Prudence Lodge No. 6

Prudence Lodge No. 6 was chartered on January 20, 1854, during the tenure of Grand Master Levi Anderson, and the brethren began meeting as a chartered lodge in February 1854. Early meetings were held in churches, meeting houses, and the homes of members. The original charter was lost, and a new charter was issued in January 1925.

Early records are unavailable, but in the early 1950s C. P. Houston began keeping records of the lodge’s activities. At that time Prudence Lodge met at Red Hall, a community building on the corner of Division and West Streets. In the 1960s, when Red Hall was no longer available, the lodge met in the basement of Howard Stevenson’s funeral home.

In 1970, members approached Dr. James Dennis, a member of the lodge, about renting a building he owned on Reed Street. The brethren converted it into a lodge room and were granted a dispensation by Grand Master C. P. Houston to establish the Square Club, a social entity of Prudence Lodge. In 1975, proceeds from the Square Club helped purchase property on State College Road, where the new home of Prudence Lodge No. 6 and the Square Club was erected; its cornerstone was laid in October 1975. The building featured meeting rooms for community use and an auditorium large enough for church services, wedding receptions, and banquets.

In 2014, Prudence Lodge sold the property to the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Delaware, and the lodge continues to meet at 1412 College Road in Dover, the home of the Grand Lodge.