The North Carolina Mason

The Mason NORTH CAROLINA Volume 134 Number 2 March/April 2009 Page 8 The North Carolina Mason March/April 2009 In this issue of The NC Mason page 1 The North Carolina Mason The Grand Lodge of North Carolina, AF&AM 600 College Street Oxford, North Carolina 27565 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED NON-PROFIT ORG. AUTO U.S. POSTAGE PAID OXFORD, NC 27565 PERMIT NO. 56 Samuel Johnston was salut- ed on his 250 th birthday. page 3 Gate City Masons send packages to our troops. page 4 Pig Jig gets a new date in May Ag Fest. see BORGLUM, page 5 see HARVEYS, page 5 Ric Car ter photos Ric Car ter photo page 8 Borglum statues get clean- ing by sculptor's museum. By Ric Carter RALEIGH — Gutzon Borglum is a crossroad of connections for North Carolina's Masons. And, while he died in 1941, he was recently in the news here reminding us of those connections. First, you may find the name familiar, yet not be able to quite place it. Borglum, a sculptor, produced what may be the most widely know piece of art in our country — Mount Rushmore. What Tar Heel connection? Among his North Carolina connected works there is, of course, the Gettysburg monument to North Carolina's losses on Semi- nary Hill during Pickett's charge. It is considered, by many critics and most of the public, the most beautiful of the battleground's many memorials. His works that made recent headlines are the two on the grounds of the North Carolina Capitol here in Raleigh. e old- est, dedicated in 1912, is a bronze of Edgecombe County's Henry Lawson Wyatt, the first confederate soldier to die in the Civil War. e other is an oversize bronze and two plaques memori- alizing Governor Charles B. Aycock, often referred to as North Carolina's education governor. It was dedicated in 1924. A Ma- son, Aycock was a member of Wayne 112 in Goldsboro. e Borglum Historical Center is located in South Dakota, not far from Mount Rushmore. It regularly makes copies of Bor- glum's work to add to its collection. Late last year, the Center sent experts to Raleigh to clean, preserve, and make copies of the two sculptures on Capitol Square. eir process started with a thorough cleaning of the bronzes. ey were painted with several layers of rubberized paint, then covered in a heavy plaster cast to hold the rubberized copy in shape. e molds were then removed and a final patina was applied to the statues to bring them back to their origi- nal look. Finally, they added a weather resistant coating. Molds are then sent to a casting studio in Connecticut to make copies. e copies will join the collection at the Bor- glum Center. Gutzon Borglum was also a Mason and an active one. He was raised in New York City's Howard 35 in 1904. He was master of the lodge 1910–11. He maintained a studio for a period in North Carolina. He moved his family to Raleigh, where they lived for a time next door to Josephus Daniels. Borglum's Masonic dedica- tion is apparent in an answer he once gave an interviewer. When asked how he carved By Ric Carter KINSTON — We often talk about a family being in a lodge for two or three generations. How about a family history dating back to the 1700s? Felix Harvey is part of a continuous line of Harveys who have been members of St. Johns 4 here since at least 1806. at was the first report of John Harvey in the records of the lodge. But, that in 1773 Provincial General Assembly Speaker John Harvey appointed a committee of correspondence that consisted of him- self, Robert Howe, Cornelius Harnett, Samuel Johnston, William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, and Richard Caswell — all prominent patriots and Masons — offers evidence of his involvement with the fraternity much earlier. After John came Matt, then Lemuel, omas, and Charles; all in the 1800s. e 1900s brought Amos, and Felix, Felix Jr., and Felix III. Last year, Jerry Kanter started building the idea of a Wall of St. Johns 4 adds Hall of Honor Felix Harvey and Myrtilla Harvey Brody unveil the Wall of Honor. Jerry Kanter, second from right, gives the Harveys a tour of the lodge room and past masters portraits. Masonic art renewed Near the northwest corner of the State Capitol, Ed- win Adams layers plaster onto Wyatt statue. Doreen Bledsoe prepares the rubber-coated C. B. Aycock statue to accept its upcoming layers of supporting plaster. Ric Car ter photos Freemasonry is a wonderful blend of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. We take pride in our past and use it as a way to tell future generations what our frater- nity has to offer. In December, Mason from across the state assembled in Eden- ton to place a marker on the grave of Samuel Johnston, our first grand master. Johnston, then North Carolina's governor, was elected at the formation of the Grand Lodge in 1787. Coverage of the event begins on page one.

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