Thursday, March 6, 2025 marked the 250th Anniversary of Prince Hall Freemasonry. This year, Prince Hall Freemasons all around the world will be celebrating the initiation of Prince Hall and fourteen other men of color into the oldest fraternity in the world on Castle William Island in Boston Harbor, on March 6, 1775, exactly 250 years ago on this date. Prince Hall was a former slave who later became a prominent member of the African American community in Boston, Massachusetts. He was an advocate for education rights and the abolition of slavery.

The 250th Anniversary Celebration Banquet will be held on the weekend of August 8-9. The distinguished speaker for the evening is RW Brother Dr. Oscar Alleyne, Past Junior Grand Warden of New York. Brother Alleyne is an internationally respected Masonic speaker and practical thought leader having presented over 200 lectures covering multiple areas of interest to over 8000 Freemasons and has published in several widely distributed Masonic journals, research bodies and educational conferences on Freemasonry.

The reception on August 8 will be held at the Dedham Boston Hilton Hotel from 6pm-10pm and the banquet on the 9th will be held at the William E. Reed Auditorium, 24 Washington Street Dorchester, MA from 6 p.m.-7 p.m. (cocktail hour), 7:30 (dinner) and the program to begin by 9 p.m.. The attire for this event is semi-formal. 

Panel discussion about the historic effort led by Chinese immigrant mothers to organize for educational rights as elementary school busing began in 1975. Accompanied by outdoor photo exhibit at Chin Park and a visit by the Boston Desegregation Mobile Museum.

Join us for a public conversation at Ramsay Park about Airfoil/Captain David Ramsay Memorial by Reginald Jackson and Valerie Maynard

All are welcome to this free and public event!

*This public conversation is part of the National Center of Afro-American Artists' new project, FINDING OURSELVES IN PUBLIC SPACES: An UnMonument Project, and it is funded by The Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture's Un-monument Initiative, supported by a grant from The Mellon Foundation.

Photo courtesy by National Center of Afro-American Artists

Join Old North Illuminated on Zoom as part of the Digital Speaker Series Event for a conversation with historian J.L. Bell about the death of Major John Pitcairn and the mystery surrounding his burial.

 

The Bunker Hill Day Breakfast is one of the oldest Associates' traditions that brings the town and its elected leaders together to celebrate the vibrancy of the Charlestown community over a some bacon and eggs. Please join us this historic year to celebrate 40 years of the Bunker Hill Associates and 250 years for America! To meet the moment, the Associates' are extraordinarily proud to announce that this year's keynote speaker will be none other than Charlestown's own Brigadier General Ralph J. Rizzo, Jr., Commanding General, Marine Corps Installations East!

The American Legion is hosting a 2025 Battle of Bunker Hill Parade Chief Marshal Banquet.

6:00 p.m. Doors open

7:00 p.m. promptly: Introduction of the Chief Marshall

7:15 -9:00 p.m. Speaker Program, Dinner, and Presentations

More details to come!

2025 Chief Marshall: Sergeant 1st Class Jamie Chambers, Massachusetts National Guard

Major General Joseph Warren's death at the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775, secured his legacy as a revolutionary war hero. Lesser known is his role as an advocate for organized healthcare for the poor and needy. Both he and his brother John advanced American medicine during the Revolutionary and Early Republic eras. In the early 1800s, John's son Dr. John Collins Warren would build upon those ideals through his own role in co-founding the Massachusetts General Hospital. Join us in person or online as Dr. Forman explores the lives of these three men and their continued influence on current health care.

Presented by Samuel Forman, MD historian and author.