City Directories and History: The Knights of the Wise Men Lodge Hall , an African American History site, is a simple rectangular form with a gabled (end to front) roof. The front façade extends above the roofline in a stepped fashion, a form common to vernacular commercial structures. This hall is unusual as a two-story building whose stepped façade is more elaborate in size and contour than most others. The façade fenestration is asymmetrical. The single door front entrance is flanked by
casement windows, one on its south side and two on its north side. While there is no written record of when this building was constructed, interviews with Lodge members indicate that it was built ca. 1942. It was designed by the Lodge brothers and built by local masons. The Lodge is located at the Corner, which is the commercial and social center of St. Helena Island. It is located at the rear of The Green. On holidays, when gatherings took place at the Green, the Knights of the Wise Men Lodge Hall was used both as a dance hall and a jail. The Lodge Hall is an artifact of a longstanding and important tradition, representing more than a century of the black St. Helena Islanders’ struggle to remain independent, self-reliant, and culturally unified. Listed in the National Register April 12, 1996. [Courtesy of the SC Dept. of Archives and History]
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