The Grand Lodge

Chartered in 1771 by the Duke of Beaufort and reorganized in 1787, the Grand Lodge of North Carolina was formed before North Carolina joined the Union and before George Washington was elected president of the United States.

The Freemasons of North Carolina can claim a rich and successful heritage. Its members, including governors, legislators, teachers, professors, merchants, and farmers, have been at the forefront of the State's successes since before the Revolutionary War. Its members presided over the formation of the State and the adoption of the Bill of Rights, the extension of educational opportunities to State citizens via the establishment of the nation's first state sponsored university, and have generally worked to raise the moral and social conscience of the people for more than 200 years.

The mission of Freemasonry in North Carolina is to raise the moral, social, intellectual, and spiritual conscience of society by teaching the ancient and enduring philosophical tenets of Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth, which are expressed outwardly through service to God, family, country, and self under the Fatherhood of God within the Brotherhood of Man.

Today, more than 34,000 Freemasons in more than 370 lodges remain hard at work in their communities across North Carolina and are committed to building a better future for their families and their neighbors.