'bV 'bV" '^rffoX^k*- O jr "lobe atAlEXANDRI - Virginia ■'7 i The Lodge of GEORGE WASHINGTON and his MASONIC NEIGHBORS, An Appvtdnlwn The collection of heirlooms in Alexandria-Washington Lodge is insignificant in point of numbers and, perhaps, monetary value when compared with other great collections in this and otnfer countries, but owing to the peculiar nature of its acquisition it stands alone in senti- mental worth, hallowed by the traditions of a century gone and the fond memories which gather around \yashington and his neighbor^. CHARLES H. CALLAHAN. y m2im g,„,5e3e2i,: Om? ^ A Memorial to Washington the Mason AlfxattJina (Eitg, JtH ICnrattnn attli iEnutranmrntH /•v^OCATED on the west bank of the Potomac River, six miles south, |ll I in phiin view, and directly in the line of railroad travel from ^1^ the National Capital to Mount Vernon, on the public highway, from north to south, a typical colonial town, Alexandria has, wuth commendable care and pride, preserved its original old-fashioned appearance and delights in its historical associations. Having been organized in 1749 pursuant to an act of the General Assembly of Virginia, the city is one of the oldest municiiialities in the State, and for over half a century was the county seat of Fairfax, in which county Mount Vernon is located, and we find among the Trustees constituting its first legislatiA-e body Washington's relatives, patrons and warm personal friends, viz. : Thomas Lord Fairfax, by whom at that time — 1749 — the boy was engaged as a surveyor; William Fairfax, at whose home — Belvoir — he had lived while pur- suing his studies ; George William Fairfax, his preceptor and com- panion of his first surveys ; Lawrence Washington, his half-brother, and John Carlyle, in whose dwelling he was afterwards commissioned a Major on Braddock's Staff, and in 1765 AVashington himself was made a member of this famous Town Council, and served as such until the town's incorporation — 1779. F'rom early manhood to venerated age he mingled in social ai?d political intercourse with its people ; its representative in the House of Burgesses ; vestryman in its old Christ Church ; he surveyed its streets, and founded and endowed its first free school. Here, in 1755, he received his commission in the English Army under Braddock ; here, to the freeholders of Fairfax County, he first announced his espousal of the cause of the Colonies ; here he called, in March, 17S5, the Maryland and Virginia Commissioners to confer on boundaries and the rights of import duties and navigation between the two States. This Council adjourned to Mount Vernon, and from there issued an appeal to the several States which resulted in the convention at Philadelphia, 1787, which framed the Constitution of the United States. Here, in 1799, he held his last military review, and cast his last ballot; and here, January 20, 1800, Colonel George Deneale, Master of the Masonic Lodge and Clerk of the Court, recorded his will. It was the scene of his early social and political triumphs, the starting point of the greatest epochs in his life. Here he conferred with his neighbors on solemn questions of state and determined upon the course of action to pursue. Its citizens formed his funeral cortege ; its soldiers sounded taps and paid the only military tribute at his grave ; its ministers conducted his funeral service ; its Masons deposited the Apron, Glove and Evergreen on his bier and pronounced its ancient benediction. Copyright 1920, by Alexandria-Washington Lodge, No. 22, A. F. & A. M. v J L COLUMBUS STREET 4 (SHINGTON ( <5, STREET 6 11 10 7 ST ASAPH STREET 7s PI H o CO n -1 Vi 33 m § m »9 -1 33 O m 12 PITT STREET 14] ^ 3 i2 Tieen Street, Alexandria. A Memorial to Wasliington the Mason (group of iS^ltra ^^■rillS colkH-tioii. known :is '•The Wasliin.utonia," contains Wash- I'l ington's Masonic Apron, worn by the (ioneral when Master and ^^^ at hiying the corner-stone of the Nation's Capitol. It is of cream-colored satin, heavily frinsetl and embroidered in sold, with the French and American tiags entwined. A beehive and fairies adorn the center. It was presented to the Lodge with the box below and the sash above in 1.S12 by Lawrence Lewis, nephew of the General and husband of his adopted daughter. Nellie Custis. The Apron has been seldom worn since the death of the (ieneral, among the few in- stances being by General Lafayette in the Lodge, February 21, 1825 ; at the laying of the corner-stone of the Washington Monument in 1848 ; at the laying of the corner-stone of the Yorktown Monument by Grand Master Peyton S. Coles, 1881, and to confer M. M. Degree on Lawrence Washington, February 22. 1910, by Illinois Delegation. In thanking the Lodge for the use of the Apron at Yorktown, Grand Master Coles wrote, in part : "I am deeply gratified by this distinguished honor and in the name of the Grand Lodge, not less than of every individual Mason in the State, I thank you. I count it a high and priceless privi- lege to be the trusted recipient of so great an honor and that it has fallen to my humble lot to wear the Masonic clohing, consecrated in our memory b.v association with Washington and Lafayette, fills me with proud and grateful emotion." On either side of the Apron are the General's wedding gloves and beneath, his farm-spurs ; to the right, his pruning knife and a black glove worn by the General at his mother's funeral ; to the left, a little pearl-handled knife, a present from his mother, when a boy (see cut); his pocket compass, cupping and bleeding instruments; a piece of sealing wax taken from his desk after death and last used by the General before dying ; boot-strap or garter worn by the General at Braddock's defeat. On the extreme right, near the top, is a copper plate owned and used by John Hancock to print his reception cards, while President of the Continental Congress and presented to General Washington by the Hancock family, after the dissolution of the old Colonial Confederacy. These were all given by the General's nephew. Captain George Steptoe Washington, from 1803 to 1812. On the left of the pearl-handled knife is a button, cut from the General's coat at his first inauguration and presented by Doctor James Craik, and to the left of the button, a piece of canvas from his army tent used during the Revolutionary War, presented by George AVashington Parke Custis, his adopted son. In the lower right corner, a picture of Doctor Dick; Doctor Dick's and Washington's medicine scales and a medallion of Washington presented to the General as founder of free schools in Alexandria. Va., by D. Eggleston Lancaster. P^squire, founder of free schools in England, and other relics of importance, which space will not permit to enumerate. A Memorial to Washington the Mason Ei}e mh (Hinrk ^^■rHE OLD clock, shown below, was the bedchamber clock of I "I General Washington. On the death of the General, Doctor ^^^ Ellisha Gnllen Dick. Master of "No. 22," and one of the attending physicians, cut the pendnlum cord and stopped the old time- piece at twenty minutes after ten P.M. After the funeral, Mrs. Washington presented the clock to Doctor Dick for the Lodge. "It's work is done, but the hands still point to the minute and hour that marks the close of the greatest life in history." It is said to be the only piece of furniture in the room at the time of the General's death which has not been restored to its former place. The pendu- lum with the catgut cord attached is shown to the left of the clock. THE LESSER LIGHTS The Lesser Lights in the picture are the original lights of the Lodge and were used on the most important occasions in the history of the institution, among them, laying the corner-stone of the District of Columbia in 1791, the National Capitol in 1793, and the funeral of General Washington in 1799, and at laying the corner-stone of the Washington Monument in 184S. THE HOUR GLASS The hour glass is the original, excejjt one column, which, having been broken, was replaced b.v a new one and the old column cut in small pieces for souvenirs. It has served as the emblem to teach the sublime lesson of human life from the beginning of the Lodge to the present time. A Memorial to Washing ton the Mason SI1|? S>t0r^ of tl|p 'KxxxU m ■HEN George Washington was eleven years old his father died (1743). Shortly after the boy took up his residence at Mount Vernon with his half-brother, Lawrence, and while waiting for „ Copyright 1910 repairs to Mount Vernon House stopped at Belvoir, the home of William Fairfax, an intimate friend and neighbor, father-in-law of Lawrence. Through the influence of his brother and the Fairfaxes, he obtained a commission as midship- man in the English Navy. All preparations had been made for his departure, when his mother's message, her final command, forbidding the step, arrived. In obedience to that command and in deference to her wish, the boy surrendered his commission and returned to his studies, back to surveying and mathematics. Among the items of his mother's next order to England, for annual supplies, was one for a good penknife. This she presented to the boy as a reward for his submission to her will, with the injunction, "Always obey your superiors." He carried the token with him through life, as a reminder of his mother's command, and to General Knox explained its signifi- cance. At Valley Forge, when a vacillating and timid Congress failed to provide food and shelter for his ragged and starving army, in des- peration and despair, yielding temporarily to his feelings and sym- pathy for his men and in disgust with Congress, he wrote his resigna- tion as Commander-in-Chief, summoned his staff and notified them of his action. Among the officers present and sitting in council was Knox, who reminded him of the story of the knife and his mother's injunction, " 'Always obey your superiors ;' you were commanded to lead this army and no one has ordered you to cease leading it." Washington paused, then replied, "There is something in that. I will think it over." Half an hour later he had torn up his resignation, determined to fight on to the end. Thus upon this slender thread, the story of a little knife and a mother's injunction, hung for one brief moment the future life of a great nation, whose governmental principles have enlightened and elevated humanity. A mother's gentle command determined the course of a noble son and changed the map of the world. The little knife is shown above. It was given the Lodge in 1812 by Captain George Steptoe Washington, a nephew of the General, and one of the executors of his will. The card attached states that it was in Wash- ington's possession about fifty-six years. Partly legendary and partly historical, the narrative, like other tales of his childhood, serves to illustrate the character of the boy and the man and is beautifully told in Owen Wister's "Seven Ages of Washington," page 179. A Memorial to Wasliington the Mason llaBl)tttgt0n*ii OIl)atr ^^^^llE CHAIR occupied by General Washington when Worshipful i 1 Master of '"No. 22" is sliown above. It was in continuous use ^4r for 117 years, but as "constant dripping wears the stone," so this old Chippendale, which had borne its precious burden when new and strong, began slowly to yield to the grind of time and usage. The rips in the seat and arms were, however, the work of vandals, the ever-present and unscrupulous I'elic-fiend. To preserve it from further abuse, it was placed in a glass case some five years ago and is not used except on very important occasions. The frame of mahogany is inlaid with white holly and upholstered in leather. In the course of its long service, many distinguished visitors have occupied it, among them General Lafayette in 1825, President Taft, Vice-Presidents Fairbanks and Marshall, Speaker Cannon, Admiral Schley and others. ■•.■^ .'■. 'ir -^^/L^-^i^^-^ y^hr:^ A^/^''>^ 'z :l^7^ £r^25h J -/ .-^.^..X:^ ^ ,'Xc: ^ 1 /^ .^ -^ L^. / Letter from General Washington to Lodge 39 (Old Numl)er of No. 22) A Memorial to Washington the Mason ICorb iPairfax ®HOMAS, Sixth Lord Fairfax, Baron of Cameron, was born in England (1690) and emigrated to Virginia in 1743. From his mother, daughter of Lord Culpeper. he inherited 5,500,000 acres of land, located between the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers and extending from the Chesapeake Bay to the Shenandoah Valley. In 1749, with Lawrence Washington, William Fairfax, Gerard Alex- ander and others, he founded the City of Alexandria, Va., but shortly A Memorial to Washington the Mason after this event retired permiuiently to liis estate, Greeiuvay Court, in Fredericlv County, wliilher tlie boy, (ieorge Wasliington, early in the month of Mareh. 1748, journeyed witli George William Fairfax, cousin of the baron, to survey and subdivide the lands of his lordship. Washington was only sixteen years of age, and this was the beginning of his public career and the beginning of the friendship between the mighty lord and youthful surveyor, which lasted unbroken until the death of Fairfax in 1781. First to discover the element-s of greatness in the young pioneer, he lost no opportunity in recommending him to high authorities for positions of trust and responsibility, and to Fairfax, more than any other man, can be accredited the honor of fostering and developing the genius of the precocious youth, whose life is a marvel to mankind and a history within itself. The painting was made in London in 1730 and is the only original picture of the famous old baron extant. THE WASHINGTON TROWEL On the front cover is a reproduction of the little trowel used by General Washington, President of the United States, at laying of the corner-stone of the National Capitol, September 18, 1793. The cere- mony, briefly described below, marks an epoch in the history of American Masonry, was conducted by the Grand Lodge of Maryland, which at that time and until 1811. held jurisdiction over the present District of Columbia, Right W^orshipful Joseph Clarke, (Jrand Master pro tem, ofBciating. In the order of procession to the site of the Capitol, President Washington, with Doctor Dick on his right and the Grand Alaster, pro tem, on his left, marched behind his own Lodge, "No. 22," who acted as escort of honor to the President. On arriving at the site, the column in front inclined two steps, one to the right and one to the left, faced each other, forming a hollow, oblong square, through which the procession tiled in reversed order. The President of the United States and Grand Master, pro tem, and the Worshipful Master of "No. 22" taking their stand to the east of a large stone and all the Craft forming a circle westward, stood for a short time in solemn order. The Grand Marshal presented to the Commissioners a silver plate appropriately inscribed, which was read and delivered to Washington, who, with the Grand Master, pro tem, and the three Worshipful Masters, descended to the cavazion trench and laid it on the corner-stone of the Capitol of the Ignited States. The trowel is of silver with an ivory handle, was made by John Duffey, a silversmith, who married the daughter of General Wash- ington's landscape gardener. The last important occasion on which it was used was to lay the corner-stone of the new Ma.sonic Temple in Wa.shington, D. C, by President Roosevelt and the Grand Master of the District of Columbia. The Williams Portrait of Washington ' A Memorial to Washington the Mason THE WILLIAMS PICTURE On the opposite page will be seen si copy of tlie Williams pictux-e of Washington, which attracts as much attention as any relic in the Lodge. In 1793 the Lodge, by resolution, requested General Wash- ington, then President and living in Philadelphia, to sit for this picture, and after obtaining his consent, employed Williams, of that <'ity, to execute the work. Washington approved the likeness and late in 1794 it was received from the artist and accepted by the Lodge. It is a flesh-colored pastel and pronounced by critics of superior quality. It is an entirely different conception from any other paint- ing of the General extant, i-esembling in cast and feature the original Houdon statue in Richmond, Va., and is ihe only painting from life showing the General in extreme old age and in Masonic regalia. Having been ordered, received and accepted by the neighbors and Masonic contemporaries of the General, men who knew him inti- mately and were with him in every walk of his eventful life, who had followed his fortunes and shared his adversities in war, had coun- seled and supported him in peace, and who, when his labors ended, had sorrowfully laid him to his eternal rest, it is beyond reasonable conception that these men would have foisted on a credulous and confiding posterity a spurious picture of their friend and compatriot. An offer of One Hundred Thousand Dollars was not sufficient in- ducement for the Lodge to part with this treasure, and while probably sentiment has enhanced its value in the eyes of the Fraternity beyond its intrinsic worth, past association and its Masonic character prevents the possibility of future disposal. However urgent our wants or flat- tering the inducement, it will be kept in remembrance of that associa-- tion for generations of Masons yet to come. The picture is devoid of idealism, the artist's instructions being- : "Paint him as he is," and this Mr. Williams appears to have done, bringing out in bold relief several facial marks or blemishes which the General is known to have possessed, and which are shown in a modified form, if at all, by other artists. The disfiguring scar on his left cheek, spoken of by George Washington Parke Custis in his reminiscences, the black mole under his right ear, and the marks of smallpox on his nose and cheeks are all clearly defined and unmis- takable, and this fact adds much to the value of the famous pastel, and arouses the deepest interest of both historic and art critics. Lafayette By Charles AVilsou Peele A Memorial to Washington the Mason PAINTING OF GENERAL LAFAYETTE IN WASHINGTON LODGE F ALL the piitrlotic lifiurcs of tlio Revolution, not one held or deserved to hold a higher place in the esteem and confidence of Washington than the young Marquis de Lafayette. His heroic espousal of the cause of the Colonies, when a mere youth, and a chivalrous resistance of the tyranny and oppression of his native land, has created for him an ideal place in the history of hoth nations. The painting on the opposite side was executed in 1784, immediately after the Revolutionary War, by Charles Wilson Peele. and presented to the Lodge by an English admirer. It shows the Marquis in the uniform of a Continental General Ofhcer at the age of twenty-seven. In 1824-25 Lafayette visited America for the last time and while on this trip was entertained by AVashington Lodge at a called communication held February 21, 1825. In receiving the distinguished guest Dr. Thomas Semmes, AYorshipful Master, addressed him as follows : "You have ever been revered as one of the pillars of our Temple. It affords me inexpressible pleasure to be the organ of my Brethren, here assembled, to welcome you into the bosom of this Lodge, in which your highly valued friend, the beloved 'Father of Our Country,' was wont to preside over our labors and inculcate the principles of our Order, Friendship, Morality, Brotherly Love and Charity. While it is our pride and boast that we had him to rule over us. we also esteem ourselves peculiarly happy in having you for our patron. When Masonry has such supporters, its principles will be maintained, its cause must flourish." To which General Lafayette replied : Worshipful Sir and Brethren of AA'ashington Lodge, I receive with peculiar sensation this mark of kindness and attention and these ex- pressions of esteem from my Masonic Brethren and it is particularly gratifying to my feelings to visit the Lodge over which our lamented illustrious Brother AVashington presided. I shall ever cherish a high regard for Masonry and pray you, AA^orshipful Sir. and the rest of the Brethren, to accept my particular and grateful acknowledgment." On this occasion Lafayette presented the Lodge with the front door key of the Bastile, which, made by hand of wrought iron, weighs five pounds, a striking reminder of that house of horrors. The key with the silk sash containing the picture of Lafayette, worn by him in the Lodge on the occasion of his visit, is now kept in a glass case for security and protection. It would be interesting, if space permitted, to give the full account (still preserved among our old records) of this visit of Lafayette to the Lodge. The many pleasant and beautiful expressions of friendship and affection paid the gallant and now ven- ex-able Frenchman by his Revolutionary compatriots, who gathered for the last time to review the scenes of former struggles in the cause of American Independence. The Lodge possesses another life size painting of the Marquis in Masonic regalia, which it highly prizes, painted in 1840. It closely resembles the patriot's portrait in the National Capitol in AVashington. Lafayette was made an Honorary Member of the Lodge at this meeting. A Memorial to Washington the Mason Sr. Slames (Eratk From a painting in Alexandria-Washington Lodge SR. JAMES CRAIK was born near Dnmfries, Scotland. 17;^>0. and emigrated to America in 1750 ; was surgeon in Washington's first command and with him in the Battle of the Great Meadows, 1754. For gallant conduct and meritorious service at the Battle of Monongahela, 1755, Craik was officially commended. In 1760 he married Washington's cousin, Mariamne, daughter of Charles Ewell. of Belle Air, Prince William County. Va. He was Surgeon-Ceneral in the Continental Army and Director of the Hospital at Yorktown. He was perhaps the most intimate friend of Washington, who refers to him in his will as "My old and intimate friend, Dr. Craik." Was with the General in every battle he fought, from Great Meadows to Yorktown. He ministered to the dying Braddock at Monongahela, and saw the gallant Hugh Mercer breathe his last on the field of Princeton ; dressed Lafayette's wounds at Brandywine : was at the death bed of John Custis — Mrs. Washington's son — at Eltham. after Yorktown ; with Wash- A Memorial to Wasliington the Mason ingtoii when he passed to the great beyond, and soothed the dying moments of Martha, the wife of Washington. Dr. Craik died at Vauclause, near Alexandria, February 6, 1814, in the S4th year of his age, and was interred in tlie burial grounds of the old Presbyterian Church on South Fairfax Street, Alexandria, and in an unmarked grave. His Masonic apron is one of the cherished heirlooms of the Lodge. '^tWXt (EuBtia /•^THIS PICTfRE of p:ieanor (Nellie) Custis, adopted daughter of #"■ Washington and grand-daughter of his wife, Martha, is from ^^^ a painting in Alexandria-Washington Lodge ; but the repro- duction fails to do full justice to either the subject or the paint- ing from which it was taken. This, however, seems to be unavoidable, as the canvas was badly injured when the old Temple was burned in 1871. On the death of her father. John Custis, son of Mrs. Wash- ington. November 5, 1781, General Washington adopted his two youngest children — Nellie and George Washington Parke Custis. These children were reared at Mount Vernon, and on the 22d of February. 1798, Nellie married Major Lawrence Lewis, Washington's nephew and Social Sec- retary. After the death of the General, Mrs. Lewis and husband erected Woodlawn, about three miles inland from Mount Vernon, and on a part of that estate which she had inherited from the General. A Memorial to WasJtiiifjtoii the Mason She (lied in lSr>2, aiid is buried beside tlie tomb at Mount Vernon. Woodlawn is still standinsj. From a painting in Alexandria-Washington Lodge Nl'MEROUS writers have endeavored to weave around the youth of Washington the halo of romance, and have eonnected his name in a sentimental wa.v with a number of the leading belles of Colonial times. In bo.yhood letters he speaks forlornly of his "Lowland Beauty." Who was the "Lowland Beauty V She has been variously identified as Miss Mary Cary, Miss Luc.v Grimes, and others ; but the following letter, written to William Fauntleroy, Esquire, of Naylors Hole, on the Rappahannock River, in 1752, and unearthed by General Fitzhugh Lee, lends color to the claim that Betsy Fauntleroy was this lady of mystery : ■•May 20, 17.-)2. "To Wm. Fauntleroy, Sr. "Sir : I should have been down long before this, but my business in Frederick detained me somewhat longer than I expected and im- mediately upon my return from thence, I was taken with a violent pleurice wliich has reduced me very low : but propose, as soon as I recover my strength, to wait on Miss Betsy in liopes of revocation of A Memorial to Wasliington the Mason the former cruel sentence, and see if I can meet with any alteration in my favor. I have enclosed a letter to her, which should be much obliged to you for the delivery of it. I have nothing to add but my best respects to your good lady and family. "GEO WASHINGTON." 3mxtxn\ ci Wafilimgtnn yyy ENERAL GEORGE WASHINGTON died at Mount Vernon ■ Ip^ twenty minutes after ten o'clock P.M., Saturday, December V^^ 14, 1799, and his body was deposited in the Old Tomb, shown below, at a few minutes after three P.M., on Wednesday Decem- ber 18th. Libelous or ignorant sceptics, the enemies of our institution, have denied that Washington received Masonic burial, in an official sense, or that he was even a Mason, in good standing, at the time of his death. In order that every member of the American Craft may know the true story of the funeral and form his own conclusions, we will draw from the old minutes of "No. 22" for our account of this imposing ceremony. Old Tomb In attendance at the bedside of the General in his last illness and when he expired, were three jjh.vsicians, namely, Doctors Dick, Craik and Brown, all of whom were Masons. The first two were members of Washington's own Lodge, "No. 22," Doctor Dick being Master, and Dr. Brown was the 5th Grand Master of Maryland. On Monday, the 16th of December, 1799, to make arrangements for the interment, a funeral Lodge was called. Doctor Dick presiding, with Colonel George A Memorial to Washington the Mason Deueale, Si'iiior WaidtMi. i)io tern, and Colonel Dennis liaiusay, Junior Warden, pro tern. In t-onformity to the plan agreed upon at this com- munication, at an early hour on the following Wednesday, December 18th, the Lodge and visiting Brethren, under escort of the militia and citizens of Alexandria, started for Mount Vernon, where they arrived about one o'clock P.M. The funeral procession being formed, moved in the following order : First, the troops, horse and foot ; next, the clergy. Reverends James Muir, Thomas Davis, William Maffit, and AVilliam Addison, the first three being members of "No. 22." The General's horse, with saddle, holsters and pistols, led by two grooms, Cyrus and Wilson ; music ; guard of honor ; then the bier, borne by four young Lieutenants of the "lOGth Regiment of Virginia Militia," namely Law- rence Hooff , Jr., James Turner. George Wise and William Moss ; pall- bearers. Colonel Charles Simms. Dennis Ramsay, William Payne, George Gilpin, Charles Little and Philip Marstella, all Revolutionary officers and all members of "No. 22," except Colonel Marstella, who was not a Mason, but whose son, Philip, was, and was present with the Lodge. Next came the mourners and then the Masons, seventy-nine in all. Colonel George Deneale, Junior Warden, commanding the troops, Captain Percey, Senior Warden, commanding his company, the "Alexandria Blues," Captain Young, a member, the cavalry, and Captain William Harper, also a member, the artillery. On arriving at the tomb, the services of the Episcopal Church were performed by Reverend Thomas Davis, Rector of Christ Church, and member of the Lodge, and the Masonic service by Doctor Elisha C. Dick, Worshipful Master of "No. 22,'' assisted by Reverend James Muir, Chaplain. As can be seen from this brief abstract, the full text of which is given in the "History of the Lodge of Washington," and in Hayden's "Washington and His Masonic Compeers," both accounts corresponding to the old minutes of "No. 22," how essentially Masonic in all its details was the funeral of Washington, the greatest of all Americans, and how little importance has been attached to this imposing event, in the history of our country, even by zealous Masonic writers of care- ful research and wide renown. To Hayden, therefore, more than any other man, are we indebted for the full account of the ceremonies, who, when compiling his splendid work, quoted above, away back in the "fifties," took the trouble to examine carefully the old minutes of "No. 22," and obtain the data which formed the basis of his excellent description of this important event. The route pursued by this funeral Lodge to and from Mount Vernon, a distance of about nine miles, was in that day a primitive highway and required several hours of tedious and laborious effort to make the journey. The sun had already sunk behind the western hills, and the gathering shadows had begun to fall when the sad procession re- sumed its homeward journey. Although the list of those participating in this historic event has frequently been published, it will perhaps be not amiss to chronicle their names again. Indeed, it may be that some reader of thif little booklet will find among the devoted band of Masons the familiar name of a cherished ancestor : A Memorial to Washhigton the Mason Dr. Elisha Ciillen Dick. W. M. Henr.v Piercy, S. W. George Deneale, J. W. David Wilson Scott, Sec'y. Robert B. Jamesson, Treas. William Burtleman, S. D. Josiah Faxson. J. D. John C. Kempft", Tiler. Colonel Charles Simiiis Colonel Dennis Ramsay Colonel William Payne Rev. Dr. James Muir Rev. William Maffit Dr. James Gillis William Ramsay John McKnight Peter Cotton Forrest Richardson Joseph Neale Thomas Peterkim Charles Turner James MacKenzie Joseph Thomas Jonathan Sv^ift Ferdinando Faii-fax Wm. Byrd Page Philip G. Marsteller Robert Young William Hodgson Joseph Gilpin Dr. Augustine J. Smith John Borrowdale Thomas Rogerson Robert Patton Baldwin Dade Charles Alexander John C. Hunter Philip Dawe John Kincaid John Muir Alexander Latimer James D. Wescott Patrick Byrne John Williams James Hays Colonel George Gilpin Colonel Charles Little Dr. James Craik Dev. Thomas Davis Captain William Harper George Graham William Johnston Guy Atkinson John T. Brooks Michael Flannery Dennis McCarty Johnson Joshua Riddle George Coryell Alexander MacKenzie George Chapman. Jr. Bernard Ghequiere John Mclver William Herbert James Wilson Richard Conway Walter Jones, Jr. Thomas Triplet t Robert Alexander Robert Allison Mark Butts Philip Magruder William Jackson Stephen Stephens David Martin Charles Jones Robert Brocket, Sr. John Lemoine .Tames Davidson James Wigginton John Bogue George Lane A Memorial to Washington the Mason OIl|nat Qll^wrrli, Alrxanbria, Ha. ^*^\ EFORE the Revolution General Washington usually attended |JI|4 Pohiek Chui-fh in Fairfax County, about seven miles below f^^ Mount Vernon, but upon the completion of Christ Church in Alexandria in 1773. he purchased a pew in that house of wor- ship, for which he paid the sum of 36 pounds and 10 shillings, and after that time, when at home, was a regular attendant at this church. In it, in 1853, Robert E. Lee, the great Southern leader, was contirmed in the Episcopal faith by the renowned Rev. William Meade, after- wards Bishop of the Diocese of Virginia. The interior of the church has been changed several times, but the pew of Washington has been restored to its original design, and both the pews of Washington and Lee are marked. The i»resent gallery was erected in 1787, and the steeple was added in 1S18. Some of the most eminent divines in Virginia have served as Rectors of this parish, among them Bryan, the Eighth Lord Fairfax. David Griffith, William Meade, and Randolph McKim, and on the vestry regi.ster we find, in addition to General Washington, the names of Lord Bryan Fairfax, Ludwell Lee, E!dmund I. Lee, Captain William Payne, Col. Charles Simms, Cassius F. Lee. Col. John A. Washington and General John Mason. The old edifice is redolent with the spirit of sacred history and tradition, and is beauti- fully situated in the lieart of the city. A Memorial to WasMngton the Mason (Harlyl? IJouhp ^ii OHN CARLYLE was of Scotch descent ; emigrated to America Ml in 1740; settled in this city about 1744; married Sarah, daugliter ^fj of William Fairfax, of Belvoir, near Mount Vernon. In 1752 he erected the now famous Cai'lyle House in Alexandria. The house was occupied in 1755 by General Braddock as his headquarters. It was in this private residence that the famous Council of GoA-ernors. consisting of Shirley, of Massachusetts : DeT.ancey, of New York ; Sharp, of Maryland : Morris, of Pennsylvania, and Dinwiddle, of Virginia, assembled in 1755 to deliberate upon Braddock's campaign ivt the beginning of the French and Indian War, during which the youthful Washington was made a Major on Braddock's Staff. In it also at this time was made the first suggestion of Colonial taxation by the English Parliament. The picture shows the old mansion as it was before the erection of the buildings which now obscure it from the street. In the building on the corner, to the north of the Carlyle House, was established the first U. S. sub-post office in the United States, and in the basement of this building, the windows of which are protected by iron bars, was established in 1792, with William Herbert, son-in-law of John Carlyle, as President, the Bank of Alex- andria, the first chartered institution of its kind in the State of Virginia. A Memorial to Washington the Mason (Etty ^atti 0^tl0 HE CITY HOTEL, formerly Gadsby's Tavern, is full of historic #*■ interest. The smaller of the two buildings shown in the pic- ^^^ ture was. on two occasions, the headquarters of General Wash- ington. While quartered in this building he recruited his first command in 1754, and from there started on his march which resulted in the Battle of Great Meadows. One year later he occupied the same building when made a Major on Braddock's Staff. From the steps of the main or larger building he announced to the assembled throng- the result of the convention in Richmond which adopted the Federal Constitution in 1788. From the doorway, in 1789, he delivered a fai'e- well address to his neighbors while on his way to his first inauguration^ and from the .same steps only a few weeks before he died he reviewed the local troops and gave his hist military command. In it the cele- brated assemblies, or dances, which Washington and his wife were accustomed to attend, were held. The old ballroom is still to be seen on the second floor of the north section, with its music gallery intact. In this, tlie corner building, Paul Jones and Lafayette first met and became acquainted, and it was there that Lafayette was entertained by the Commonality during his stay in Alexandria while on his last visit to America in 1824. There, in 1798, was held the first celebration of General Washington's birthday, and among those participating were the General and his wife. This old building should be preserved, and by rights belong to the Dauhters of the American Revolution. A Memorial to Waslmigton the Mason ';VVvv^<5^^/V//;/1^ Baalitngton'a Sofon (§f&n (S ENEIiAL WASHINGTON maintained an office in Alexandria, and when at Mount Vernon retained a clerk there. The duties of this Alexandria secretary were to look after the General's local interests, to accommodate belated visitors on their way to Mount Vernon, and give them such attention as their circumstances might require. In October, 1785, George A. Washington, nephew of the General, and a great favorite, married Fannie Bassett, a niece of Mrs. Washington. The young couple made their home at Mount Vernon until after the death of her husband (which occurred while the General was serving his second term as President, and residing in Philadelphia ) , when the widow, Mrs. Fannie Washington, moved to Alexandria, and occupied the little building shown above until her marriage to Colonel Tobias Lear, Washington's private secretary, after which they made their home at Wellington, about three miles below Alexandria. The building was torn down in 1857, and the picture is all that remains of what would be now an object of historic interest. The building was located on the south side of Cameron Street, between Pitt and St. Asaph. A Memorial to WasMngton the Mason Alpxantirta Arabpmy 3N THE building shown above, which is still occupied as a public school, General Washington established the first permanent free school in Virginia. It was attached to, and placed under the supervision of the trustees of what was then known as the Alexandria Academy. The entire correspondence relating to the subject between General Washington and the trustees of the Academy is still extant, and a part of the public school record of this city. The General guarantees the annual payment of "»() pounds sterling to maintain a school for the children of indigent people, and a sufficient endowment fund to yield this amount after his death. And in his will can be found this item : "I give and bequeath to the trustees of the Alexandria Academy in the town of Alexandria .$4,000.00, or in other words twenty of the shares I hold in the Bank of Alexandria, towards the support of a free school, established at, and annexed to, the said Academy." In 1811 General Henry (Light Horse Harry) Lee moved from Stradford House in Westmoreland County. \i\.. with his family to this city, and placed his children in the Alexandria Academy, and it was in this old structure that Robert E. Lee of immortal fame received his primary education under the famous Irish pedagogue, Wm. B. Leary. The old house is located in tlie southern section of the city, on the southeast corner of Wolf and Washington Streets. A Memorial to 'Washington the Mason OII^p iHarBtiall ^x^\XBt ® N THE southeast corner of King and Pitt Streets is located the Marshall House, formerly occupied as a hotel, and in which was shed the first blood in Virginia during the Civil War. It was in this building, on May 24, 1861, that Colonel Ellsworth, of the New York Zouaves, met his death at the hands of James Jackson, the proprietor, who in turn was shot down and bayo- netted to death by Francis E. Brownwell, and other members of the squad. Jackson had hoisted a Confederate flag over his hostelry, and had declared "that the man who lowered it would do so over his dead body." The emblem could be seen with glasses from the heights and roofs of public buildings in Washington, and doubtless Colonel Ellsworth had heard of the incident before landing in Alexandria. Colonel Ellsworth, with his New Yoi'k Zouaves, came down the Potomac on barges, landing at the foot of Cameron Street. He conducted a small guard or squadron to the scene of the sad and useless tragedy. The entire incident was over in ten minutes after the troops reached the building, but it left heartburns which lasted for years. A Memorial to WasJiington the Mason ®l|e (gporge fflJaalitngton fKaaonir JJatioual mpmnrial AsBortalion ^^■rHE MANNER in wliich AVashington Lodge acquired its collec- /"l tion of lieirlooms is not only interesting but unusual. General ^^J^ Washington's fondness for the Lodge and Masonry in general undoubtedly prompted Mrs. Washington to present the clock shown on page 10, and this, from all accounts, was the first con- tribution. Establishing a precedent, others of the family and their intimate associates followed her example in rapid succession. Indeed so numerous were these gifts that as early as 1811 the Lodge found itself seriously pressed for room to store and properly care for the accumulation. To relieve the congestion and afford fitting display for the elaborate collection, in 1818 an appeal was made to the City Council for assistance, which was promptly gi-anted, and the entire third story of the west wing of the City Hall was set apart and in it the Lodge instituted the Alexandria-Washington Lodge Museum, with Major Timothy Mountford, a veteran member, in charge. The new quarters secured was most conveniently situated ; it was close to the Temple, and virtually in the same building, while the venerable custodian was fit and devoted to his task. In 1814 British troops on their way to Washington looted Alexandria, but disturbed not a memento in possession of the Lodge, and in the four years' struggle between the States — 1861 to 1805 — although Alexandria was continuously occu- pied by the Union forces, not a picture was taken from the walls or a souvenir removed from its accustomed place. A splendid tribute to the chivalry of both the English and American soldier. On the 19th day of May. 1871, another visitor came when least expected and with malignant intent, and in a few hours the City Hall. Museum and Temple were reduced to a charred and worthless ruin by a disastrous fire, and had it not been for the prompt action of the fire department, assisted by a large number of Masons who had hurried to the scene, not a relic would have been saved, and notwithstanding the heroic and almost superhuman efforts displayed by those present, a very consid- erable number of the most valuable articles Avere lost. (See page 47.) The Temple Avas immediately rebuilt and the relics and furniture rescued from the fire were in due time placed in the new building, and the doors closed to the public, except on rare occasions or when some persistent Aisitor made special effort to get in. This condition of repose and seclusion, however satisfactory to the staid old members, was destined not to continue. There were industrial forces at work which would change the provincial old town to a center of cosmopolitan activity. Prior to 1806 the only convenient route open to visitors from AVashington to Mount Vernon was by steamboat, which usually made but one trip a day. But in that year an electric railroad was completed, connecting these points, with stopover privi- leges at Alexandria, and a more convenient schedule provided. This arrangement diverted much of the travel from the water route, and A Memorial to Washington the Mason incidentally increased the number of visitors to Alexandria a hundred fold, and the demands of admittance to the Lodge were correspondingly increased. It also added a new and important duty to the fixed duties of the Lodge officers. As many of the tourists who sought admittance to the Temple were Masons, the Lodge thought their request could not be well denied, and on the 1st day of May, 1907, after having been closed to the public for nearly forty years, its doors were again thrown open to meet this popular and ever-increasing demand, with Brother Park Custis Timberman in charge. Since then the number of visitors has gradually increased from about six hundred the first year to perhaps fifteen thousand in the present. With the rising tide of tourists came persistent appeals for greater security for the relics. These heirlooms should be placed in a fireproof building, etc., was, and is, the "timely warning" of a great majority of those who view this revered shrine. Among others, the Honorable Oscar Lawler, Past Grand Master of California, and at that time — 1908 — Assistant Secre- tary of the Interior, became deeply interested in the subject ; paid several visits to the city, and earnestly besought the Lodge to issue an appeal to the fraternity at large for funds to erect a more imposing and up-to-date fireproof building for the Lodge. This suggestion, while made in good faith and with the best intent, did not entirely meet the approbation of the members. There were certain principles involved which could not be entirely reconciled to Brother Lawler's proposals. "We have an ample income to defray current expenses, own our Temple, and do not owe a dollar. Then why should we ask the Masons of other jurisdictions to build us a house to protect our property, they reasoned? It was beneath the dignity of the Lodge, and not compatible with the ethics of the Institution of Masonry for a Lodge possessing large wealth in the nature of personal efl'ects to make itself an object of charity, they contended, and the proposition to make this appeal fell through. But from this line of reasoning, and these discussions, came the germ of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial Asso- ciation, with its attendant featui'es and objects. The suggestion to create a national organization, when understood, met with prompt and decisive approval, not only from the local Fraternity, but from the great mass of the leading members of the Craft throughout the country, and fortunately one of the first to grasp the idea, and fully comprehend the importance of the subject, was Most Worshipful Joseph W. Eggleston, at that time Grand Master of Masons in Virginia, who not only approved the plan adopted by Washington Lodge, but strongly recommended it to the favorable consideration of the other Grand Masters in America. This endorsement, followed by an invitation and appeal fx"om Alexandria-Washington Lodge, produced the desired results, and on February 22, 1910, the time appointed for the first con- ference, IS representatives of as many Grand Lodges assembled in the Masonic Temple in Alexandria prepared to consider the subject in detail. Most Worshipful William B. McChesney, who had succeeded Brother Eggleston in the Grand East in Virginia, called the meeting to order, and, in introducing the subject, said in part : A Memorial to Washington the Mason "By the grace of God and invitation of Alexandria-Washington Lodge, No. 22, we are here today to begin an organization, wliich we hope will be as lasting as the memory of him whose birthday we cele- brate. In the beginning I wish to state that this is a function entirely of Alexandria-Washington Lodge. 1, lil^ .^'\ .^'>^ -.]^ii^/ v^"^•^^ .\ "^^0^ :\ • cs5rvK^*^ o ^oV° <^ WERT BOOKBINDING, .0^ ♦•,^1% <; ^..l^.. /#iqoQ, '^a^'i*^ -aim: '^^< y/ ^-^^ ^^^ / *V „„Crar< tyme.PA'.^-r- yv ' ' ' - . ' ■ fi" - d^ c • - • ♦ "^o j>