The North Carolina Mason

September/October 2015 The North Carolina Mason Page 3 By Bob Reidford PITTSBORO — A shroud of mys- tery enveloped Columbus 102. is summer, the pastor of the Presbyterian church next door to the lodge phoned lodge secretary Allan Pegg and told him a parishioner had noticed a mysterious box on the front porch of the lodge. He had, after several days, picked up the box and delivered it to the church office. e pastor delivered the sealed copper box to Allan's house. "I knew it was important because of the care someone took to solder the edge of this box closed," said Pegg. Al- lan sent an email to the entire Colum- bus Lodge mailing list to enquire if anyone had any information about how this strange copper box ended up on the front steps of the lodge. Further inspection showed the mys- terious copper box was actually the de- posit box from a cornerstone the Pitts- boro Masons were storing temporarily on the front porch until proper arrange- ments could be made to incorporate the stone into a permanent location. is cornerstone was from George Washington 174. e lodge was char- tered in 1855 at Lassiter's Crossroads and moved to Bell's Cross in 1882. e lodge had to be abandoned when Jordan Lake was created in 1971. e mem- bership of George Washington Lodge merged with Columbus Lodge at that time. e cornerstone, with the deposit included, was moved to Pittsboro as many of the brothers moved to Pitts- boro and Columbus Lodge 102 when the old lodge building and their homes and farms were to be lost to the flooding. Recent renovations to Columbus Lodge meant the cornerstone would have to stay on the porch until a suitable perma- nent location could be determined. "We never imagined anyone would disturb the heavy cornerstone much less the deposit inside," said 20 th District Deputy Grand Master David Quick, a member of Columbus Lodge. "I re- member pushing the stone up against the inside wall. People rarely go onto the front porch as we normally use the side door." Whoever removed the deposit must have been looking for something other than a solid copper box inside the corner stone. ey left the unopened deposit beside the cornerstone where it was found several days later. Curiosity about the box's contents got the better of the Masons of Colum- bus Lodge, and they opened the deposit at their June stated meeting. Interest- ing treasures were found inside includ- ing minutes from a December 4, 1955 emergent communication of George Washington Lodge. is was the 100 th anniversary of the founding of George Washington 174 on this same date in 1855. e Masons found a Chatham Record newspaper from December 1955 describing the 100-year anniver- sary ceremony at the lodge. Also in- cluded was a very old Masonic Bible that was undated but clearly printed around the beginning of 20 th century. ese important documents and the copper deposit will be enshrined in Columbus Lodge. Digital images of the documents are being made to main- tain a lasting record of them through- out history. A permanent location in the Pittsboro Columbus Lodge for the massive cornerstone, the copper de- posit, and the treasure trove of Masonic history has not been determined. But, these articles remain behind a shroud of mystery regarding that fateful day when Allan Pegg received a phone call from the Presbyterian pastor next door. Bob Reidford is a member of Colum- bus 102. After a report from a neighbor, Columbus Lodge members found the long undisturbed corner- stone of George Washington Lodge cracked open on their porch. Some of the artifacts from the cornerstone Examining the contents Columbus Lodge's mystery entices Ric Car ter photos

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