Freemasons. Eagle Lodge No. 19 (Hillsborough, N.C.) Records, 1791-circa 1950 (bulk 1819-1900)

Summary

Creator:
Freemasons. Eagle Lodge No. 19 (Hillsborough, N.C.).
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.

Extent:
1,200 items (2.75 linear feet)
Language:
Materials in English
Library Catalog Link:
View UNC library catalog record for this item

Background

Biographical / historical:

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/).

Scope and content:

The records of the Ancient Free and Accepted MasonsEagle 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.

The addition of August 2025 contains writing drafts and related research notes from Alfred Serff, a member of the Freemason Eagle Lodge No. 19, who was tasked with compiling the history of the chapter from 1993 to 2022. His work was published in the three volume The History of Eagle Lodge No. 19 A.F. & A.M.. His contribution to the publication includes member lists, building renovations, charitable contributions, impact of COVID-19, and the mutual recognition of the Prince Hall Freemasons.

Acquisition information:

Gift and loan from Eagle Lodge No. 19, Hillsborough, N.C., in December 2004 (Acc. 99986 and 99987). Received from Alfred Serff in August 2025 (Acc. 20250818.2)

Processing information:

Processed by: Ashley Doar, 2005 Encoded by: Lynn Holdzkom, January 2005 and Ashley Doar, May 2005 Updated by: Amanda Sentmanat-Perez, September 2025

Sensitive materials statement:

Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.

Access and use

Restrictions to access:

No restrictions. Open for research use.

Restrictions to use:

All users must sign a form promising to notify the Donor of any published references to, quotations from, or reproduction of materials in the collection.

Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], in the Freemasons. Eagle Lodge No. 19 (Hillsborough, N.C.) Records #5194, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Location of this collection:
Louis Round Wilson Library
200 South Road
Chapel Hill, NC 27515
Contact:
(919) 962-3765
wilsonlibrary@unc.edu