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.
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.