Masonic Shrine with pieces of White House, Alamo vandalized on Blue Ridge Parkway: NPS

Ryley Ober, Asheville Citizen Times
·2 min read
Pictured before a recent vandalism, an 86-year-old Masonic marker rests a top a staircase at the location of a vault that once held Masonic mementos contributed by 30 Grand Councils of the United States and Canada.
Pictured before a recent vandalism, an 86-year-old Masonic marker rests a top a staircase at the location of a vault that once held Masonic mementos contributed by 30 Grand Councils of the United States and Canada.

ASHEVILLE - Blue Ridge Parkway law enforcement rangers are investigating a vandalism complaint at a Masonic Shrine in Maggie Valley, which predates the parkway itself.

Parkway officials received a report of damage to the 86-year-old site near Soco Gap last week, according to spokesperson Leesa Brandon. It appears someone used a hammer to make over 100 notches in both the Masonic marker and the stairs leading up to it, Brandon said.

Built in 1938, the memorial marks the location of a vault that once held Masonic mementos contributed by 30 Grand Councils of the United States and Canada, according to historical information from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

The 12-foot-tall shrine is covered with at least 687 stones and minerals from historic locations across the world, including a piece from an Egyptian pyramid, the Alamo, Plymouth Rock and Pike’s Peak. President Franklin D. Roosevelt even gave a brick from the White House to be placed on the concrete and mortar memorial, according to UNC Chapel Hill.

A Masonic marker first built in 1938 was recently vandalized in Maggie Valley. The National Park Service is investigating.
A Masonic marker first built in 1938 was recently vandalized in Maggie Valley. The National Park Service is investigating.

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Beyond notches on the historic structure, a wooden informational sign near the marker was also destroyed, Brandon said. The vandalism looks to be recent.

“Parkway law enforcement rangers are investigating this incident; however, without witnesses, instances of vandalism are often difficult to pursue,” Brandon said.

Local Free Masons have been the caretakers of this marker for many years, and the National Park Service is working with their organization on how to repair the site.

Graffiti and vandalism to park signs are “quite common,” with park rangers finding drawn markings on fences and parkway infrastructure “nearly every day,” according to the National Park Service.

However, intentional damage to historic sites like this one is less common, according to Brandon.

A Masonic Shrine in Maggie Valley features rocks and minerals from across the world, including a piece from an Egyptian pyramid, the Alamo, Plymouth Rock and Pike’s Peak. It was recently vandalized, according to NPS.
A Masonic Shrine in Maggie Valley features rocks and minerals from across the world, including a piece from an Egyptian pyramid, the Alamo, Plymouth Rock and Pike’s Peak. It was recently vandalized, according to NPS.

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Vandalism in the National Park Service is a class B misdemeanor with punishment up to a $5,000 fine and six months in jail, according to NPS.

“We want to remind park visitors and neighbors that if you are on the parkway and witness someone taking a sign or vandalizing park property, take down license plate information, leave the area, and call 1.800.PARKWATCH (1.800.727.5928) to report the incident to park dispatchers,” Brandon said.

Anyone with information about this incident should call Parkway Dispatch at 828.298.2491.

Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at rober@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Historic Masonic Shrine on Blue Ridge Parkway vandalized with hammer