A Brotherhood Rooted in Bristol
For more than 150 years, King Lodge No. 461 has brought men from different walks of life together in friendship, service and the pursuit of becoming better men.
We are proud of our history, but King Lodge is not a museum. Today, new generations of Masons are joining longtime Brothers to serve Bristol, strengthen our community and carry the traditions of Freemasonry forward.
2026 Lodge Officers
Masonic Meetings in our Building
The King Masonic Temple is home to several Masonic organizations serving Bristol and the surrounding region. If you are new to Freemasonry, King Lodge No. 461 is where your Masonic journey begins. Known as a Blue Lodge, it is the foundation of membership in Freemasonry.
King Masonic Temple
Why do Masons call their building a Temple?
In Freemasonry, a Lodge is the group of Masons, not the building where they meet. King Lodge No. 461 is our Brotherhood, whether we gather in our building on 5th Street or somewhere else.
Our Masonic Temple is the building where King Lodge meets, conducts its business, shares fellowship, and preserves its traditions. “Temple” is simply a traditional name Freemasons have long used for their buildings. It does not mean the Lodge operates as a church or a place of religious worship, and Freemasonry is not a religion.
King Lodge & the Story of Bristol
King Lodge met at 410–412 Main Street, now State Street, from 1881 until 1923, then met in another building while our present Masonic Temple was planned and constructed on the site of Bristol’s first jail. Dedicated in 1940, the building has served generations of Masons and remains home to King Lodge and other Masonic bodies today.
Biographies of our early Brothers, the founding of Bristol and the places that shaped King Lodge.
EXPLORE OUR HISTORY →