Welcome to St. John's No. 3 AF&AM
Saint John’s Lodge is the first Masonic lodge in New Bern, Chartered on January 10, 1772 by Joseph Montfort, Provincial Grand Master of Masons for the United States, under the authority of the Duke of Beaufort, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of England, and one of the original lodges in North Carolina. In 2022, we celebrated our 250th Anniversary. Originally named St. John’s #1, then later changed to St. John’s #2 with the original Montfort charter, and even later changed to St. John’s #3 with the founding of the Grand Lodge of North Carolina. Both of the original charters hang in our lodge room.
The St. John’s lodge building was completed in 1809 with funds and material donations gathered by the brotherhood. It houses the historic Masonic theatre, at one time the oldest continually operating theatre in the USA, which is still in operation today. It also contains our historic lodge room. A unique space decorated with frescoes containing masonic symbolism, first painted in mid-1800, and restored in 2000. Adjacent to the lodge room is Lowthrop Hall, a large gathering place where meetings are held and meals are served.
Our lodge has a long and storied history. Thousands of men have joined and enjoyed the privileges of our masonic fraternity, among them many prominent members of local society, Statesmen and Innovators. Scanning the wall of Past Masters one can see 250 years of history through the leadership of those men whose guidance brought us to the present day. With over 200 members on our roles, St. John’s continues to be an active, vibrant lodge, continuing our work to make good men better, and being good stewards of our building, ritual work and fraternity for future generations.
Our stated communications are the second and fourth Wednesday of each month. We invite all Masons in good standing to visit our lodge and be a part of the history of St. John’s Lodge No. 3.