Southern Pines 484 History
- Southern Pines Lodge No. 484 A.F. & A. M. was organized under authority of a Dispensation issued by Grand Master Francis M. Moye, of Wilson, under date of April 3rd, 1896 to Aberdeen Lodge No. 484, A. F. & A. M., Aberdeen, N.C. and which was moved from Aberdeen to Southern Pines on June 5, 1901, and the name changed to Southern Pines Lodge No. 484 A. F. & F. M., on January 13th, 1904, under authority of the Grand Lodge.
- The six Charter Members, formerly of Eagle Springs Lodge, No. 477, Eagle Springs, N. C. were J. T. Webster, H. C. Williams, T. B. Creel, Charles C. Crocker, N. S. Hunter and Fred A. Ordway.
- In1916 T. B. Creel, Past Master in 1900 of Aberdeen Lodge 484, built a commercial building at 220 & 230 North West Broad Street, Southern Pines. The building consisted of two commercial spaces on the first floor and a meeting area on the second floor.
- On July 11th, 1958 the Masonic Temple Association of Southern Pines, Inc. entered into a contract to pay Bessie E. Chandler Clark $18,500.00 for value received. $9,000.00 to be paid by February 15, 1959, $2,000.00 by February 15, 1960 and $1,500.00 a year on February 15th for the next 5 years for a total $18,500.00. The final payment was made on February 16th, 1965.
- The Masonic Temple Association consisted of members from Southern Pines Lodge 484, Southern Pines Chapter, No. 61, Southern Pines Council, No. 14 and Southern Pines Commandery, No. 16. (Southern Pines Scottish Rite?)
- Sometime in the 1990’s the York Rite Bodies moved/merged t Fayetteville and the Scottish Rite moved/merged to Charolett, thus leaving Southern Pines Lodge 484 the sole member of the Association.
- In 1997 under the direction Master Ron Meadows the Lodge was updated. This included converting the retail space at 230 into a Fellowship Hall with a kitchen and bathroom. Upstairs, the small kitchen was converted to the large bathroom on the left and the Eastern Star storage room. Heating and cooling were installed both upstairs and downstairs along with a drop ceiling on both floors. An elevator was also installed. As the windows at the back of the building were no longer needed for cooling, they were enclosed.
- In 2000, George Lamb, Master, was the driving force in establishing the Lodge Scholarship Fund, which supports several local students to four semesters of additional education.
- In 2004, Master Lee Huber led the Lodge in celebrating 100 years as Southern Pines Lodge 484.
- In 2008 Lodge Secretary PM Craig Zimmerman led the way in becoming the first lodge in the 21st District to go digital by installing Wi-Fi the Lodge Room and Fellowship Hall. Also, a Bluetooth projector was installed in the Lodge Room for degree lectures and Zoom meetings.
- In 2013, under the direction of Gene Maples, Southern Pines held its first Veterans Day Parade and Celebration since 193xx. Each year since then, the Lodge has provided a space for the Parade Committee prepare for the activities and the lodge has provided breakfast for all of the veterans participating in the parade.
- On December 2nd, 2014, by order of the Grand Lodge of N.C. ownership of the building was transferred from the Masonic Temple Association to Southern Pines Lodge No. 484. (Action was required of all lodge building owned by a lodge association in North Carolina)
- On September 14th 2016, Under Master of the Lodge Trent Carter, the Grand Master of North Carolina rededicated “to God and mankind” the Lodge room to celebrate 100 years as a Lodge room.
- In 2021 and 2022, under the direction of brother George Kress, all three bathrooms were updated and the Fellowship Hall bath room was brought into compliance with OSHA Handicap requirements. Also storage room for Fundraising Event equipment was constructed in the Fellowship Hall.
- For many years the City Council of Southern Pines used the Lodge Room for their Council meetings as did other organizations.
- In 20xx, under the direction of brothers Ralph Grata and Victor Turchick the front of the 230 space and the entrance for the stairwell were brought into compliance with modern building codes.
Masonic Lodge Traces History Back Many Years
The Pilot - Southern Pines, NC - November 31, 1947 Used with Permission
Southern Pines Masonic Lodge 484, which celebrated the 50th anniversary of its founding this year, traces its actual history back much farther than that - in fact, right to the beginnings of Masonry in the state. Many descendants of its founders are members today, and the lodge also plays host to numerous Masons from all parts of the country visiting this resort section.
Masonry was brought to Moore County by the pioneer Scots who founded Pansophia Lodge in 1798 . Its history is that of the county itself, studded with Revolutionary feuds (many Scottish families were on opposing sides) and altercations with the Indians as fierce and bloody as any guerrilla warfare.
Pansophia Lodge was organized at the old Solemn Grove Academy “at the head of the Rockfish”, the earliest permanent settlement of the Scots in this area, later the site of Old Bethesda Church. Solemn Grove, in fact, was the name of the first post office recorded to have been established within the present limits of Southern Pines.
Some of the old Masonic rosters have been kept, and such names as McNeill, McLeod, McFarland, McMillan and Blue - as Scottish as tartan plaid - are on the early records, as they are today.
Lodge 484, as chartered by the Grand Lodge of North Carolina, was centered at Aberdeen in1897, then moved to Southern Pines in 1904. Aberdeen’s Roman Eagle Lodge 550 was subsequently formed and chartered in 1907. Southern Pines Lodge 484 also hosts with pride the Magnolia Chapter 26 Order of the Eastern Star; and for many years the York Rite and Scottish Rite appendant bodies.
Edited for clarity by Gene Maples 2016