Masonic Hall Guided Tours

You will begin with a history of our lot, located along the Occaneechi Trading Path, where the Regulators destroyed Edmund Fanning’s house in 1770. We will then welcome you inside and guide you through one of the earliest and most significant Masonic buildings in North America. Designed by North Carolina state architect William Nichols in the early 1820s, our Greek Revival lodge building was constructed to be a lodge under the supervision of master builders Samuel Hancock and John Berry and was completed in 1825. Inside, you will learn about the fire that nearly destroyed the building in 1945, the unique arrangement of masonic lodge rooms, some of the meaning behind our iconic symbols, our connections to the history of UNC, the design feature that was removed from our roof during the Civil War, as well as the building’s many additional uses. For example, the building once doubled as the Hillsborough Opera House and during several wars the building served as a hospital or preparatory for the American Red Cross.

We will also have cold bottled water and sodas for guests, with additional activities throughout the summer in conjunction with the Arts Council’s Last Fridays celebrations. Tours are free, though donations to our Historic Eagle Lodge Foundation are greatly appreciated and will contribute to ongoing preservation of our building.