North Carolina Freemasons

The oldest Masonic Lodge now working in North Carolina is St. John’s Lodge № 1 of Wilmington, which was chartered by the Grand Lodge of England in 1755. Royal White Hart Lodge at Halifax, the second oldest lodge in the state, first began work on November 1, 1764. It later secured a charter from the Grand Lodge of England, dated August 21, 1767. Though the early records of the lodge in Wilmington are lost, many original records of great value are still preserved in Royal White Hart Lodge № 2, at Halifax; St. John’s Lodge No. 3 at New Bern; and Unanimity Lodge № 7 at Edenton.

The Grand Lodge of North Carolina was established on December 12, 1787, in the town of Tarboro. When Tennessee was created from land previously a part of North Carolina, the two States were under one Masonic jurisdiction, known as the “Grand Lodge of North Carolina and Tennessee.” On December 2, 1811, a convention of all the lodges in the State of Tennessee met at Knoxville, and drew up a petition asking that the establishment of a separate Grand Lodge in Tennessee be authorized. On September 30, 1813, North Carolina sent the charter of the new Grand Lodge to Tennessee.

The Masonic Home for Children at Oxford had its beginnings before the Civil War. The Masonic and Eastern Star Home (now known as Whitestone, A Masonic and Eastern Star Community) was established in Greensboro in 1912. Both institutions are still in existence and have expanded their outreach beyond Masonry to include the general public.

There are now 369 lodges in existence, having a total of approximately 41,300 members. Most Worshipful Bryant D. Webster, Grand Master, is leading our Grand Jurisdiction in the celebration of its 229th year.