Communities • Fraternal organizations • Freemasons • Men • Associations and institutions

City • Charleston • County • Charleston County • State • South Carolina • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America

Unknown - Restrictions Possible