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From Lodge to Leadership: Prince Hall Masons at Fort Des Moines

Updated: 5 days ago

When the U.S. War Department established the officer training camp at Fort Des Moines in 1917, it was not only a turning point in American military history — it was a defining moment for Black leadership, brotherhood, and service. Among the men who stepped forward to serve were over 100 Prince Hall Masons, representing more than 20 states across the country. These men, bonded not only by their oath to serve the nation but also by the ties of Masonic brotherhood, helped shape a military legacy that has too often been overlooked.


Their presence at Fort Des Moines is not just a footnote — it is a foundational part of the camp’s story. These were men of discipline, vision, and commitment, who went on to lead in courts, classrooms, churches, and communities across America.


One of these trailblazers was Most Worshipful Past Grand Master S. Joe Brown, who not only trained at Fort Des Moines but also went on to serve as the first president of the NAACP Des Moines Branch and co-founder of the National Bar Association. His life is a powerful example of the connection between military service, legal advocacy, civil rights, and Masonic leadership.


Many of the Prince Hall Masons at Fort Des Moines were also members of historically Black fraternities such as Alpha Phi Alpha, Omega Psi Phi, Phi Beta Sigma, and Kappa Alpha Psi — a testament to how deeply connected these institutions were in building a foundation of Black excellence and service during one of the most challenging eras in American history.


Thanks to the work of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Iowa, especially the archival contributions of MWPGM John L. Thompson, we have a record of most of these brothers — names that deserve to be read, remembered, and revered.


Prince Hall Masons Stationed at Fort Des Moines (1917)

  • Julian Paris Rodgers

  • Elias Austin Morris

  • Cleveland Buchanan

  • Howard Donovan Queen

  • James C. Powell

  • William Henry Burrel

  • Louis R. Mehlinger

  • Ernest M. Pollard

  • James W. Monroe

  • Roscoe C. Clayton

  • Lloyd F. Cook

  • Charles Earnest Murray

  • John W. Ovletrea

  • Henry G. Howard

  • James Wardlaw Mitchell

  • James Crogman Arnold

  • Luther Willie Brown

  • Grafton S. Norman

  • Artemus James Kendall

  • Moses Green

  • John Friason Rice

  • Anderson F. Pitts

  • Albert W. Ford

  • Adam E. Patterson

  • Deton J. Brooks

  • S. Joe Brown

  • Jesse A. Graves

  • Marion C. Rhoten

  • Benjamin Emerson Ammons

  • Robert Hamilton Mc Clasky

  • William Glass

  • Vulcan Irvine

  • Everett Jones

  • Joseph Jones

  • Ben Jesse Mc Daniel

  • William W. Oxley

  • James Edward Gould

  • Chambers Cassius Clayton

  • Isaiah M. Horton

  • Harry Webster Cox

  • Fenton N. Goodson

  • Louis James Mills

  • William Henry Ownes

  • Charles Ecton

  • Samuel Augustus Duncan

  • Frank R. Chisholm

  • Thomas Earl Morris

  • Edward Parker Rudd

  • James L. Norris

  • Stephen R. Juliet

  • Chas S. Fisher

  • Robert Smalls Bampfield

  • Benjamin H. Hills

  • Howard C. Gilbert

  • Leroy H. Godman

  • Samuel M. Huffman

  • Leonard James Faulkner

  • Clifford A. Sandridge

  • Charles N. Manley

  • Charles W. Owens

  • William H. Ridley

  • William H.F. Cottingham

  • Ovdiea E. Ross

  • Joseph Guardeth Moore

  • Hillery W. Johnson

  • Julian F. Adger

  • Rufus Earl Reed

  • Edward Crum Mickey

  • Caleb J.A. Paddyfote

  • Alonzo Pickney Hardy

  • Robert Othello Harleston

  • Garnell H. Brown

  • Silas S. Abrams

  • Charles Wesley Caldwell

  • Joseph H. Bomar

  • Cleve L. Abbott

  • Grover C. Rutherford

  • Vance Hanter Marchbanks

  • Jesse M.H. Graham

  • William W. Robinson

  • James W. Blaine

  • Eugene A. Dykes

  • Joseph E. Matthews

  • Albert L. Hatchett

  • George Albert Holland

  • Scott A. Moyer

  • Abraham Morse

  • Milton Taylor Dean

  • Clarence B. Curley

  • Gurnett E. Ferguson

  • Charles H. Austin

  • James E. Beard

  • Louis Archibald Hilton

  • Russell B. Broxton

  • Boy Langston Alexander

  • Henry Letrort Coleman

  • Henry Alvin Cameron


These men were more than soldiers; they were builders, in every sense of the word. They built pathways to freedom, equity, and leadership in spaces that once excluded them.


Join us in honoring these trailblazers and ensuring their contributions are never forgotten.


📅 Fort Des Moines Historic Marker Unveiling 🗓️ Saturday, June 14, 2025 📍 Fort Des Moines Historic Site 📩 RSVP: https://www.naacpdesmoines.org/events-1/fort-des-moines-historic-marker-unveiling

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