Washington, the mason
Study:
This is not the standard study. For the most part, it is just a bunch of pictures... nothing heavy like so many of the other studies I have written. There is a point to all these pictures though, so don't miss it.
Masonic Addresses
Washington, A Free Mason [...]
Douglas, Thomas, Washington a free mason, an address delivered before St. John's Lodge, No. 12, and Solomon's Lodge, No. 20, Ancient Free Masons of the State of Florida, at St. Augustine, Florida, on Thursday, November 4th, A. L., 5852, being the centennial celebration of the initiation of George Washington, Tallahasee: Printed at the Sentinel Office, 1853, title page.
Washington: a mason [...]
Caven, John, Washington: a mason, address delivered by brother John Caven, before Mystic Tie Lodge No. 398, F. & A. M., Indianapolis, Ind., December 14, 1899, being the centennial of the death of Washington, Indianopolis: Press of Wm. B. Burford, 1900, title page.
Books
Washington [the mason]
Hayden, Sidney, Washington and his masonic compeers, New York: Masonic Publishing and Manufacturing Co., 1866, front piece.
Washington and his Masonic compeers.
Hayden, "", title page.
Washington [the mason]
Lanier, John Jabez, Washington, the great American mason, New York: Macoy Publishing & Masonic Supply Company, c1922, front piece.
Washington, the great American mason
Lanier, "", title page.
[Washington, the mason]
Callahan, Charles Hilliard, Washington, the man and the mason, Washington, D.C.: National Capital Press, Published under the auspices of the Memorial Temple Committee of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial Association, c1913, front piece.
Washington, the man and the mason
Callahan, "", title page.
Prints
These prints are very interesting. We will take a closer look at a few of them in an upcoming study.
WASHINGTON AS A MASON.
Currier & Ives, Washington as a mason, New York: Published by Currier & Ives, c1868.
WASHINGTON AS A MASTER MASON.
Presiding over a meeting of the LODGE at ALEXANDRIA, VA. (of which he was a Member) convened preparatory to the laying of the Corner Stone of the National Capitol by him on the 18th of September, 1893.
The furniture of the Lodge which with the gavel and Regalia used by WASHINGTON has been carefully preserved, is here represented as they appeared on that occasion. The Apron was embroidered and presented to Washington by the Marchioness de Lafayette.
Duval, Son & Co., Washington as a master Mason, [c1870].
WASHINGTON as A MASON.
P.S. Duval & Son, lith.; Fuller Queen, James, art., Washington as a Mason, drawn by J.F. Queen; printed in oil colors by P.S. Duval Son & Co., Phila.: P.S. Duval Son & Co., c1867.
WASHINGTON as a FREEMASON.
Strobridge & Gerlach, litho., Washington as a Freemason, Cincinnati, Ohio: Strobridge & Gerlach, lithographers, c1866.
WASHINGTON as a FREEMASONS
ILLUSTRIOUS MASONS
Wolfe (J.M.) & Co., publisher; Cootey Engraving Co., publisher, Illustrious masons, Washington as a freemason, Minneapolis, Minnesota : [publisher not transcribed], c1899.
WASHINGTON as a FREMASON
Pinckard, P. M., Washington as a freemason, Mo.(?): c. 1866.
WASHINGTON as a FREEMASON.
Strobridge & Co. Lith., lithographer, Washington as a freemason, Cin[cinnati], O[hio]: J. H. Powers & Co., Fraternity Publishers, c1870.
WASHINGTON as a FREEMASON.
Strobridge & Co., Lithographers, Washington as a freemason, Cincinnati, O[hio]: Strobridge & Co., Lithographers, 1867.
WASHINGTON as a FREEMASON.
Strobridge & Co., Lithographers, Washington as a freemason, Cincinnati, O[hio]: Strobridge & Co., Lithographers, 1867.
Paintings
George Washington (1732–1799), President of the United States of America - Robert Gordon Hardie (1854–1904) - Museum of Freemasonry.
This image can be used for non-commercial research or private study purposes, and other UK exceptions to copyright permitted to users based in the United Kingdom under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised. Any other type of use will need to be cleared with the rights holder(s)."
Washington, the Mason, circa 1868.
This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or fewer.
Source: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Washington,_the_Mason.PNG
Laying of the Cornerstone of the Capitol
The following are paintings... recreations of the laying of the U.S. Capitol Building's cornerstone by George Washington, a notable event in the history of the United States.
"Mural by Allyn Cox of Washington Laying the Cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol (DC) in 1793 -- The George Washington Masonic National Memorial Shuter's Hill Alexandria (VA) June 2016" by Ron Cogswell.
This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.
Source: www.flickr.com/photos/22711505@N05/26815935304/
Capitol Cornerstone Ceremony - 1793, by Allyn Cox.
United States government work.
Source: www.flickr.com/photos/uscapitol/6238317835
Photographic reproduction of the painting "Cornerstone laid by George Washington, Sept. 18, 1793 - Clyde De Land."
No known restrictions on publication. No renewal in Copyright office.
Source: www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2014648349/
What follows is a description of the events of that day, the day on which the US Capitol's cornerstone was laid, as recorded in two sources.
Work was begun at once on the Capitol, and on September 18, 1793, the ceremony of laying the corner-stone was performed. In the Columbian Mirror and Alexandria Gazette of September 25, 1793, a copy of which is preserved in the Library of Congress, is the only report of this important event known to be in existence. The following is an exact reproduction of the report:
"GEORGETOWN Sept. 21.
"On Wednesday last one of the grandest Masonic processions took place which perhaps ever was exhibited on the like important occasion. It was in all probability much facilitated by an advertisement which appeared many days before in several newspapers of this date. Lodge No. 9 and Lodge No. 22 with all their officers and regalia appeared on the southern bank of the Grand River Potomack; one of the finest companies of Volunteer Artillery parading to receive the President of the United States who shortly came in sight with his suite, to whom the artillery paid military honors, and his Excellency and suite crossed the river and were received in Maryland by the officers and brethren of No. 22 Virginia, and No. 9 Maryland, whom the President headed and preceded by a band of music with the rear brought up by the Alexandria Volunteer Artillery with grand solemnity of march proceeded to the President's Square in the city of Washington, where they were met and saluted by Lodge No. 15 of the city in all their elegant regalia headed by Bro. Joseph Clark Rt. W. G. M. and conducted to a large lodge prepared for the purpose of their reception. After a short space of time the brotherhood and other bodies were disposed in a second procession which took place amidst a brilliant crowd of spectators of both sexes according to the following arrangement: The surveying department of the city of Washington; Mayor and Corporation of Georgetown; Virginia Artillery; Commissioners of the city of Washington and their attendants; Stone Cutters; Mechanics; Two Sword Bearers; Masons of the First Degree; Bibles, etc., on Grand Cushions; Deacons with Staffs of Office; Masons of the Second Degree; Stewards with Wands; Wardens with Truncheons; Secretaries with Tools of Office; Past Masters with their Regalia; Treasurers with their Jewels; Band of Music; Lodge No. 22 of Virginia, disposed in their own order; Corn, Wine, and Oil; Grand Master P. T.; George Washington; W. M. No. 22, Virginia; Grand Sword Bearer.
"The procession marched two a breast in the greatest solemn dignity, with music playing, drums beating, colors flying, and spectators rejoicing, from the President's Square to the Capitol in the city of Washington, where the Grand Marshal ordered a halt, and directed each file in the procession to incline two steps, one to the right, and one to the left, and face each other, which formed a hollow oblong square, through which the Grand Sword Bearer led the van followed by the Grand Master P. T. on the left, the President of the United States in the centre, and the Worshipful Master of No. 22, Virginia, on the right. All the other orders that composed the procession advanced in the reverse of their order of march from the President's Square, to the south east corner of the Capitol, and the artillery filed off to a destined ground to display their manoeuvres and discharge their cannon. The President of the United States, the Grand Master P. T. and the Worshipful Master of No. 22 took their stands to the east of a huge stone, and all the craft forming in a circle westward stood a short time in silent awful order.
"The artillery discharged a volley. The Grand Marshal delivered the commissioners a large silver plate with an inscription thereon, which the commissioners ordered to be read, and was as follows:
"'This southeast corner-stone of the Capitol of the United States of America in the city of Washington was laid on the 18th day of September, 1793, in the 13th year of American Independence, in the first year of the second term of the Presidency of George Washington, whose virtues in the civil administration of his country have been as conspicuous and beneficial as his military valor and prudence have been useful in establishing her liberties, and in the year of Masonry 5793, by the President of the United States in concert with the Grand Lodge of Maryland, several lodges under its jurisdiction, and Lodge No. 22, from Alexandria, Virginia.
"'THOMAS JOHNSON,
"'DAVID STUART,
"'DANIEL CARROLL, Commissioners.
"'JOSEPH CLARK, R. W. G. M. P. T.
"'JAMES HOBAN,
"'STEPHEN HALLATE, Architects.
"'COLLEN WILLIAMSON, M Mason.'
"The artillery discharged a volley. The plate was then delivered to the President, who, attended by the Grand Master P. T. and three most worshipful masters, descended to the caisson trench and deposited the plate, and laid on it the corner-stone of the Capitol of the United States of America, on which was deposited corn, wine, and oil. Then the whole congregation joined in prayer, which was succeeded by Masonic chanting honors and a volley from the artillery. The President of the United States and his attendant brethren ascended from the caisson to the east of the corner-stone and there the Grand Master P. T. elevated on a triple rostrum delivered an oration, after which there was more Masonic chanting and a 15th volley from the artillery.
"The whole company retired to an extensive booth where an ox of 500 lbs. was barbecued, of which the company generally partook with every abundance of other recreation. The festival concluded with 15 successive volleys from the artillery, and before dark the whole company departed with joyful hopes of the production of their labor."
Hutchins, Stilson; Moore, Joseph West, The national capital, past and present: the story of its settlement, progress, and development, Washington: The Post Publishing Company, 1885, pp. 94-97.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18.
At Washington City: Takes part as a Mason in the ceremonies of laying the corner-stone of the Capitol of the United States. The stone was laid at the southeast corner of the edifice.
"The President of the United States, the Grand Master P. T. and the Worshipful Master of [Alexandria Lodge] No. 22 taking their stand to the east of a large stone, and all the Craft forming a circle westward, stood a short time in awful order. The artillery discharged. The Grand Marshal delivered the commissioners [Thomas Johnson, David Stuart, and Daniel Carroll] a large silver plate with an inscription thereon, which the commissioners ordered to he read, and was as follows :
"'This Southeast corner-stone of the Capitol of the United States of America, in the City of Washington, was laid on the 18th day of September, 1793, in the thirteenth year of American independence, in the first year of the second term of the presidency of George Washington, whose virtues in the civil administration of his country have been as conspicuous and beneficial, as his military valor and prudence have been useful in establishing her liberties, and in the year of Masonry, 5793, by the President of the United States, in concert with the Grand Lodge of Maryland, several lodges under its jurisdiction, and Lodge No. 22 from Alexandria, Virginia.'
"The artillery discharged a volley. The plate was then delivered to the President, who, attended by the Grand Master P. T. and three most Worshipful Masters, descended to the cavazion trench and deposed the plate, and laid it on the corner-stone of the Capitol of the United States of America, on which was deposed Corn, Wine, and Oil, when the whole congregation joined in reverential prayer, which was succeeded by Masonic chanting honors, and a volley from the artillery. The President of the United States and his attendant brethren ascended from the cavazion to the east of the corner-stone; and there the Grand Master P. T., elevated on a triple rostrum, delivered an oration fitting the occasion, which was received with brotherly love and commendation. At intervals, during the delivery of the oration, several volleys were discharged by the artillery. The ceremony ended in prayer, Masonic chanting honors, and a 15-volley from the artillery.
"The whole company retired to an extensive booth, where an ox of 500 lbs. weight was barbecued, of which the company generally partook, with every abundance of other recreation. The festival concluded with fifteen successive volleys from the artillery, whose military discipline and manoeuvres merit every commendation. Before dark the whole company departed with joyful hopes of the production of their labor." — Georgetown, September 21, 1793.
Baker, William Spohn, Washington after the revolution, 1784-1799, Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1897, pp. 243-244.
George Washington Masonic National Memorial
A Memorial to Washington the Mason, to be erected at Alexandria, Virginia.
Callahan, Charles Hilliard, A memorial to Washington the mason, to be erected at Alexandria, Virginia, [Washington, D.C.: printed by W. F. Roberts], 1920, cover.
The Lodge of George Washington and his Masonic Neighbors.
Callahan, "", 1920, title page.
The memorial to Washington, the mason.
Callahan, Charles Hilliard, Washington, the man and the mason, Washington, D.C.: National Capital Press, Published under the auspices of the Memorial Temple Committee of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial Association, c1913, p. 342.
The Memorial to Washington.
Callahan, Charles Hilliard, The memorial to Washington; an historic souvenir, [Alexandria: ] Published by the Local Memorial Committee of Alexandria, 1923, cover.
[Washington, the mason.]
Callahan, "", 1923, front piece.
The Memorial to Washington; An Historic Souvenir.
Callahan, "", 1923, title page.
[The George Washington Masonic National Memorial, Alexandria, Virginia.]
Callahan, "", 1923, p. 49.
Now some current pictures of the George Washington Masonic Memorial.
Front view of George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia, USA. Copyright Joe Ravi.
Source: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Front_View_of_George_Washington_Masonic_National_Memorial-2.jpg
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Attribution: Joe Ravi.
"The main feature of the second floor is the Memorial Hall, which is 100 feet (30 m) long, 66 feet (20 m) wide, and 51 feet (16 m) high.[67] Eight green granite columns (four on each side) support the roof of the Memorial Hall. Each column is 38.5 feet (11.7 m) high, 4 feet (1.2 m) wide at the base, and weighs 63 short tons (57 t). On the western end of the hall is the 17 feet (5.2 m) high bronze statue of Washington in Masonic regalia. It weighs 7 short tons (6.4 t). The floor is composed of Tennessee marble in a geometric design, and the walls are of Missouri marble.[146] In the corners of the Memorial Hall are four 8-foot (2.4 m) high bronze lamps, donated by the Order of the Eastern Star (a Masonic social organization composed primarily of women). On the north and south sides of the Memorial Hall are murals by Allyn Cox depicting Washington attending a service at Christ Church, Alexandria and of Washington (in Masonic garb) laying the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol building. The murals were photographed in their entirety for the first time in 2000." Source: "George Washington Masonic National Memorial," Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_Masonic_National_Memorial.
Statue of George Washington in Memorial Hall inside the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia.
Note: This image was originally posted to Flickr by Sangre-La.com at https://flickr.com/photos/13453262@N03/2419286304, but it is now gone.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.
Source: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Memorialhall1.jpg
The George Washington Masonic National Memorial by Sandra C Meyer
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_George_Washington_Masonic_National_Memorial.jpg
So, what is the point of all of this?
It is to show you how important is Washington's Freemasonry. In fact, so important is his association with freemasonry... his membership in the society... that masons spent $6 million and built a memorial to his masonic membership, the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia. As an aside, I find it interesting that the Memorial Hall reminds me of a Greek temple with the god's statue at the far end.
So why am I bringing this up, Washington's masonry?
Because it colours the city named for him, Washington, D.C.! It is a masonic city!
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