In the shadows of the Colonial Inn project, the Masonic Lodge gets polished – newsoforange.com

Hillsboroughs Masonic Hall, the fourth-oldest Hall in the United States, is home to Eagle Lodge No. 19. Once the site of Edmund Fannings homestead, the Masonic lodge, was built in 1825. Entering through the large double doors, guests step onto the original hardwood floors and spy ornate moldings that have been preserved for centuries. Adding to the bustling restoration scene on King Street, members of Eagle Lodge No. 19 are once again working to maintain a significant piece of Orange County history.

The lodge has been preserved by the fraternity for nearly 200 years, requiring multiple renovations and continuous maintenance. In September of 2020, lodge members began the restoration of the buildings 21 windows. After replacing more than 70 broken window panes, the project is on course to soon be completed. As with any old building, all of the glazings were popping loose, explained Michael Verville, lodge member and preservation craftsman. [The glazing] is what holds the panes in, and it was deteriorating. Passerbys may remember the wide-reaching windows, surrounded by dark shutters and panes painted white. I think they have been painted for about 100 years, said Verville. Jim Cone, the senior warden, added, It was referenced in the minutes that they wanted to block out the sun, so they didnt destroy the curtains. They painted all the windows, upstairs and downstairs, inside and out. Although not customary to paint over the panes, other lodges have been known to build windowless buildings or brick over windows to deter prying eyes from seeing the masonic rituals.

With its white columns and brick walls, the prominent Masonic lodge has survived times of neglect and misfortune. It originally had an observatory at the top, explained Verville. [Joseph Caldwell], a member of the lodge and involved with having the building built, was the first president of UNC-Chapel Hill and professor of astronomy. The lodge observatory, which predated UNCs Astronomical Observatory, battled significant water leaks and was removed in 1863, although the original staircase remains. In 1945, a fire tore through the downstairs dining room, destroying the elaborate window moldings, the majority of the flooring, and much of its original Greek Revival design. We almost lost the building, said Verville. By the early 2000s, the building was again in need of significant renovations. For years, the brothers had overlooked general maintenance practices, and the building showed signs of severe deterioration. People thought the place was deserted, explained Cone. The shutters were falling off the windows; the downstairs floor was falling in. It was in bad shape. Verville added, The floor they put in in the 1940s rotted away and had to be replaced. Men such as Speed Hallman, Bob Sturms, Bill Winecoff, and Larry Aydlett, along with many others, spearheaded the renovation project. The brothers replaced the dining room floor, painted the walls, fixed the shutters, and addressed many of the long-time needs required by a historic structure.

The significance of the Masonic lodge reaches far beyond its members. Its an important building, said Verville. [Our lodge] has been used as a hospital during the Civil War, an observatory for students, as a meeting place for other civic groups and institutions, and an opera house. We have this long history of engagement in town. Preserving the iconic structure is a high priority for Eagle Lodge No. 19, with the window restoration being one of many projects the members are aiming to complete. My overall hope is that we can eventually restore, if not the observatory, at least the parts of the building that are still intact, said Verville. We want to ensure that were the generation that makes sure it lasts for another 200 years.

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In the shadows of the Colonial Inn project, the Masonic Lodge gets polished - newsoforange.com