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New Material now online from the Grand Lodge of North Carolina!

DigitalNC has recently added some new materials online from The Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of North Carolina, including meeting proceedings from the years 1866-1890, other types of documents, various physical objects (medals and commemorative jewelry), and large panoramic photographs. One of the photographs shows the members of the Grand Lodge of North Carolina in Washington D.C. with President Calvin Coolidge.

Royal Order of Jesters

Royal Order of Jesters membership diploma

The meeting proceedings provide a view into the history of Freemasons in North Carolina, particularly in the Raleigh area. The other documents in this batch include a diploma, a membership certificate and a membership patent from various groups within the Grand Lodge of North Carolina. All of these documents contain delicate script and detailed images full of masonic symbolism. Many of the jewels also contain such symbolism.

Engraved Jewel

Engraved Jewel Representing the Seal of King Solomon Lodge No. 56

To see more of the physical objects recently added, take a look at the Grand Lodge’s selection of aprons and badges that have been digitized by DigitalNC. For more information about the Grand Lodge of North Carolina, you can visit their website, or for more on what items have been digitized, see our previous blog post.


New Material from the Grand Lodge of North Carolina now Online

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Certificate of Membership

New materials from The Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of North Carolina have now been made available online, including photographs, documents, and various physical objects. These materials provide a glimpse into the activities of North Carolina Masons from the past 200+ years.

Two names that appear multiple times in this bath of materials are Alexander Boyd Andrews Jr. and Grand Master William Polk. Andrews was a lawyer who took an active role in a number of North Carolina institutions: the Masons, the University of North Carolina, and the Episcopal Church. The Southern Historical Collection in the Wilson Library house some of his papers.

 

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Andrews’ Past Potentate Shriner’s Fez

William Polk was a Revolutionary War hero who went on to have an active career in politics. His roots were on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. In addition to being a representative in the North Carolina House of Commons, Polk was a trustee for the University of North Carolina, serving as president for three years, as well as the Masonic Grand Master of the state. He is buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh.

You can view all of the Grand Lodge’s items on DigitalNC here.


Now Online: Materials from the Grand Lodge of North Carolina

The archives of The Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of North Carolina is one of our newest partners, with photographs, a scrapbook, Lodge publications and more added to DigitalNC.

Chartered in 1771, the Grand Lodge is one of the oldest institutions in the state. Many prominent early North Carolinians–William Hooper and Richard Caswell for example–were members. The archives is currently located in the Executive Office Building on Glenwood Road, in Raleigh; many photos shared through DigitalNC in the current batch show the building, including sketches of the murals in the main lobby created by Allyn Cox, who also provided murals for the U.S. Capitol.

Sketches for Grand Lodge Mural

Sketch of one of two murals in the Grand Lodge Executive Office Building in Raleigh. Artist: Allyn Cox.

NC Freemasons Mural South Wall

Photo of mural in Grand Lodge Executive Office Building, Raleigh, N.C. Courtesy the NC Museum of History.

Other items shared through DigitalNC include the following:

  • Scrapbook of Masonic Bicentennial Celebrations in North Carolina (1976)
  • Photographs of Grand Lodge buildings and staff, as well as the Orphanage at Oxford, NC
  • Directories and Bylaws for Lodges around the state
  • Programs from several building dedications

We hope to share more from the Grand Lodge in the future. View all of their items currently on DigitalNC.


New Issues of The North Carolina Mason now available on DigitalNC!

The oldest and largest fraternal organization in the state, The Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of North Carolina, was founded in 1771 and has maintained an active presence in the state since then. We are excited to add new issues of The North Carolina Mason on the site to help represent this long history. These latest additions include 1973-1993, a significant update to our preexisting collection and a valuable resource for anyone interested in the membership, activities, and philanthropy of North Carolina Freemasons in the late twentieth century. To learn more about the North Carolina Masons today, you can visit their website.


Ledgers from St. John’s Lodge in Wilmington and Zion’s Lodge in Trenton, as well as issues of the North Carolina Mason now on DigitalNC

Thanks to our partner The Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of North Carolina three ledgers from North Carolina lodges from the early 20th century are now online, as well as issues from 1968-1972 of the organization’s newspaper, the North Carolina Mason, are now all available on DigitalNC.

Front page of the North Carolina Mason

Two of the ledgers are from St. John’s Lodge in Wilmington, NC and include meeting minutes, member lists, and other correspondence over the period of 1907-1919. Repairs and other work done to the building the lodge resided in at the time is a common topic of conversation, among many other things. Some interesting items covered both in the St. John’s ledgers as well as one from Zion Lodge No. 81 in Trenton, NC are the payments made out of widows of deceased Masons, showing a way that the Masons provided an avenue of financial and other support when few social safety nets existed for women in particular.

Inside cover of a book with assorted notices pasted inside
Back of the front cover of the minutes of the St. John’s Lodge ledger covering 1907-1916

To view more materials we have digitized for the Grand Lodge, visit their partner page here. And to learn more about the North Carolina Masons today, you can visit their website.


Grand Lodge Minute Books and Scrapbooks Now Available

Thanks to our partner, The Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of North Carolina, a batch of minute books and scrapbooks are now available on our website. The minute books, spanning from 1870 to 1935, come from various lodges including St. John’s Lodge No. 1, Numa F. Reid Lodge No. 344, Relief Lodge No. 431, and Yadkin Falls Lodge No. 637. They feature records of lodge meetings, finances, and references to life outside the lodge including mention of the 1898 Wilmington Massacre. 

Three men posing for a picture,

Three men from the Numa F. Reid Lodge No. 344 posing for a picture.

To learn more about The Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of North Carolina, please visit their website

To view more Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of North Carolina materials on our website, please click here


North Carolina masons who died in WWI and more now online

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A member in full regalia at the 175th anniversary of the Grand Lodge of North Carolina

New materials from out partner The Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of North Carolina are now online. This batch includes several Minute Books and an Account book from St. John’s Lodge no. 1, Minute books and an account book from Zion Lodge no. 81, speeches from well known North Carolina Free Masons such as William Lander and J.M. Lovejoy, letters of correspondence, and more.

One item that may be of particular genealogical interest is a collection of lists of masons who died in World War I. The list is organized by name of lodge and includes the member’s rank, date and place of death, and where he was buried.

Additionally several photographs have been added including images from the 175th anniversary celebration of the Grand Lodge of North Carolina at the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium. The photos show members in full regalia, as well as men in colonial costumes as part of the celebration.

To learn more about The Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of North Carolina, take a look at other digitized items on their partner page, or visit their website.

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Colonial costumes as part of the anniversary celebration


St. John’s Lodge No. 3 items dating to 1798

Document 27 in Correspondences with St. John's Lodge No. 3, Box 2

Document 27 in Correspondences with St. John’s Lodge No. 3, Box 2

A new batch of items from the Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of North Carolina is now available on DigitalNC.

This batch contain materials concerning St. John’s Lodge No. 3, located in New Bern, N.C. It is one of the oldest Lodges in the United States. The batch includes five minute books, dating from 1952 to 2005, adding to the series previously online. It is now possible to track the activities and members of this lodge from 1798 to 2005. These minute books document the various activities, petitions, and even funerals of members, all of which might be of interest to genealogists or researchers. In addition, two archival boxes of correspondences have also been digitized.

You can see all of the materials from St. John’s Lodge No. 3 here or view the new items at the links below:

To learn more about the Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of North Carolina, please visit the contributor page or the website.


New Materials from St. John’s Lodge Added to DigitalNC

North Carolina Masonic Mutual Life Insurance Co.

North Carolina Masonic Mutual Life Insurance Co.

St. John’s Lodge in New Bern, part of The Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of North Carolina, has contributed more materials to DigitalNC, including minute books from the 1850s to 1910s, life insurance certificates from the 1860s, an inventory, and rosters. These materials give insight into the life of the Freemasons in the mid to late 19th century. The life insurance certificates from the North Carolina Masonic Mutual Life Insurance Company reveal the names and residences of many members, which can be useful for genealogy research.

Additionally, the Grand Lodge has provided letters written to D.H. Hill, a Confederate General during the Civil War, which are a useful resource for anyone interested in Civil War history. The Southern Historical Collection in Wilson Library at UNC-Chapel Hill contains papers of D. H. Hill, which can be viewed at their site.

You can learn more about The Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of North Carolina from their contributor page, past blog posts, and their website.


New Grand Lodge Materials Added to DigitalNC

The header of the Grand Lodge Certificate establishing Army Lodge A

The header of the Grand Lodge Certificate establishing Army Lodge A.

New materials from The Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of North Carolina have been digitized and added to DigitalNC. The materials include minute books, petitions, bylaws, correspondence, ledgers, and memberships of lodges in North Carolina as well as a few in Tennessee. There are also early issues of The Masonic Journal, a Masonic newspaper from Greensboro dating from the late 19th century. Several physical objects have also been digitized, including brass working tools, a pouch they were stored in, a canvas bag, and ballot tokens. You can view the books and papers under memorabilia and the objects and membership album in images. The newspaper is now part of our extensive North Carolina Newspapers collection.

The North Carolina Freemasons come from a long tradition of European stonemasons and construction workers who formed guilds to keep secret their trade practices in areas such as math and construction. After the Renaissance, Freemasons transformed into a fraternal organization. The tools such as the ones we have digitized were used to represent personal growth and enlightenment by the members. It was in this form that Freemasonry came to North Carolina in the mid-eighteenth century and the first lodge was established in Raleigh in 1792.

You can view more from the Grand Lodge through their contributor page. Browse through the collection in images, memorabilia, or newspapers. Additionally, you can learn more about the Grand Lodge through their website and previous blog posts.

Brass working tool from Army Lodge A made from spent German shell casings, circa 1917.

Brass tool from Army Lodge A made from spent German shell casings, circa 1917.

Members of Raleigh Lodge No. 500, circa 1900.

Members of Raleigh Lodge No. 500, circa 1900.


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This blog is maintained by the staff of the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center and features the latest news and highlights from the collections at DigitalNC, an online library of primary sources from organizations across North Carolina.

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