Wayne County, NC - Heritage Series Reprinted with permission of the Mount Olive Tribune and cannot be reproduced without permission. The Grand Lodge Of Masons "Our Heritage" By Claude Moore The Grand Lodge of Masons of England was chartered in 1717 and from that year until the beginning of the American Revolution all masonic lodges in the British Isles and the British colonies were under the jurisdiction of this august body. Charters for individual lodges had to be chartered by the Grand Lodge. The first masonic lodge to be chartered in America is probably a lodge in Boston, chartered in 1733. It is well documented that St. John's Lodge No. 1 in Wilmington was chartered in 1754 by the Grand Lodge of England and has the distinction of being the oldest masonic lodge in continuous operation in North Carolina. Cornelius Harnett, a native of Chowan County, was brought up in Wilmington and for a time he was master of the lodge in Wilmington. Harnett played a prominent role in the defiance of the Stamp Acts in 1765-66. St. John's Lodge in New Bern was chartered in 1755 and the Royal White Hart Lodge in the town of Halifax was chartered in 1764. Joseph Montfort, a native of England, lived in the Town of Halifax and finally became the leading mason of North Carolina. He served for a time as the master of the Royal White Hart Lodge. In 1771 he went to England and while there on January 14, 1771, he was appointed as provincial grand master for all the masonic lodges in English America. Montfort served as grand master of masons of North Carolina from 1768 to 1776. When Montfort returned to Halifax from England he brought the Royal White Hart Lodge a floor cloth which is still well preserved by the lodge. James Milner, an attorney in Halifax, was appointed deputy grand master of North Carolina but he died from a fall from a horse on December 9, 1772 and is buried in the historic colonial cemetery in Halifax. Cornelius Harnett of Wilmington succeeded Milner to the position of deputy grand master. St. John's Lodge No. 3 in Kinston was chartered in 1772; Royal Edwin Lodge No. 4 in Windsor in 1773; Dornoch Lodge No. 5 in Bertie County in 1774; Royal William Lodge in Winton in 1774; and Unanimity Lodge in Edenton in 1775. Richard Caswell, a native of Maryland who settled in the Kinston area in 1745, became the second grand master of North Carolina. He served six terms as governor of North Carolina. During the American Revolution some of the leading masons were loyal to the Crown and some returned to England under very adverse circumstances. Among the leading masons like Major General Robert Howe, Cornelius Harnett, General Jethro Sumner and Colonel Hardy Murfree embraced the Revolutionary cause. By 1781 only one lodge in North Carolina was operating. During the Revolution, the Grand Lodge of England ceased to exercise jurisdiction over the American lodges. There was anattempt in 1786 to get a move under way to reorganize the Grand Lodge of North Carolina. A convention of masons was held in Tarboro in December, 1786, and Samuel Johnston of Edenton who had just been elected governor was elected grand master. Richard Caswell was elected deputy grand master. By 1789 there were 20 active lodges in the state. St. John's Lodge No. 13 in Duplin County was chartered in 1791 General James Kenan was master. When President Washington visited North Carolina in the spring of 1791 he was entertained by the masons in Halifax, New Bern and Wilmington. When Gov. Samuel Johnston retired as grand master in 1792 he was succeeded by the Honorable William R. Davie of Halifax. Davie was a native of England, a graduate of Princeton, a hero of the Revolution and governor of North Carolina, 1798-99. He married Sarah Jones and settled in Halifax. He was considered as the "father of the University of North Carolina." On October 12, 1793, he laid the cornerstone of old East Building at Chapel Hill. He served as grand master of the Grand Lodge for seven years. He was succeeded by the Honorable William Polk who was to serve for 42 years as a trustee of the University of North Carolina. (Source: "Launching the Craft" by Dr. Thomas C. Paramore.) ============================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. The electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Guy Potts ==============================================================