The North Carolina Mason

M any Masonic lodges still meet in buildings that were also schools where the lodge was on the upper floor and the school on the lower. This series will explore the architectural history of the linkages between North Carolina Masonry and education within the framework of existing and extinct lodges. One such lodge was connected to Elon College in Alamance County, NC. Elon College Lodge No. 549 existed from 1907 to 1941. Where the college lodge met is still up for debate. Dr. Walton Crump Wicker was the first master of the new lodge and was listed on its charter. He was professor of Mathematics for over 30 years at Elon. He also designed the seal of the university that was approved for use in 1911. There are some distinct similarities between it and the seal of the Grand Lodge. "We feel that the seal shows in a general way that for which Elon College stands, spiritual and intellectual development, progress in all the sciences and arts, strength of manhood and womanhood, light for the benighted and ignorant, and all guided by the all seeing eye of the Omnipotent," Dr. Wicker explains in Elon College Weekly, May 5, 1911. On January 18, 1923, the College's Main Building was left in ruins after a terrible fire. The cornerstone was removed and incorporated into a new building, Alamance Hall, on the same site. In 2000, the college mascot was changed to the "Rising Phoenix" to commemorate how the institution rose from the ashes of that fire to rebuild better than before. This lodge was very involved in laying cornerstones for buildings on the campus. Known cornerstone layings by NC Masons include: Old Main (1889), Alamance Hall (1923), Alumni Memorial Gymnasium (1949), and the Whitley Since the founding of the University of North Carolina by Grand Master Davie, Masonry has co-existed with education in several forms throughout the centuries. Partnerships included colleges, military schools, academies, and even grade schools. Dr. Walton Crump Wicker, PM. Courtesy Elon Archives. Plat of Elon College, Alamance Co. Register of Deeds. FA L L 2 0 2 3 | 17

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