State

By JAMES II. МеКОА Thii и Henry Dacon'i -oicr color ol Si. John'» Tovern oi Wilmington. Bocon wo» orchitocr to» the Ltncoln Memorial ot Wothington. April 4. 1887. I hai dale appears on a water color ol an aspiring young man, who at nineteen had not yet added “delineator" to a set of plans. The date Is significant for the then young artist had selected as his subject the only re¬ maining public building still standing in Wilmington erected before 1801. Hi* kite ring tells it is "St John’s Lodge" and he signs his work "H. B.” In time, the old building that was the first Masonic Building erected in North Carolina strictly for masonic- purposes was to become not only a home beloved by the craft, but in time a "home" for a family that left its mark on early silver of the young colonics and a "goodly heritage" of education in the minds and manners of more than one generation. In time, the same old building at the comfortable age of one hundred and forty two years, again returned to public use becoming "St. John’s Tav¬ ern" where thousands of young men and women in uniform were to find “delicious meals, courteously served in a friendly atmosphere." With the close of the war it earned new friends in the many who enjoyed a stop in North Carolina on trips from northern states to Florida. In time, the young artist whose ini¬ tials "H. B" show on his water color of an old building he appreciated, signed his full name on a water color that he had prepared at the request of the Fine Arts Commission of Wash¬ ington. I he water color, the perfected plans ot this architect, became a mag¬ nificent building of marble belonging to the nation when Chief Justice Wil¬ liam Howard Taft as Chairman of the Lincoln Memorial Commission on May 30. I ‘>22 presented the Memorial to the President of the United Stales. Nowhere on the Memorial appears the name "Abraham Lincoln” but on the corner stone there is the simple inscription. "Henry Bacon. Architect." Henry Bacon selected his namesake and nephew. Henry Bacon McKoy to be his personal representative during the construction of the Memorial and in time he was sent to the mines at Marble. Colorado, to inspect and measure every piece of marble at the quarry before it was shipped for erec¬ tion in the building at Washington. Henry Bacon McKoy returned to his native Carolinas and earned eminence and distinction as a builder through¬ out the south. In lime. St. John’s tavern in \Nil- mington outlived its usefulness as a restaurant and once more the old build¬ ing had to miss the warmth of visits from friends and strangers For the past six years it has been closed and useless to the public. The lovely old formal garden has become a jungle where nature has been rejoicing in un¬ disturbed greatness. Vandals found easy access by smashing windows and demolished the carefully planned fur¬ nishings and decor, stealing what ap¬ pealed to need or fancy until the once charming interior became a wreck. But once again old St. John’s Lodge Building rose above the hands of van¬ dals. the curse of neglect, the ruthless- ness of nature reclaiming its own. Car¬ penters restored the portico, painters brushed freshness to faded color, decorators replaced its recent ele¬ gance. gardeners cleared away under¬ growth to allow a hundred and fifty year old Rose of Devon to buist again this May in view and glory. Many citizens of our state contributed their hands, their minds, their hearts and "elbow grease" to restore the glory the building has recently known. St. John’s Lodge Building or as it is perhaps even better known. "St. John’s Tavern." has been donated by Henry Bacon McKov and James Has- cll McKoy in the hope that it will bc- ( Continued or. New Career for An Old Building THE STATE. Junc 9. 1962 e 67