Welcome to the Enfield Masonic Temple – transitioning into the Enfield Performing Arts Center (EPAC). Construction is under way to turn this magnificent Art Deco building, erected in 1926, into a state-of-the-art live music, theater, dance and film venue. The home of revolutionary fervor (the 1759 Enfield Riots) and once the world's largest raw peanut market, the sleepy rural town of Enfield is undergoing a dynamic resurgence. New people – from New Jersey, Louisiana, Long Island, Indiana, New Hampshire and Arizona – have discovered the incredible history, beauty and architecture of this small town and the newcomers (along with long-time citizens) are determined to open minds and hearts to the power of the arts in Eastern North Carolina communities.

EPAC is currently tapping into local talent and is making a commitment to inspire young children to reawaken the hidden talents that exist in this town. Historically Enfield was a hotbed of talent, innovation and even rebelliousness: Besides the infamous Enfield Riots of 1759, Enfield is the smallest town in the world to confer the eighteenth degree Mason; Governor John Branch (also Governor of Florida when it was a territory) was from Enfield and is now buried in Elmwood Cemetery; Joseph Branch, M. Victor Barnhill, R. Hunt Parker were Chief Justices of the N.C. Supreme Court; the famous "Buzzard Town versus Enfield" baseball game was held in Enfield; James Edward O'Hara, the first African-American attorney admitted to the North Carolina Bar and the second African American to serve in the United States Congress, was born and bred in Enfield; the reform movement of the North Carolina Methodist Protestant Church was formulated at Whitaker’s Chapel; even the Marquis de Lafayette stopped by the home of Joseph Branch on February 28, 1875,  to make a speech from the "Cellars" balcony, one of the many homes in Enfield on the National Register of Historic Places; Enfield is also the birthplace of Louis Austin, an African-American journalist, leader and social activist who attended the Joseph K. Brick School on the other side of Fishing Creek and who later purchased The Carolina Times in 1927 (Austin transformed the newspaper into an institution that aided African-Americans in their fight for equality in the 1950s and 1960s).  

We welcome you to discover this vibrant, emerging town. And please follow EPAC on social media – or, even better, stop by and volunteer your time and know-how. We are currently developing eclectic programming and we want ​your input. Stay tuned for more information about our upcoming film festival in October.

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While you are here check out what else is happening in and around Enfield NC...some of our local businesses...

SPECIAL NOTE:  The Lodge Arts center Inc (EPAC) is now a Federal 501c3 (Nonprofit) entity.  We are officially registered with the IRS as of October 2017.