Mary Ann Prout (February 14, 1800 or 1801 – 1884) was an African-American educator and founder of the Black fraternal society, Independent Order of St. Luke.
[1][2] Prout was thought to be born in either South River or Baltimore, Maryland in 1800 or 1801.
She was involved in other humanitarian ventures; a trusteeship of the Gregory Aged Women's Home, president of the local chapter of the National Reform Educational Association, and founded a secret order in 1867 that became the Independent Order of St. Luke, a Black aid organization.
The Independent Order of St. Luke was founded in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1867 by Mary Ann Prout.
[5] Originally a women's only aid society, it allowed men to join in the 1880s.