Abstract:
The Hill-Jones Octagon House in Cedar Point near Swansboro stands on a 60-acre tract of land. The house was donated to the Masons in 2001 by descendants of the original builders. The 5,000-square-foot house, built in 1856, has eight pie-shaped rooms and four square rooms. The house was headquarters for the Union Army during the Civil War. In 1996, two hurricanes took off the roof and severely damaged the interior. Then woodpeckers invaded. The Masons are currently restoring the house. In time they will build a summer camp on the grounds for the children's home they support in Oxford and later a village for retired Masons.