Fincastle Lodge No. 33, A.F. & A.M.

                                                            Dungannon, Virginia

Patrick Porter emigrated from Guilford County, North Carolina in October 1772, and established his Fort House and Grist Mill on Falling Creek, Fincastle County Virginia. His Grist Mill on Clinch River was the first ever approved by Court Orders. The Court of Old Fincastle County granted permission in 1774. Porters Mill was a two-story log building with huge fireplaces. The mill was located below the falls of Falling Creek. A portion of the water was used to operate the mill.

The first Masonic Lodge in this section held regular meetings in the mill loft around 1776. Colonel Snoddy was the first Worshipful Master, and Patrick Porter was the second. Legend says that Porter obtained the charter from Dublin, Ireland.

Porters Mill was approximately one-half mile from Isis, Virginia. In those days this was Fincastle, Virginia. This was how the Lodge got its name.

A dispensation was issued on October 30, 1899, for the opening of a Lodge at Isis, in Scott County, in the State of Virginia, under the designation of Fincastle Lodge, and appointing the following officers:

N. W. Stallard             Worshipful Master

W. F. C. Blackwell                 Senior Warden

W. R. Wolfe                            Junior Warden

A charter was issued for Fincastle Lodge No. 33on December 4, 1902.

The Lodge meetings were held at Isis, Scott County, Virginia in the Fincastle Church building. At that time the church was a two-story building, the church used the lower floor, and the Lodge used the second floor. There was a one-room school across the road from the church, and a post office. The Lodge held their meetings on the second and fourth Saturday of the month at 8:00 P.M.

On August 22, 1914, a motion to change the time of meeting from 8:00 P.M. to 1:00 P. M. was brought before the Lodge for a vote. Since most of the Brethren lived some distance away and had to travel by horseback, they wanted to meet earlier in the evening to have daylight to travel. The motion carried, and it was ordered by the Worshipful Master to meet at 1:00 P.M. at the next meeting.

At a stated communication held February 27, 1915, the motion on file to move the Lodge from Isis, Virginia to Dungannon, Virginia was brought to a vote. A majority voted to move the Lodge. The Worshipful Master ordered the Lodge to move to the second floor of the Blackwell, Gray, and Stair store building in Dungannon. This was the last regular meeting held in the Fincastle Church at Isis, Virginia.

At a stated communication held January 22, 1916, a motion was made to change the date and time of meetings from the fourth Saturday of each month to Saturday on or after the first full moon of each month, time from 1:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. The majority of the members voted to change the date and time of meetings. The Worshipful Master ordered the change to be effective for the next meeting.

At a stated meeting held on August 11, 1916, a bill from Dungannon Planning Mill Company of $8.00 for electric lights for one year was ordered paid.

On April 4, 1925, a motion that had laid over for one month to move the Lodge from the Blackwell, and Gray store to the Dingus Hardware building was voted on. A majority voted to move. The Worshipful Master appointed a committee of H. B. Blackwell, R. L. Collins, W. M. Bryant, and S. P. Porter, Jr., to do whatever work necessary to prepare the second floor of the hardware building for the Lodge. On May 2, 1925, the committee reported the second floor of the Dingus Hardware building was ready for the Lodge to move. The Worshipful Master ordered the committee to move the furniture and be ready for the next meeting.

On February 23, 1929, the Lodge voted to move back to the Blackwell and Gray store building because it was a more suitable place, and had Delco electric lights. On February 16, 1935, the Lodge voted to move from the Blackwell and Gray store building to the second floor of the old school building. On February 4, 1941, the Lodge voted to move from the old school building to the second floor over the classrooms of the Dungannon United Methodist Church.

On January 4, 1969, the Lodge held its first meeting in its new Masonic temple.