In 1950, a bogus masonic organization emerged that cloaked itself with the symbols, language, and titles of Freemasonry. It was called International Free and Accepted Modern Masons, Inc. and began establishing lodges in several states. To many within the African American community, this group looked indistinguishable from the centuries-old Masonic order—for its sense of moral instruction, brotherhood, and roots within that tradition. But there lies a much different story behind the titles and degrees, not in terms of competing claims or historical controversy, but rather in confirmed legal testimony and court proceedings.
A Corporation in Fraternal Clothing
International Free and Accepted Modern Masons, Inc. was founded by a Detroit public figure and former member of Modern Free & Accepted Masons of the world, William V. Banks, who referred to himself as the "Supreme Grand Master." Although his organization had a Masonic title and drew from Masonic influences, he had registered his group not as a Grand Lodge or Masonic jurisdiction, but in Delaware as a fraternal benefit corporation—a legal construction for mutual aid societies, not a spiritual or initiation order.
Banks and his associates established lodges, appointed officers, and assigned Masonic degrees utilizing regalia, language, and rituals that were identical to the authentic lodge practice as it was held in legitimate Masonic practice. The public - as well as many true joiners - was convinced the organization was a legitimate body of the Masonic world.
However, under formal court scrutiny, the organization began to unravel.
The Man Who Wasn't a Mason
At the center of the inquiry was William V. Banks himself. He was sworn to do something simple but fundamental — identify the regular Masonic lodge that made him a Mason — the thing one must have recognized as a Mason, and certainly to preside over a Grand Lodge. He couldn't do it.
This was not an instance in which he forgot or made a clerical problem. This was the moment to reveal the truth: as proven by a court of law, William V. Banks had never been a Mason in a recognized Masonic lodge. This was the death knell for Banks, who claimed to be a Grand Master of a Masonic organization that asserted Masonic authority. The court said International was not Masonic as claimed and, therefore, Banks' assertions were false.
The Alleged 1716 Origin
One of the worst deceptions of the organization is that it claimed an origin date of 1716 in court. 1716 was before the widely recognized founding of the first Grand Lodge, in England, in 1717, and it was clearly chosen to create an air of ancient possible legitimacy.
The court’s response was clear:
“William Banks…deposed that his organization was in existence long before Prince Hall Lodge was organized in Kentucky or any other state; that International had its origin in England in 1716, …No authority is given to sustain this broad statement,....”
The court’s finding revealed a conscious historical fabrication — a false claim created to deceive. The Appellant produced no documents, charter, or continuing history to support that the International had any Masonic origin in1716—or any Masonic origin whatsoever.
The Historical and Legal Verdict
We summarized the sworn testimony and legal analysis and concluded:
A Legacy of Confusion but Not Continuity
After losing the court case International changed multiple things to try ads separate themselves from Freemasonry in the eyes of the courts. They started to wear a fez as a part of their uniform and incorporated a key under the square and compass, which they stole from Modern Free. Lastly, they styled themselves as a "Christian organization with masonic principles." The problem with this is that they call themselves Freemasons and that's not what Freemasonry is. As the courts said, "It is further shown that affiants had been in fact misled into joining the appellants' lodges.”
Regardless of the legal and historical evidence, the International continues to exist today, and most of its members do not seem to know or understand its history. They wear the apron and attend the meetings and recite oblligations, and volunteer for their community only under the impression they are members of Freemasonry. But facts matter.
And the facts, not theory or rumor, will show that International Free and Accepted Modern Masons, Inc. is simply not an element of the Masonic order(s). It is a corporate imitation of other organizations, created by an individual who neither held the title of Mason nor was surrounded by symbols that he had worked to earn or invited into a history that was passed down over generations through a History of Freemasonry.
Copyright © 2021
Post Office Box 2212
Tacoma, WA 88999
President: Damajo Smith, FPSH
Director: Joshua Feliciano, FPSH