Visiting the George Washington National Masonic Monument in Alexandria, Virginia

George Washington joined the Freemasons in 1752, at Lodge Number 4 in Fredericksburg, Virginia.  America's first president, first Grand Master of the Alexandria Lodge and most prominent Freemason is celebrated and revered at the George Washington National Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia.






The George Washington National
Masonic Memorial is modeled
after an ancient lighthouse in
Alexandria, Egypt.

Built in the 1920s through early
1930s, this memorial was
funded with private donations.

Eric stands in front of the

seventeen foot statue of

George Washington.

This mural depicts George
Washington & fellow Freemasons
meeting with dispossessed Patriot
families to offer assistance at
Christ Church in Philadelphia
on December 28, 1778.

George Washington lays the

cornerstone of the Capitol in

 Washington DC on

September 18, 1793.

This is a reconstruction of
the Alexandria Lodge
meeting room.

A 1794 portrait of George Washington

hangs above the chair he sat

 in during meetings.

President Washington is wearing

Masonic regalia in the portrait

& he looks tired.

This clock was in George
Washington's room when
he died.

Dr. Craik, his physician, cut
the cord on the clock at
10:20 pm on December 14, 1799.





Family members and friends gave Washington memorabilia to the Alexandria Lodge. Eventually, the Lodge decided to build a memorial to permanently house the historic items.

A model of Mount Vernon

& household items.

George Washington's
sabers

It is believed that Freemasonry got

its start in the Middle Ages.

The Stone Mason Guild, with

its tradition of trade secrets &

passwords is the basis 

of the Freemasons.

The Masons is a private fraternal organization.  Its goal is to improve men so they can improve society.  

Early in American history, Masons were involved in the government's formation.  Thirteen of the thirty-nine signers of the Declaration of Independence were Masons.  Top government positions have been filled by Masons.  Including George Washington, fourteen US Presidents were Masons.  

This is where I got confused...  

There's a Family of Freemasonry...  

Youth Groups are: Rainbow Girls, Job's Daughters for girls and DeMolay for boys.  Order of the Eastern Star was founded for women.  The Scottish Rite was founded in France.  The York Rite is also called the American Rite.  Included in the Family  are Shriners, Grotto, National Sojourners, High Twelve, Amaranth, Tall Cedars of Lebanon, Sciots, Red Cross of Constantine, Royal Order of Scotland, Allied Masonic Degrees and Rosicrucian.

The view of Alexandria from the top of the monument.

Our tour guide told us that  there are Catholic, Jewish and Muslim Masons.  (I was under the impression that Masons are Protestants.)   Joining the Masons isn't like joining the Girl or Boy Scouts, the PTA etc.  A prospective member must is sponsored by an established Mason (I thought that Masonic membership was inherited.) and voted on to be accepted into the a lodge.

Freemasonry has numerous

 symbols including the pyramid

& 'all seeing eye'....  

Both symbols have mystical

 elements. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         cafepress.com

Masonic ceremonies are secret, making the organization a target of suspicion and conspiracy theories, which can be very entertaining.  In Dan Brown's novel, The Lost Symbol, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, enters the world of Masonic secrets to rescue his kidnapped mentor, Peter Solomon.

My internet search on the Masons was filled with secrecy and conspiracies.  As a retired librarian, I searched for articles written by major news outlets.  Eventually, I found a US News and World Report article on the history of Freemasonry, associated groups and the conspiracies that continue to swirl around this secretive fraternal organization.

Visiting the George Washington National Masonic Monument is my first experience with Freemasonry. I learned a lot from the exhibits and tour.  My take away from the experience is that the Masons and their affiliated groups need to do a better job of educating the public on their efforts to help others.