Here are some of the sights in the Washington, DC area...
I stayed in Alexandria and passed the damaged Pentagon building each day while traveling to the Navy Yard. I stayed a short walk from the George Washington National Masonic Memorial, so I spent one evening touring this site. It is truly beautiful.
Here is some history of this Masonic treasure:
The first meeting of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial Association took place in the Lodge Room of Alexandria-Washington No. 22 above Alexandria City Hall on February 22, 1911. The original concept was to erect a Memorial to house the relics of George Washington, the most prominent American Freemason, which are owned by the Lodge and which had been damaged by fire in 1871.
The groundbreaking ceremony took place on Shooter's Hill, June 5, 1922, in the rain. Louis A. Watres, a Past Grand Master of Pennsylvania, and Charles H. Callahan, a future Grand Master of Virginia and the spearhead for the Memorial, shoveled the first spadefuls of dirt. Shooter's Hill (originally called Shuter's Hill, after an early Alexandria resident) may have gotten its name because a Union Civil War fort was located here.
In 1922, steam shovels were used to dig the foundation for the Memorial, and the dirt was hauled out with mule-drawn wagons. The foundation was a special engineering project, and is bowl-shaped. The Directors of the Memorial Association decided not to borrow money for the building, so the construction only proceeded when money had been collected for each stage of the project. Construction proceeded even during the Great Depression of the 1930's.
The entire work of terracing the grounds had to be accomplished with mules and scoops. The entire hill was cleared of trees and brush. A roadway was built to the top of the hill; it was wide enough to haul up the material for construction. The house in the upper right of this photograph is still located next to the Memorial. Before construction of the Memorial, this area was called George Washington Park, and a small monument to Washington was actually started.
A test bore was made to 200 feet below sea level to determine if the ground could hold the Memorial. When the core was removed it was discovered to be only blue-gumbo clay; there was no sign of hard rock. The core was sent to the U.S. Geological Survey, where it was examined. Their report stated the ground would hold the Memorial as planned.
Shooter's Hill as we know it is taking shape in this view from King Street looking west. Shooter's Hill was the site of two Union forts during the Civil War, protecting the approaches to Alexandria and Washington, DC from possible Confederate attacks. The outline of Fort Ellsworth is still clearly visible on the Memorial's grounds. Alexandria was a key strategic point, and was even considered the capital of Virginia by the Union during the Civil War when a pro-Union government was based here.
The Shrine is an organization composed exclusively of Freemasons who have first risen to the highest levels of the Scottish or York Rites of Masonry. Shrine hospitals provide free medical care to countless children, in one of the greatest acts of collective charity in our country's history.
The green granite columns for the Memorial arrived by train from the quarries in New Hampshire. Each completed column weighs 60 tons and is 40 feet high. One of the columns had a defect and was not used in the Memorial. It was used, and can now be seen in front of the train station as a monument to American soldiers in World War I. Columns have symbolic meanings in Freemasonry, teaching moral lessons.
The columns had to be lifted over the upper terraced wall and deposited into position. Derricks and manpower accomplished the task. The columns on the second floor are directly above those on the first, and these columns bear the complete weight of all nine floors in the Memorial's tower. Interestingly, the Memorial's elevators move vertically and horizontally, because of the convergence of the building as it rises to the top floor.
The first floor columns were completed as construction continued. Compare this photograph with the current view of the Memorial's Assembly Hall on the first floor, which is now adorned with dioramas of the life of George Washington, exhibits by Masonic organizations, and a priceless Persian carpet, one of the largest in the world, which required 27 years of work by 12 artisans.
November 1, 1923 -- Cornerstone Ceremonies. Last minute carving was needed to get the stone ready, because an earlier version was found to be too small. This photograph was taken before the ceremonies began. A container under the cornerstone contains a Bible, U.S. flag, and copies of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, a replica of the Washington trowel, countless 1923 silver dimes, books, and other items.
King Street was filled with paraders, trains passed by, cars lines up, and people were everywhere around the Memorial in preparation for the cornerstone ceremony. Masons perform cornerstone ceremonies to remember ancient practices and to symbolize the combination of human efforts and divine inspiration in all our activities. Freemasonry teaches lessons about morality and life using rituals that include allegories and symbols.
The U.S. President and Chief Justice, the Governor of Virginia, most U.S. Grand Masters, and many others assembled for the Memorial's cornerstone laying. The stone is being lowered, one of three times, in accordance with Masonic tradition at all cornerstone layings. George Washington was clothed in a Masonic apron and his Masonic jewel when he laid the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol in 1793.
U.S. President Calvin Coolidge used the same trowel used by President George Washington at the U.S. Capitol cornerstone ceremony in 1793 for the 1923 Memorial cornerstone. He spread the first cement, followed by Chief Justice and former President Taft, and Acting Virginia Grand Master Charles H. Callahan. Every U.S. Grand Master present then spread further cement on the cornerstone, symbolizing the cement of brotherhood among all people.
The Replica Lodge Room is used once a year for a Lodge meeting, on the anniversary of the founding of Alexandria-Washington Lodge as a Virginia lodge.
