LODGE

Freemasonry was reputedly established in North Carolina at Masonborough in the mid-1730s. However, the first documented evidence of Masonic activity in the state can be dated to Wilmington and New Bern during the early 1750s. In 1771 the Duke of Beaufort commissioned Joseph Montfort Provincial Grand Master of North Carolina, a post he ably held until his death in 1776. Between Montfort's death and the end of the American Revolution, the Provincial Grand Lodge of North Carolina essentially ceased to exist, though individual lodges continued to operate. In 1787 several delegates from several lodges across the state met at Tarborough to establish a new Grand Lodge and elected Samuel Johnston as their new Grand Master. The first Masonic lodge established in Raleigh, Democratic Lodge No. 21, occurred in 1792-the same year the city was incorporated and established as the new capital of North Carolina.

Also known as: Lodge Page

Primary location: Hope Mills United States