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This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.
Size | 2.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 1,000 items) |
Abstract | Eagle Lodge No. 19 (Hillsborough, N.C.), Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, chartered in 1791, is one of the first Masonic lodges chartered under the Grand Lodge of North Carolina. In 1793, members helped lay the cornerstone of Old East building at the University of North Carolina in a ceremony marking the birth of public higher education in the United States. The collection includes minute books, receipts, petitions for membership, correspondence, membership rosters, member and visitor registers, and related items. Also included are materials relating to R. B. Studebaker's The History of Eagle Lodge, No. 19 and a biography of A. H. Graham. |
Creator | Freemasons. Eagle Lodge No. 19 (Hillsborough, N.C.). |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
Language | English |
Processed by: Ashley Doar, 2005
Encoded by: Lynn Holdzkom, January 2005 and Ashley Doar, May 2005
Back to TopThe following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
Eagle Lodge No. 19, chartered in 1791, is one of the first Masonic lodges chartered under the Grand Lodge of North Carolina. In 1793, members helped lay the cornerstone of Old East building at the University of North Carolina in a ceremony marking the birth of public higher education in the United States. Around the turn of the century, the records indicate a lull in activity, though the reason is not indicated. In 1819, activity resumed, but because of the inactivity of the Lodge the original charter was lost. On 24 December 1819, a new charter was issued by the Grand Lodge of North Carolina, declaring Eagle Lodge, No. 71. Eagle Lodge was known by this number until 19 April 1933 when the Grand Lodge granted the request by petition of the Eagle Lodge to restore the original number 19. In 1820, the Lodge was granted permission by the State of North Carolina to sell lottery tickets to raise funds for the construction of the Lodge, which is still used today and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
R. B. (Robert Bruce) Studebaker was Master Mason of Eagle Lodge in 1931 and 1932. He was later appointed historian of the Lodge and used these materials to write a book about the history of the Lodge, entitled The History of Eagle Lodge. The book covers the history of the Lodge from 1791 through 1937. There is an accompanying volume II written by Master Mason J. Frank Ray, in 1993. This second volume continues where Studebaker's left off, summarizing important events of each year since 1937 and listing elected officers.
For more information, see the Eagle Lodge No. 19 website (http://www.eagle19.org/).
Back to TopThe records of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons Eagle Lodge No. 19 (Hillsborough, N.C.) include minute books, account books, receipts, documentation about the lottery for building the Lodge, petitions for membership and advancement, correspondence, documentation of trials heard by the Lodge, membership dismissals, member and visitor registers, a public address by William M. Green, and related items.
Other materials relate to R. B. Studebaker and his notes for his book, The History of Eagle Lodge. These items are mostly handwritten by Studebaker and include drafts of chapters, and notes on certain time periods. There is also information on a possible written biography of A. H. Graham, correspondence relating to inquires about the membership of particular people, and related material.
Back to TopMaterials relating to the rules and regulations kept by Eagle Lodge. Subseries include by-laws, membership requests, documentation of charges and trials against brothers, and expulsion letters.
Arrangement: chronological.
Handwritten rules adopted by Eagle Lodge, 12 October 1791; letter to the Secretary of the Lodge requesting permission to compile a Masonic Register or Digest, 3 July 1850; by-laws adopted 4 January 1852 and 22 November 1852; printed by-laws of the Masonic Mutual Life Assurance Association of Norfolk, Va., 26 February 1876; handwritten notes regarding by-laws making reference to the year 1908; and a list of names with dates ranging from 1886 through 1950.
Folder 1 |
By-laws and related material |
Arrangement: chronological.
Requests, mostly handwritten, for initiation into, or advancement within, the Lodge.
Folder 2 |
1791-1891 |
Folder 3 |
UndatedThe majority of the undated petitions are assumed to be after 1820, when the Lodge number was changed from No. 19 to No. 71. |
Arrangement: chronological.
Testimonies, reports, and related correspondence regarding charges and subsequent trials brought against members of Eagle Lodge. When possible, individual items concerning a particular trial are grouped together.
Folder 4 |
1841-1901 |
Folder 5 |
Undated |
Arrangement: chronological.
Notices of members expelled or suspended for unmasonic conduct or non-payment of dues. Also included are notices from other lodges.
Folder 6 |
1820-1850 |
Folder 7 |
1851-1873, 1917 |
Folder 8 |
Undated and preprinted blank forms |
Folder 66 |
Expulsions and suspensions, 1917 |
Arrangement: chronological.
Ten volumes of meeting minutes and reports.
Folder 9a |
Volume 1: Minute book, 1791-1793 |
Folder 9b |
Volume 2: Minute book, 1819-1820 |
Folder 10 |
Volume 3: Minute book, 1819-1833 |
Folder 11 |
Volume 4: Minute book, 1834-1842 |
Folder 12 |
Volume 5: Minute book, 1842-1844 |
Folder 13 |
Volume 6: Minute book, 1844-1849 |
Folder 14 |
Volume 7: Minute book, 1850-1856 |
Folder 15 |
Volume 8: Minute book, 1851-1863 |
Folder 16 |
Volume 9: Minute book, 1857-1866 |
Oversize Volume SV-5194/1 |
Volume 10: Minute book, 1872-1897 |
Folder 17 |
Volume 11: Minute book, 1897-1908 |
Arrangement: chronological.
Correspondence includes letters from the Grand Lodge in Raleigh regarding resolution notices, member appointments and other business; letters from members of Eagle Lodge regarding their inability to pay dues or tardiness in doing so; requests from members, widows, and other lodges seeking donations for various reasons (disasters, fund raising, dire need); meeting summons for Eagle Lodge and invitations from other lodges for celebrations or funerals; and other business, such as requesting withdrawal from Eagle Lodge.
Folder 21 |
1792-1873 |
Folder 22 |
1874-1937 |
Folder 23 |
Undated |
Arrangement: chronological.
Five volumes of account books.
Folder 24 |
Volume 12: Account book, 1792[Includes minutes dated 7 September 1848] |
Folder 25 |
Volume 13: Account book, 1792-1794 |
Folder 26 |
Volume 14: Account book, 1849-1859 |
Folder 27 |
Volume 15: Account book, 1858-1874 |
Folder 28 |
Volume 16: Account book, 1893-1919 |
Arrangement: chronological.
Account summaries, lists of dues, and receipts of payments.
Folder 29 |
1791-1820 |
Folder 30 |
1821-1850 |
Folder 31 |
1851-1917 |
Folder 32 |
Undated |
Arrangement: chronological.
Items documenting the activities of Eagle Lodge in setting up a lottery to raise funds for the building of a Lodge Hall. Included are account statements, receipts, committe reports and a letter from the Secretary of State of North Carolina authorizing the sale of tickets.
Folder 33 |
1823-1825, 1836 and undated. |
Arrangement: chronological.
A handwritten address by Rev. William M. Green, delivered at the laying of the cornerstone of a New Court House in Hillsborough 7 September 1844, and a typed transcript; a published address titled "Address to the Subordinate Lodges upon the Subject of The Masonic College," 1851; and a prayer, handwritten, undated and unsigned.
Folder 34 |
1844, 1851, undated |
Arrangement: chronological.
Printed forms for various purposes, including nine certificates, 1869 bearing the signature of D. W. Bain, Grand Secretary, which are otherwise blank.
Folder 35 |
1856-1900 |
Notes and drafts mostly undated and handwritten, of R. B. Studebaker, former Master and Historian of Eagle Lodge, for The History of Eagle Lodge No. 19 A.F. & A.M., 1937, a short biography of A. H. Graham and a bound copy of The History of Eagle Lodge No. 19 A.F. & A.M. Other materials include correspondence regarding the book and past members.
Folder 37-38
Folder 37Folder 38 |
History copyCopy or draft of the printed history. |
Folder 39 |
Manuscript short history, 1935-1936Copies of letters and chapters 1-7 sent to editor F. M. Pinnix of Oxford, N.C. |
Folder 40 |
History of Eagle Lodge notes, Chapter 5Drafts and notes for printed history. |
Folder 41 |
Notes for chapter 5 |
Folder 42 |
Notes for chapter 6 |
Folder 43 |
Notes for chapter 7 |
Folder 44 |
Notes for chapter 8 |
Folder 45 |
Notes, 1872-1916 |
Folder 46 |
Notes, 1926-1937 |
Folder 47 |
Bound copy of The History of Eagle Lodge No. 19 A.F. & A.M., by R. B. Studebaker and J. Frank Ray. |
Folder 48 |
A. H. Graham Biography |
Folder 49 |
Correspondence, 1932-1939 |
Folder 50 |
Special ItemsLetters to Studebaker between 1931-1937; a handwritten copy of an 1821 letter (original not found); and a copy of the petition to reinstate the Lodge's original number 19. |
Oversize Volume (SV-5194/1)
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