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Charlotte: |
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Let freedom ring!
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The American Freedom Bell in Charlotte is a Masonic site.
Funding was largely from the Belk Foundation headed by the late John Montgomery Belk, a lifelong member of Excelsior Lodge 261 and whose father was a co-founder of Oasis Shrine Temple.
Another Masonic hero is involved: Past Grand Master Charles Ingram. When the time came to dedicate the site of The American Freedom Bell, PGM Ingram asked if both black and white Grand Masters could share the honors. It would be only the second public event in NC history where Grand Masters and line officers from both AF&AM and Prince Hall participated side-by-side.
The founders of the bell immediately welcomed the proposal and the shared dedication took place smoothly. But behind the scenes a movement to dishonor PGM Ingram took place on the grounds that his participation in behalf of the Grand Lodge in Raleigh was improper according to law and policy.
Today that matter is history. The bronze plaque commemorating the joint black-white event is imbedded in the bell’s structure. The three different recorded messages about the bell story are delivered by Noble Doug Mayes, Charlotte’s most popular Mason for generations. Press the button next to the bell and hear three individual stories.
The American Freedom Bell has proved popular from its first ringing at the stroke of midnight as the year 2000 began. An unprecedented meeting of the Grand Lodge of NC Masons in the adjacent Hezekiah Alexander Homesite made the event official and statewide in scope.
Today it is the site of many weddings, photo ops and visits by dignitaries and tourists from all over the world.
Its draw is based on the fact that this bell is the world’s largest at ground level—seven feet across, seven feet down and seven tons in weight. Most important, it rings mightily whenever visitors wish, or to mark a major event.
To share the official history of the bell project, ask your computer to go to--
AmericanFreedomBell.org
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Produced by the public relations committee of the Grand Lodge AF&AM of Masons in North Carolina,
2921 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh, NC 27628 MMVIII
Author/editor: Walter J. Klein wklein(at)carolina.rr.com
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