by WECT Staff, West News 6, March 8, 2023
The Wilmington Historic Preservation Commission will review the Giblem Lodge No. 2, the first African American Masonic Lodge, for a local landmark designation.
The lodge, built in 1871, was a symbol of Black culture before the 1898 massacre, but lost members and funding after the coup. It was later used as the city’s Black library during Jim Crow, and fell into disrepair in the mid-1900s.
Efforts are ongoing to rehabilitate the building, and Masons still hold meetings there. If recommended by the commission, the request will go to City Council.
