Photos from inside a Prince Hall Masonic lodge in North Carolina

For those who have been wondering what's the difference

Look at how rundown it is, and the kitchen looks rather unsanitary. Looks like these guys could use some "relief"


www.ellis-jones4.com...

reply to post by vcwxvwligen


What a dump.
Second line.

reply to post by tarifa37


Yea, looked like an cottage of some kind..

Why do you write : second line ??

reply to post by ChemBreather


'Cause of space, some people think that if they type "second line" as a second line, that'll fulfill the rule that requires you to fill out more than just a one hit comment.

Personally, I've seen worse museums and soup kitchens.

That is just your average masonic lodge.

If you want a clean and rich masonic lodge, go to one of the big cities.

Hah, quite a surprise, my old Scout hall, and even my martial arts school had more style than that place.

I guess once the candles are burning, the goat is on the alter, and the old men have their trouser legs rolled up it would look a little more homely. (j/k)

reply to post by vcwxvwligen


So what did you expect?
Like churches (comparison to the buildings only), there are elaborate ones and ....dumps!
The area of importance would have to be the ritual space.
Although the given example does not have the stereo-typical black and white tiles etc; this is of no consequence.
The inner chamber of this Lodge, has the fundamental means (candle-sticks representing the pillars of Boaz & jachin, altar etc.
Whats the big deal with the kitchen?

A lodge is only as good as it's members. If you try to do fund raisers and organize work with other members, you will have a nice lodge. There are some around my area (not far from this lodge) that are very old. Not run down, but very dated. If a lodge has low membership, then there is not a lot of money from dues so they have to find other ways to raise money. The lodge you showed is probabaly average for the area. Sure there are some real nice ones, but those are usually in the big towns with hundreds of members.

reply to post by ChemBreather


ATS don't like one liners.They want you to gabble on for at least a couple of lines or you may get a warning from the mods.

Gee, kind of shoots down the ideal that Masons are rich and powerful men that control all of the world. It looks like a lot of country lodges I have been to. Remember it is what goes on there that is more inportant that how the place looks.

[edit on 2-6-2009 by lost in the midwest]

What is the point of this thread???

The lodge reflects the area around it. Beaufort, NC is just a sleepy little coastal community with a long history (est.1709). Simple and peaceful just like the 4200 people that live there.

Again. What is your point??

This post was to show ATS members that not all Masons are rich. Believe it or not this is an average looking Lodge with some history. It really didnt look that bad to me, just old. Were ypu, the OP, trying to make a point that Prince Hall isn't the same as other forms of Freemasonry?

reply to post by vcwxvwligen

It looks like an older Lodge building. I would advise them to fundraise to patch up some spots. Depending on the age of the building they could possibly ask their Grand body to become a historical Lodge.

I've seen buildings, kitchens, and churches in a worse condition.

reply to post by network dude

Some of our Brothers from a historic Lodge are renovating the historic Lodge as well as their regular meeting Lodge.

Looks just like the dozens of other Fraternal Lodges I've been in from Scottish Rite, Benevolent & Protective Order of the Elks, Odd Fellows, Order of the Eagles, and even the Boy Scouts.

People who see Masonic or Secret Societies as manipulative, powerful, government toppling, havens of the rich aristocracy, have obviously been reading too much fiction and haven't gotten out to meet and greet these groups for themselves.

The little known fact of the matter is that all of these Fraternal Organizations are on their death-beds and suffering from decades of neglect and dwindling membership. Many of these groups have the largest percentage of their membership in their elder years, and have not been able to replace dying members with new members for the last decade or two.

When you look at the reality of these Masonic and Secret Societies, they don't seem so spooky all of a sudden, do they?

[edit on 2-6-2009 by fraterormus]

reply to post by KRISKALI777



Why is the meeting hall clean, but not the kitchen? Makes no sense ...

reply to post by Level_Head



Why does there need to be a "seperate but equal" Masonic body for Black people?

excuse the double post

[edit on 2-6-2009 by Level_Head]

Originally posted by vcwxvwligen
reply to post by Level_Head

 

Why does there need to be a "separate but equal" Masonic body for Black people?

It's not separate, but it is equal. The Prince Hall branch was started by a wonderful man named Prince Hall, with the blessings of the UGLE, when prejudice was a major problem in the U.S. It is no different from any other Lodge and is not exclusive to African Americans, just as other Lodges are not exclusive to my Caucasian Brethren. I know many Prince Hall Masons who are not black.

reply to post by vcwxvwligen


Each Lodge is upheld by it's various members.
Even if it was still segregated, it is not up to Masonry at large to support all Lodges, each survives based on the members of the Lodge itself.

Originally posted by vcwxvwligen
Why is the meeting hall clean, but not the kitchen? Makes no sense ...

So is this the purpose of the thread? Is it 'The Masonic conspiracy of a Prince Hall kitchen in need of a cleaning'?