The George Washington Masonic Memorial offers five tours daily. The tours at the George Washington Masonic Memorial inform and inspire visitors with new insights about George Washington, American history and the country’s Masonic heritage.
If you didn’t know, Washington and many of the liberators of America from the British claws, were masons. The monument is on top of a mound and completely dominates the area.
The George Washington Masonic Memorial
This is from the George Washington Masonic Memorial’s website: “George Washington joined the Masonic Lodge in Fredericksburg, Virginia, at the age of twenty in 1752.
During the War for Independence, General Washington attended Masonic celebrations and religious observances in several states. He also supported Masonic lodges that formed within army regiments.
At his first inauguration in 1791, President Washington took his oath of office on a Bible from St. John’s Lodge in New York. During his two terms, he visited Masons in North and South Carolina. Washington also presided over the cornerstone-laying ceremony for the U.S. Capitol in 1793.
Retirement
In retirement, Washington became charter Master of the newly chartered Alexandria Lodge № 22, sat for a portrait in his Masonic regalia, and in death, was buried with Masonic honours.”
There is a museum inside the memorial which takes hours to complete so set aside at least an afternoon to visit. Alexandria itself is a pretty old town with red brick colonial buildings.
Unfortunately I was too tired to do much but visiting the town and the memorial could easily take up a day. Taking the train to Alexandria is a sight in itself as the Pentagon will be on your right and the main airport on the left.
Monumental Serendipity
I feel a little connection to Washington in that I once booked a room in a Motel 6 in Fredericksburg, Virginia by mistake. I was on my way to Fredericksburg, Texas for the night and made a booking but stupidly I didn’t check the state!
So I booked a room in Virginia not Texas! When I turned up at the Texas Motel 6 the receptionist told me they had the direct line to Virginia as they had to make cancellations on a daily basis! At least that confirmed I am not the only numpty in the world…
The other connection is that I visited the Grand Lodge of New York where the Bible from St. John’s Lodge is on display. What a spectacle and full of history!