Anyone who has read just a little of Carl H. Claudy's works cannot help but be charmed by the story told and the manner of expression. His Masonic classics, including his immortal Introduction to Freemasonry series, mingle with his non-Masonic work, such as his reporting for the New York Herald and his historically important photographs of early flight. He was a man of many interests and many talents.

Carl Harry Claudy was Born on Jan. 13th, 1879 in Washington, D.C. At age 19, he headed to the Alaskan gold fields, and when he found no gold after six months, he returned to the mainland and took up employment with an emery wheel manufacturer, although after several years, he left that job to move back to Washington, DC, where he became the editor of a popular science paper, a job he used to springboard into writing for a living.
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Despite the lack of a formal education, Claudy loved to read and to write. In fact, his talent for writing was so great, the first story he ever wrote appeared in The Washington Post. Later, he freelanced for The New York Herald and Popular Science Magazine, eventually joining the former’s staff in 1908 with a special assignment covering the then infant aeronautical industry.

Claudy can personally lay claim to authorship of approximately 350 Short Talk Bulletin(s). In addition to the bulletins themselves, he wrote and distributed innumerable digests, special bulletins, and portfolios of a historical and factual nature – all designed to promote the Craft. One of his finest works of this kind is the Little Masonic Library, a collection of 20 pocket-size volumes by noted authors. 

​As Maser of Harmony Lodge No. 17 in 1932, W.Bro. Claudy took photographs of 152 the members of the lodge and super-imposed the negatives over the top of each other to create the photo “The Unknown Mason,” meant to symbolize all of Masonry as one man. As part of the project, MW Bro. Caludy also recorded a presentation explaining "The Unknown Mason" to the Brethren of Harmony Lodge No. 17. (The audio of which is below the following portrait of the Unknown Mason..)

​Brethren and Friends –

Happy Independence Day!  I hope you and your family are able to be together on this special and most American of holidays. While you are enjoying your cookouts, parades and fireworks, take a moment to reflect on what the holiday means, and who made it possible.

The 4th of July, 1776 was the day the Declaration of Independence from Britain was signed by American colonial leaders.  But it wasn’t simply a breakup letter. It laid out the fundamental ideas and philosophy that would become the cornerstone of one of the world’s most powerful democracies.

New ideas about the “rights of man,” like fair representation in government, the ability to own land, or the freedom to do business with whomever one chose were radical departures from a European history of monarchy where the King told his subjects what was good for them, and they obeyed (or were promptly arrested and sometimes executed). But the Declaration of Independence sought to end this injustice and empower the people of a new government to make their own choices and determine their own future by collective agreement. And most of that philosophy was cribbed from the enlightenment ideals espoused by a fraternity that began in no less of a place than London, itself – the Freemasons. 

In fact, several important leaders among our Founding Fathers were members of the fraternity. Illustrious men like Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, and George Washington. As Freemasons, they were already accustomed to rule by consensus from the governance of their Lodges.  They believed in the equality of mankind, and that regardless of position, from Master of the Lodge or King to the newest Entered Apprentice or the lowest laborer, human beings were created as equal by God. They were ideals and a philosophy they would fight and die for, and through their sacrifice, we live in freedom today.

So, today we celebrate the birth of a nation, a nation that exists because of a philosophy of equality before God that was learned first in a Masonic Lodge.

Happy Fourth of July!!!

Richard J. Bautista
Grand Master

On the afternoon of May 10th, 2018, the phone rang in the Office of the Grand Secretary.  On the other end was Brenda from the office of the Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Texas.  She wanted to know if there was a member in our records by the name of Leslie Coffelt. 
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After looking in our card catalog of past members, Bro. Coffelt’s card was indeed retrieved. He had been a member of Potomac Lodge No. 5, raised in 1945. Strangely though, he died shortly thereafter in 1950.  Nevertheless, Brenda was very excited that we found the card and asked if we could send an image of it.  When we asked what was so special about Bro. Coffelt, she told us some of the story, and when relayed to our Grand Secretary, MW Bro. Jeff Russell, (a Past Master of Potomac Lodge No. 5) he referred to the incredible story below, told in full by RW Bro. Dean Clatterbuck, Past Master of Potomac Lodge No. 5…

It will be the home for the president and his family for almost all of his presidency, and will become quickly dubbed, “The Truman White House.” Harry S. Truman is the 33rd president of the United States and extensive repairs to The White House have forced the Truman family to move across Pennsylvania Avenue to the Blair House, usually reserved for use as a temporary residence for visiting dignitarie​It is Wednesday, November 1, 1950, one hundred fifty years to the day since John Adams became the first president to occupy The White House. 

​The hour is two o’clock. It won’t be a long nap, for he is scheduled to depart for Arlington National Cemetery at 2:50 p.m. But the next thirty minutes will make that Wednesday a day which Harry Truman will remember for the rest of his life.

He would remember it because of an attempted assassination that day on his life by two Puerto Rican nationalists, Griselio Torresola and Oscar Collazo. Griselio, a full time and totally dedicated Puerto Rican Nationalist, had spent time previously in New York, raising money for the cause and to recruit others to the movement. Oscar, also in New York, was such a man.

Back in Puerto Rico, on October 30, 1950, an attempt at a coup in San Juan collapsed in a bloody barrage of shots in which the sister of Griselio was shot and captured. Now the cause became personal as well as political. It was time to act; to do something to bring attention to the perceived plight of Puerto Ricans living under the thumbs of the yanquis. The time was now, and the deed should be something big. Something like assassinating the President of the United States.

On October 31, 1950, Oscar and Griselio met at Penn Station in New York City and caught a train to Washington, D.C. They walked from Union Station and within a short distance found themselves at the Hotel Harris on Massachusetts Avenue. N.W., where they registered under assumed names and turned in about ten in the evening. The next morning, they walked from the hotel to the U. S. Capitol and calmly took a tour.

Oscar some hurried instructions on the use of the weapon Griselio had purchased for him, a Walther P38. Hailing a cab, the men asked to be taken to The White House to see where the president lived. But the cab driver corrected them, telling them that Truman wasn’t living in The White House because it was undergoing renovations — he was living across the street at the Blair House.

Upon their arrival in the area of the Blair House, Griselio and Oscar surveyed the situation and re-formulated an improvised plan, not having known about Blair House until minutes before. As they looked over the scene, they could see two White House Police officers in their guard houses, one at either end of the Blair House.

The two guard houses on either side of the Blair House (actually, it is two houses, the Blair and Lee houses that have been joined together) were both situated literally on the sidewalk, one at the west end of the Lee House, the other at the east end of the Blair House. At 2:00 p.m., Leslie Coffelt was in the west end guard house. In less than thirty minutes, he would be mortally wounded. Officer Joe Davidson was on duty in the east end booth. White House Police Officer Donald Birdzell was guarding the front door to Blair House.

At about 2:20 p.m., Griselio and Oscar approached Blair House from opposite directions. Secret Service Agent Floyd Boring had just stepped outside of Blair House for a routine check with his detail. He spoke with Les, then moved to the other corner of the house where he reported to headquarters using the phone in the east booth and he was chatting with Joe Davidson when Oscar Collazo walked by.

Officer Birdzell was facing the Blair House when he suddenly heard a sharp “click.” Intuitively, he recognized the sound as one associated with a firearm and pivoted on the spot. Collazo’s gun had mis-fired as he attempted to shoot Birdzell from point-black range. Now, in extreme frustration, Collazo was pounding the Walther P38 with his left fist, which caused the weapon to fire.

The bullet struck Birdzell in the right knee. In agonizing pain, Birdzell limped out onto Pennsylvania Avenue, turning to return fire at Collazo who had started up the now unguarded steps. Officer Davidson began firing at Collazo from the east guard booth area and Agent Boring also began firing. Collazo sat on the second step and fired a clip of bullets at the two men, but failed to hit either of them.

Agent Stewart Stout, hearing the unmistakable sound of gunfire, had grabbed a submachine gun and taken up a position inside the house at the door. Agent Vince Mroz emerged from the basement door behind Boring and Davidson and took one shot at Collazo. He then raced back into the Lee House basement to guard against any threat at the basement door at the other end of the building.

At the same time, Boring had zeroed in on his target and took a shot at Collazo. Collazo was hit in the chest, wounding him and also putting him out of action. (Tests later identified the bullet as having been fired from Officer Davidson’s gun.) It was over! All of the action had happened in a flash. Later estimates would range from as short a span of time as less than forty seconds to as long as under three minutes. It seems virtually certain that the elapsed time was less than a minute.

The sound of gunfire roused Harry Truman from his nap. Arising from his bed, he walked to the front window to see what was going on. He looked out before Les Coffelt fired his fatal shot, but Griselio had emp-tied his German 9 mm Luger and was in the process of reloading. The assassin’s target was suddenly in plain view.

Secret Service Agent Floyd Boring saw Truman at the window and called for him to get out of view. Whether or not Griselio ever saw Truman is unknown, but in any event, Les Coffelt’s final act made the question moot. U. E. Baughman, Chief of the Secret Service was now on the scene, and being uncertain if this was an isolated action or part of a larger plot, advised Truman to cancel his 3:00 trip to Arlington National Cemetery. Truman declined this advice and elected to go ahead, under a quadrupled Secret Service guard.

Agent Birdzell’s wounds were not life-threatening; Downs was seriously wounded, but survived. Officer Leslie Coffelt died in the hospital less than four hours after being shot.

He was the first member of the Uniformed Secret Service to lose his life in the line of duty.

Collazo also recovered from his wounds and was subsequently tried and sentenced to death. President Truman, not wanting to see Collazo become a martyr, commuted his sentence to life imprisonment. President Jimmy Carter later ordered a now aged Collazo released and he returned to Puerto Rico where he died of natural causes in 1994.

fellow Officers and friends of Brother Coffelt: three from Potomac Lodge No. 5, two from Hiram Lodge No. 10; and one from Anacostia Lodge No. 21.​

Author's Note: Authors Steven Hunter and John Bainbridge, Jr. have written an excellent and riveting account of this historical event and the background leading to the assassination attempt. The book (linked here on Amazon), American Gunfight, The Plot to Kill Harry Truman – and the Shoot-Out That Stopped It is published by Simon & Schuster. This was among the source documents used to prepare this article.

As for his cousin – Bro. Leslie Coffelt made good on the most difficult promise Masons make to each other, and saved the life of a Brother in grave danger.  It was the ultimate sacrifice, and one which every Mason who knows the story of will forever be proud of.

Nothing lives forever. This is an immutable law of nature, against which there can be no disagreement. However, another law of nature is the human drive to resist that law. We constantly seek immortality, even though it is impossible.

What holds true for us, generally holds true for lodges, as well.  Though their life cycles may be longer, eventually, a lodge may reach the point where it cannot hold meetings or conduct its business. When that occurs, what happens?  Does the charter evaporate as the lodge dies, or does the charter pass to another lodge or group of men to continue the work ad infinitum? In other words, are lodges immortal?
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I argue that while they can die, it is only in the most rare and dire of circumstances, when the Grand Lodge steps in and seizes a charter. Otherwise, a lodge may, in fact, be “immortal.” 

3A lodge exists because of its charter.  Let’s not forget what a charter is - it is simply a “permission slip” given by the Grand Lodge to empower a group of men to meet and work as a lodge, with all the rights and benefits that conveys. There is no expiration date.  The mandate is given without restriction or end. It is immortal. But, it might not be that simple.

In our case, the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia presently has 43 lodges, all contained within a less than 10 square mile area. In our history, we have indeed seen lodges (in rare circumstances) surrender their charter, or have their charter seized by the Grand Lodge when they stumble in their work – effectively killing those lodges. But today, we see little contraction or consolidation while we continue to create new lodges, even though some of our older lodges are struggling to fill the chairs or pay the bills. This artificial expansion is creating a bubble, in the economic sense of the term.

A bubble is a market phenomenon characterized by surges in asset prices to levels significantly above the fundamental value of that asset. The problem with bubbles, in this sense, is that they burst when the market corrects itself.  When we apply this metaphor to our lodge scheme, we see how the artificial expansion in the number of lodges dilutes the whole over time. When that inefficiency corrects, many lodges are affected to the detriment of the Grand Lodge, as a whole.
So how do we fight off this dire consequence? Continuity.

The best-case scenario would be for the older lodge to offer its charter to a group of Masons seeking to form a new lodge. The new lodge could then honor the old lodge by incorporating the older lodge name into its own…or not. In either case, the new lodge would pick up where the old left off, continuing to work and grow. The members of the older lodge are kept on as members of the new lodge. Continuity is thereby preserved. History is preserved. A new vision and vitality encompasses the lodge. In some lucky cases, the money of the old lodge may transfer, which would provide an immediate source of funding for the new lodge’s activities.  In this case, it’s easy to see that the lodge remains immortal.
 
However, absent the transfer of a charter, a struggling lodge is faced with tough choices: surrender its charter, or merge with another existing lodge. An even more rare circumstance is that the lodge has its charter arrested or abrogated by the Grand Lodge. There are instances where a surrendered charter is resurrected as a new lodge at a later date – further proving that lodges are immortal.

So, the only way for a lodge to truly “die” would be for the Grand Lodge to take the extraordinary step of seizing their charter. This is obviously a rarely used and irrevocable action on the part of the Grand Lodge.  Think of it in terms of a “nuclear option.”   Thankfully we have only seen that happen 2 times in our Grand Lodges history – Alexandria-Brooke Lodge #2 (Chartered February 11, 1811) went extinct in 1833, and General George C. Marshall Lodge #55 (Chartered January 30, 2001) had their charter abrogated by vote of the Grand Lodge on May 12, 2004.
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There is no easy answer to the question of the mortality of a lodge. It must be addressed through discussion, consensus, and the willingness to make the hard choice. The Grand Lodge can offer guidance and, of course, any action must be ratified by the Grand Lodge at one of its communications.  But it seems to me that once chartered, it is neigh impossible for it to die. Therefore we must conclude that lodges are indeed immortal.

​The impression made by good Ritual is an uplifting experience that reinforces a sense of community in the Masonic body and imprints upon the mind the valuable teachings that the serious Mason adopts when, of his own free will and accord, he joins the fraternity. By enacting these repetitious acts, we, as Free and Accepted Masons, acquire a level of comfort and familiarity to the morals and elevated truths which hold in the Lodge as well as in the profane world. These scripted words and actions are symbolic of the deeper principles which Freemasonry espouses in allegorical plays and a myriad of uplifting and instructive lectures. They are meant to open the horizons for the intellect of man to soar beyond the boundaries of what is experienced on the concrete surface of everyday reality.
 
In his Knight of the Sun Lecture of the Scottish Rite's Eighteenth Degree, for instance, Albert Pike speaks of this role of Ritual uplifting us on an esoteric level -- for example, in exploring the world of the mystical Kabbalah: "The Allusion of the Ritual, here, is obviously to the four Worlds of the Kabbalah. The ten Sephiroth of the world Briah proceed from Malakoth, the last of the ten Emanations of the world Aziluth; the ten Sephiroth of the world Yezirah, from Malakoth of Brian; and the ten of the world Asiah, from Malakoth of Yezirah. . . . The Active and Passive Symbols are the Male and Female." (Albert Pike, Morals and Dogma)

Our Most Worshipful Grand Master Richard Bautista has emphasized time and again that the most important Mason in the Lodge is the Entered Apprentice. Nothing could be truer than this statement, for the foundation upon which an edifice is erected depends on the quality of the foundation stone and solid ground upon which we lay the first principles of our most precious art and entrusted tenets. Brother Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the great German writer, wisely enjoins us in his novel Elective Affinities: “When erecting a building, the foundation must be sound. … the foundation is the mason’s business… it is the chief business in the entire undertaking.”

Accordingly, the ritualistic work, in most cases, makes a difference on the future of ambitious brethren desirous to learn, because it determines the level of membership skills we will have in our jurisdiction. This should be more especially impressed upon the mind of those Brethren who come forth to assume a leadership role. As our motto states that “no man should assume to a position for which is not fully prepared,” so should those of us who find the time to serve the fraternity make sure that they are properly equipped with knowledge and light.

A great actor is one who animates his role and lives each bit of its parts with all of its ingredients and then spices it with the special peculiarities of his own soul. Reciting a Ritual for the sake of recitation only is boring and useless, regardless of how well the actor may know it. A parrot-style recitation may become annoying and fails ultimately its intended esoteric message. Worse than that, a message read from a book, cell phone, iPad, or notebook is an inappropriate way to articulate philosophical allegories: this reduces them rather to a meaningless rattling of annoying words. Blame should not be placed on the candidate if during those sessions of the lecture, Degree conferral, or charge anything is not properly transmitted. The purpose of it all, most especially for the Entered Apprentice Mason, should be to excite the curiosity of the candidate to discover the secrets of our Royal Art.

​In the Charge of the First Degree, a newly-made Mason is expected, in his leisure time, to converse with well-informed Brethren who are ever ready to give as he is ready to receive instruction. This is how we may maintain a healthy transition of our legacy and keep the torch of our institution shining as a beacon in the dark as well as in the Light. May we see more involvement and interaction among our Brethren to be a party to promoting our art, and thereby to deserve the titles they carry and satisfactorily attain. We must be in earnest in our business and set aside our differences, that we may head to the quarries and polish our rough ashlars. At the same time, we must exercise tolerance for the imperfections of those who may not yet be as skillful as we may deem ourselves to be. Civility and plain dealing must be practiced among us. Finally, as Scripture enjoins us, we must be ever prepared to “forgive the trespasses of those who have trespassed against us” and convert animosity to amity.
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Many Brethren in the craft may be wondering how to address these issues and how to find a solution to what we may sometimes regard as an impasse. The best answer I can provide is: Read the Ritual! Read it once, read it twice, read it over and over and meditate upon it. You may find within its words the solution or answer to your question. In closing, my brethren, let us roll up our sleeves and labor with unanimity and concord, that we may distinguish ourselves in the Lodge, in the family, and in the world. Thus, will we be leaders par excellence, with the stamp of the supernal truth of Masonic Ritual upon our souls.

All of us have heard the story of the German forget-me-not lapel pin. We have heard that it was used by German Masons to as a means of recognizing each other and to fool the S.S. and other National Socialist (Nazi) organizations in World War II. You can go to various Grand lodge web sites such as the one for the Grand Lodge of Maryland or supposed Masonic research sites, such as Phoenix Masonry and find this exact story. And, you can also go to the George Washington Masonic National Memorial gift shop, or even to Amazon.com and you will find the same story imprinted on a card that accompanies the small lapel pin.

This story is particularly significant to me in that I was raised in a lodge under the American and Canadian Grand Lodge in Germany, and at that time was given one of these pins with the card and told this story. A story that is heart-warming to all masons.

Well, maybe not to all.  When I was first initiated an Entered Apprentice in Germany, I was very surprised in that half of the lodge was filled with Germans that I knew but did not know them to be Masons. Afterwards, I often attended the Zum Felsen Temple lodge No. 424 in Idar Oberstein. Each time that I attended the lodge I dutifully wore my little forget-me-not pin.

After several visits, one of the brothers presented to me another pin and asked if I knew the forget-me-not story, immediately explaining - it did not happen. What?! How could this be?! How could this so beloved story, symbolic of the challenges of German Masonry not be true? Now, like Paul Harvey, here is the rest of the story…

Hilter had written in his manifesto, Mein Kampf, that “…the general pacifistic paralysis of the German national instinct of self-preservation was begun by the Freemasons.” Further, he claimed that Freemasonry was one of the causes of the German defeat in World War I.  The president of the Reichstag, Hermann Göring, proclaimed that “In the National Socialist State, there was no place for Freemasonry.” And on January 8th, 1934, the German Ministry of the interior, using powers granted under the Enabling Act (Ermächtigungsgesetz) of 1933, ordered the disbandment of Masonic lodges in Germany and confiscation of all property.

On August 8th, 1935, Adolf Hitler announced (in the Nazi Party Paper, Voelkischer Beobachter) the final dissolution of all Masonic lodges in Germany. In fact, some of the older members of the lodge I often visited, Zum Felsen Temple, had been members of that lodge in 1935 when it was broken into by the Schutzstaffel (SS) – although some had claimed that it was remnants of the “brown shirts” or Sturmabteilung (SA). Either way, luckily, the lodge was not in session, but from pictures on the walls they were able to round up some of the brothers who were taken away never to be seen again.

The ones that I talked to who were Masons at that time still felt deep guilt that they were the lucky ones who simply were not in town that day, or their picture was not recognizable on the lodge wall. Hitler had turned on the Masons and had made being a Mason a crime. Estimates ranging from 50,000 to over 200,000 Masons were arrested and taken to internment camps or killed. Simply being recognized as a Mason could get you arrested or worse. In this environment, who would take the chance of wearing a small blue pin to advertise that you were a Mason?  So how did the story start? How did it become such a prominent symbol so associated with German Masonry?

Germany had several Grand Lodges in existence after World War I. One of them, Grossloge zur Sonne (Grand Lodge of the Sun) held annual meetings similar to our Grand Annual Communication here in Virginia. For each annual meeting, the Grand Master would select a pin to be given to each attendee. In 1926, the forget-me-not pin was selected and a small factory in the town of Selb, near Bayreuth, was chosen to make the pins for the meeting. And the Masons in attendance went home with the small flower pin on their lapels.

After Hilter came to power, he established a program called “Winterhilfswerk.”  This was started in 1934 and advertised as a charity to assist handicapped and other distressed people in need to get through the winter. Although collections were made by children’s groups  (Hitlerjugend and Bund Deutscher Mädel) and the SA, donations were not really voluntary. Solicitations were actively done on the streets, and the "Can Rattlers," as they became known, were relentless in their pursuit of making sure every good German citizen gave their fair share. The collections were made during the winter months with each person who donated given a pin or other trinket (Abzeichen) to wear on their lapel as a visible sign that they had paid the donation. Anyone seen without a pin would be accosted on the streets by the collectors until they paid. This pin was to be worn only during the collection period, and each year a new pin was selected, so someone could not use the one from the previous year.

(A small side note: During this time period, the Germans were forbidden under the reparation acts after World War I from building offensive armaments. Any military-type weapons and vehicles were to be for local police actions or defense only.  The winter relief program did provide a lot of help to the distressed, but a significant part of their proceeds was diverted in order to fund the rearming of Germany.)

In 1937, a factory in Selb was selected to make the pin for the 1938 Winterhilfewerk charity collection. The molds saved from the 1926 forget-me-not castings were used by the workers to make the pins for the collection effort.  Some Masons who had saved the pin from the 1926 convention simply used that identical pin and in a small way, cleverly beat paying the donation to the war effort that year!

Later, on June 19, 1949, the United Grand Lodge of Germany was established. Most Worshipful Brother Dr. Theodor Vogel (1901-1977) was elected to serve as the first Grand Master of this newly formed United Grand Lodge of AF&AM of Germany. Brother Vogel used the tradition from the Zur Sonne Grand Lodge and had a small pin struck as a souvenir of the convention. He intentionally selected the same factory in Selb to strike the forget-me-not pin to be handed out to all attendees.

And in 1953, when MW Bro. Vogel came to the Grand Master’s Conference in Washington D.C., he brought with him a big bag of these pins. And as he travelled extensively through the United States after the meeting, he visited several lodges, each time taking with him his diminishing bag of forget-me-not pins.

During his travels, he regaled the masses with stories of Masonry in Germany and the tribulations under the National Socialist regime. Over the years his story changed, and his presentation evolved into one in which the pin was more a sign of recognition. He later claimed that he had been misquoted about the history of the forget-me-not pin and it must have been a problem in translation. However, the story lives on and has become a part of our Masonic heritage. But now, you know the rest of the story.

​More about the author: Oral McNeil “Neil” Marple II was born into a military family in 1951 and spent his youth between Germany and various cities on the eastern seaboard of the US.

He attended the University of Maryland receiving his BS in Engineering in 1974 before embarking on his career in Computer Science. He received an MBA in 1977, an M.S. in Computer Systems in 1987, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science in 1997.  He has worked as an Engineering lead, Chief Engineer, Project and Program Manager, Chief Technology Officer, and adjunct professor around the world.
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Brother Marple is a third-generation member of George Washington Lodge No. 820 in Kaiserslautern, Germany, where he was raised in November 1989. In addition to the George Washington Lodge, brother Marple is a member of several other German-speaking lodges in the US and Germany.

• 1825: The first Grand Lodge Funeral Service was conducted on September 26th for Junior Grand Warden John Frank.

• 1838: The first appointment of a Grand Lodge representative to another jurisdiction occurred in 1838. Upon the Grand Master of D.C.’s nomination, the Grand Master of New York appointed a District brother as New York’s representative. This was reciprocated by our Grand Lodge to New York.

 

• 1831-1840: For a brief period of time, the Grand Lodge adopted a system of three Deputy Grand Masters, which served across the three distinct parts of the District of Columbia: Washington “City”, Alexandria, and Georgetown. Georgetown and Washington City, while on the same side of the Potomac, were considered separate entities. The practice served a purpose for a time but was eventually returned to one Deputy Grand Master.

 

• 1843: The Grand Lodge of DC attended a national masonic conference on May 8th, to consider the possibility of forming a national General Grand Lodge. No action was taken due to lack of support across the states.

 

• 1848: At its annual communication on November 9, the GL received a petition for, and subsequently chartered California Lodge No.13. The Lodge was made up of Masons from D.C. who moved to California during the Gold Rush. (In 1850, Lodge no. 13 was one of several lodges to form the Grand Lodge of California, at which time No.13 became California No.1)

 

• 1858: A proposal was brought up to the Grand Lodge by the Mount Vernon Ladies Association for financial support to purchase Mt. Vernon - George Washington's estate in Alexandria. The Grand Lodge adopted a resolution to assess each member of the Jurisdiction $1 to send to the Association in aid of their cause. 

• 1902: The GL declines a petition from several brethren living in China to charter a Lodge in Tientsin; citing the difficulty of supervising the Lodge from such a long distance.

• 1905: Past Grand Master Baird recommends the creation of the Good Standing Card system, which today we know as the Dues Card, and is used across the Jurisdiction to confirm a brother’s standing in a particular lodge. He recommended the card be pressed with the seal of their lodge and mark receipt of payments made.

 

• 1905: The constitution, rules, standing resolutions, landmarks, and Grand Master's decisions had accumulated to such a high proportion that the Grand Lodge moved to publish their first annotated Masonic Code of D.C.

 

• 1915: The Grand Lodge authorized the creation of the Masonic Employment Bureau in D.C. for the purpose of assisting Master Masons, members of the Eastern Star, and those in their immediate families find employment. By 1919, the Bureau reported that it had filed 548 applications and placed 473 persons in a variety of professional and non-professional positions across D.C. The group lasted until 1928 when it was reorganized under a separate group.

 

• 1934: The Grand Lodge authorized the presentation of the first set of 50-Year Membership Pins to Master Masons across the Jurisdiction who attained fifty years of continuous membership in a D.C. Lodge. Unlike today, the first set of 50-Year pins were made of gold. 

• 1937: The Grand Lodge established the Lodge Fidelity Medal award
  

• 1942: The Grand Lodge established the Distinguished Service Medal award
  

• 1960: The Grand Lodge approved the creation of the Masonic Foundation of D.C.
  

While what happens in DC is the most important thing to our Grand Lodge, it is also important for our Grand Lodge to represent and speak for the Masons of DC in the larger, world community of Freemasonry.  It was in that context that the Grand Master asked me to attend the Annual Assembly of the Grand Lodge of Spain in Madrid last February, where I joined approximately 40 foreign-nation delegates and 300 Spanish Freemasons and Grand Lodge officers at the meeting.

This particular weekend involved the re-election of their Grand Master, their Annual Meeting, and all of the dinners, tours, banquet, and celebratory activities associated with the event – all organized by the incumbent Grand Master. The Spanish Grand Master serves a term of four years and can run for re-election any number of times.  The current Spanish Grand Master, MW Bro. Oscar Ortega, has been in the Grand East for 8 years (2 terms), and was seeking a third term. 

The election of the Grand Master occurs towards the end of the two-day conference, so if an unexpected result occurs, the event can turn out to be quite awkward.  Thankfully, this year there were no surprises, and MW Bro. Oscar Ortega was re-elected for his third four-year term.

One of the more interesting events to me was a conference MW Bro. Ortega organized of the attending visiting delegations held on the first afternoon of the meeting. These men were the Grand Masters and Deputy Grand Masters of countries throughout the world: Portugal, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Italy, Serbia, Albania, Moldova, Macedonia, the Ivory Coast, Paraguay, Germany, Austria, Brazil, Utah, New York, and others.

The room had place-markers for each Grand Jurisdiction and was arranged with long tables in a “U” shape.  MW Bro. Ortega chaired the meeting and he went around the room in order.  Each delegation was offered the opportunity to provide an update on the status of Freemasonry within their country, and to highlight any issues or concerns.  The meeting proved to be a lively and unique experience for me!

In the United States, we are accustomed to a provincial outlook, where our attention tends to focus on U.S. Freemasonry and its challenges: membership growth or decline, code issues, relationship issues among state jurisdictions, budgets, buildings, Shriners, Widow’s Sons, and so on.  It is a revelation to see some of the serious and life-affecting challenges that are faced by other countries. 

They are dealing with wars and conflicts (Russia-Georgia, Russia-Ukraine, Serbia and the former Yugoslavia countries, the Middle-East, South America, and many more), worrying about the very survival of Freemasonry, let alone its growth.

They also face some serious challenges with whom to recognize. It is very difficult to figure out legitimate Masonic bodies, particularly when they may even share the same name!  And there seems to be a constant flow of new countries and organizations who seek to legitimize their Masonic identity.  Some recent applicants included Lichtenstein, and entities from Mexico and Paraguay.

That afternoon’s conference significantly helped to expose and discuss these issues in a productive and brotherly manner.  This type of discussion, by the way, is not the norm for such conferences.  After 8 years as a Grand Master in the midst of Europe, MW Bro. Ortega enjoys the respect of all who attended the conference, so he was in a somewhat unique position to offer advice.

There was some direct but respectful discussion.  I was struck by the fact that Masonic etiquette prevailed, despite some very difficult and frank comments.

One additional benefit to the experience was a better understanding of the history of Freemasonry in Spain – and a desire to know more.  Of course, Spain is proud of its long and interesting history. 
Freemasonry was introduced to Madrid and Gibraltar in 1728, not long after the formation of modern Freemasonry in England.  In fact, the first Lodges in Madrid (La Matritense) and Gibraltar (Lodge of St John of Jerusalem) were both English Lodges – which contributed to the suspicion that continued for centuries, that Freemasonry was a threatening foreign influence.
The Catholic Church has been tightly integrated with the long history of Spain, and it has been a major influence. From the outset of the introduction of Freemasonry in Spain, there was a conflict between the Church and Freemasons.  A discussion on this topic would fill a book – and there are many good references available to explore this conflict.

Consequently, the growth of Masonic Lodges from 1728 until 1936 fluctuated with the zeal in which Masons were persecuted by the Inquisition and the Spanish monarchy.  A succession of foreigners as Masonic influencers and even Grand Masters, including Napoleon and his brother Joseph, continued to reinforce the perception within Spain that Freemasonry was a tool of foreigners.

This suspicion reached a boiling point in 1936 and the Spanish Civil War, which pitted the “Nationalists” (Military, Church, and landowners, supported by Nazi Germany) against the “Republicans” (bourgeois, middle-class, communists, and socialists, supported by Russia.) 

The Freemasons, although they had members in both camps, were associated with “free-thinkers” in the Republican side. They advocated things such as women’s suffrage, free and open elections, and schools free from Church control.  All of this was anathema to the Nationalists.   Masons were viciously persecuted by the Nationalists, led by General Francisco Franco.  This is even more surprising, when one considers that General Franco’s father and brothers were all Freemasons.

By 1940, Franco had won the Civil War and consolidated control.  Freemasonry was outlawed in Spain until 1979, four years after Franco’s death.  To even be accused of being a Mason meant loss of all property, employment, and a prison sentence.  The authorities used Lodge records to track down all members.  Lodges who continued to work resorted to no meeting minutes and no membership records. Freemasonry did not disappear in Spain, but it remained hidden until it could again thrive.  It is alive and well today.
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Even a cursory study of the history of Freemasonry in Spain will convince a reader that Spanish members of our Craft have paid a far higher price than we can understand here in the United States.  Other than the Morgan Affair (about 1826), Freemasonry has been a well-established and respected part of the fabric of our society.  For interested members, I’d recommend a quick Google search on the history of Freemasonry in Spain, which will lead you to many quick reads and in-depth articles and books on the subject.  It will help you to better appreciate the gifts which we enjoy as Freemasons in the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia in Washington DC.

Modern Freemasonry in the District of Columbia is made from a complex blend of ages, religious beliefs, races, cultural backgrounds, and sexual orientations.  Some will live in the DC Metro area for their whole lives, some for just few years or months, while some are born here, but many are from other places, near and far. 
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For many other jurisdictions this radical diversity would be a barrier – too many competing interests and voices – but for us, it not only works, it thrives.  It’s a fact that is less surprising when one considers that not only was our fraternity created with this social and cultural blending in mind, but our city was, too.  

                                                                                      Big Idea, Small Space

As capital cities go, Washington, DC is tiny and quaint. It was created by an Act of Congress in 1790, and originally measured about 10 square miles, fashioned from five miles of land donated from the “northern” state of Maryland and five from the “southern” state of Virginia.  This was a purposeful balance of territory that came from a compromise made by the founding fathers in congress, who were already struggling to broker difficult conflicts within their new country between states in the south that were largely agrarian production centers, and those in the north which held our financial and shipping hubs. 

But the real reason behind the design of our city actually starts with the Constitution – the cornerstone of “The Great Experiment.”  It lays out a political system of government where no one constituency can quickly or easily promulgate laws without the buy-in or consent of others.  It’s a process that requires cooperation and civility in order to work, and the capital city was meant to be a physical representation and reminder of that process, physically built on land that was in itself a compromise.

Freemasonry in the District started about the same time.  In particular, one lodge traces its roots to 1793 when it was chartered by Lodge No. 9 (meeting in Georgetown) of the Grand Lodge of Maryland.[1]  That Lodge’s first Master was James Hoban, an Irish immigrant and architect.  He had just won the competition to design and build the President’s new “palace” in the city and he needed two pieces of critical infrastructure for his imported Irish and Scottish stonemasons: a church and a lodge.  The church would be St. Patrick’s on 10th and G Streets NW, and the lodge would become Federal Lodge No. 1.  Already, Freemasonry in the District was welcoming the diversity of itinerant and foreign workers.
Today, the District is both a bustling hub city and a small town.[2]  With a population of a little over 670, 000 people crammed into 68 mi2, the City of Washington is a dense metropolis that continues to grow every year.  Unsurprisingly, the city’s vast cultural and racial diversity has also continued to grow - directly translating into its 43 Masonic lodges, several of which are foreign-language based. 

                                                                                         A Social Capital

Another reason for Freemasonry’s health in DC lives in the psyche of those that choose this industry city as their home.  The District, you see, is a one-trick pony of employment – almost everyone here works for or around the government.  Like Los Angeles, whose existence in the desert of southern California can largely be attributed to the movie industry, DC exists because of the government.[3]  And for those who work in this industry, a spirt of service and community engagement and involvement are inherent in their personalities – they are “joiners” by nature.  So, it makes sense that fraternalism, and membership in Freemasonry in particular, is robust in Washington.

Most interesting is the trend towards younger men becoming involved in Masonry here in the District.  While the average age of a Master Mason here is about 60, the average age of our EA’s, Fellowcrafts, and Candidates hovers around 40; a significantly lower number.  This is even more significant when compared nationally, where average membership age across the board is older.[4]  Add to this the modern trends in Social Media and E-engagement, and you have a savvy, well-connected population (both in the city and in Masonry) that is more involved, and linked-in to the broader world around them.  And while the natural assumption is that this generation is just “virtually” engaged, the truth is they have proven that they take their online knowledge into the real world to test and act on. 

There are examples of this trend in every Lodge in DC.  In William R. Singleton-Hope-Lebanon Lodge No. 7, they focus on community involvement whether it’s by sponsoring, planning, and paying for a flag pole in front of a new local recreation center, to handing out free sno-cones at a local park festival during the blazing District summer.  In Benjamin B. French Lodge No. 15, the members connect with each other on the Slack app, where they can talk together about Big Masonic Thoughts©, like esotericism and cigar smoking.  And that’s not mentioning the University Lodges, the Capitol Hill Congressional breakfasts, or the young, active, leadership present in every Lodge’s officer line, including the Grand Lodge’s.

So, while the oft-heard narrative is that Freemasonry is dying along with its aging membership, and that Masons just aren’t active in their communities anymore, the exact opposite is true here in DC – our “joiner culture” has translated into Lodge-joiners.

                                                                                      Dense and Diverse

Due to the small land area and its subsequent high population density, it follows that there would be a ton of options for everything in DC, including Lodges; and that largely holds true – there are currently 43 lodges in the District, ranging from the old, historical Lodges (Federal No. 1, Justice-Columbia No. 3, Naval No. 4, and Potomac No. 5), to the smaller, niche Lodges (Arminius No. 25 – the German-speaking Lodge, or Freedom Military No. 1775  - a Lodge for active and veteran members of the military, Fraternity No. 54 – a Lodge for Greek-letter fraternity members, or The Colonial No. 1821 – a University Lodge affiliated with The George Washington University).  Each of these Lodges present their own unique identity that mirrors the great diversity this capital city offers.

This is further illustrated in the number of plural and dual members there are in this jurisdiction.[5]  While there are about 3,500 members in Washington, DC, there are about 4,100 memberships, so there is a great deal of cross-pollination within our Lodges – and that’s not even counting how many dual members there are.

The physical size of the city works to its advantage, as well.  Because it is a small area with high population density, driving (or more importantly, parking) in the District can be challenging.  Luckily, the public transportation options are what you would expect out of a top-line capital city.  There is the Metro (subway), a great bus system, bike sharing, and inexpensive cabs and car sharing options. Therefore, most lodges are easily accessible to its members and visitors alike.

                                                                     Cultural Cornerstone

The credit for who we are today, of course, goes to the Masonic leadership of the past.  They are the giants on whose shoulders we now stand, after all. And this Grand Lodge has done a magnificent job in the last 30+ years of fostering a view of Freemasonry that translates to equal parts fraternalism and deep philosophical study. They saw the bigger picture of what made this city unique, and they went about forging a Grand Jurisdiction that reflected that novelty.

This is reflected in the foreign language Lodges, the affinity Lodges and even in our old Lodges who have had hundreds of years to grow and evolve.  Each offers a facet of social and popular culture that creates a mosaic of opinions and life experiences for our members to draw upon, and it tends to inform our fraternal relations both inside the jurisdiction and out.

We were one of the first Grand Lodes to recognize Prince Hall in our jurisdiction, and recently we affirmed our commitment to diversity by publishing “Freemasonry Universal” – both were bold moves for a small jurisdiction.  Our Lodge meetings are just as apt to feature a lecture from internationally known Masonic scholars or famous political pundits as they are to sponsor a day of trap-shooting or an exploration of the art and symbolism of tattooing. Our members are equally at home in white-tie and tails as they are in the muddy running clothes at a Tough Mudder.

This wide range of cultural curiosity and discovery is possible because it has been carefully nurtured by a long succession of forward thinking and responsible leaders, both from inside the constituent Lodges of this jurisdiction and their governing Grand Lodge.  And while the culture of the city certainly helps inform the culture of our Lodges, leadership will always be the primary motivator in a top-down organization such as Masonry. 

                                                                             The Future

What’s clear is that Washington, DC is still growing and evolving as a city, and our Gentle Craft seems to be keeping pace with the city.  Our culture of progress and inclusion is actually preserved through a conservative and disciplined interpretation of Freemasonry’s Enlightenment Age roots.  The great thinkers of this age not only created our fraternity but imbued it with a deep commitment to reason and balance – ideals that ensure harmony and good will, the essential ingredients to progress. This resulting collegiality has paved the way for Masonry in DC to thrive while it recedes elsewhere.

As we look to the future, it is hard to predict what role the fraternity of Freemasons will have in this city, our country or the world.  But, if current trends persist, we can be sure that the blend of diversity and idealism of our unique membership will continue to have a positive effect.  It is a silent and thankless role we should each be proud to have participated in – because it could only have happened here, in Washington, DC.


[1] At that time, there wasn’t yet enough population in the District for its own Grand Lodge, and the government wouldn’t actually move into the city until around 1800.  So, the Grand Lodge of DC didn’t appear until a little over 20 years after the city’s founding, in 1811. 

[2] This is especially true after the “retrocession” of 1846, when Virginia took back its portion of land (mostly the slave market-centric city of Alexandria), in anticipation of the outlaw of slavery in the Union.

[3] Noted political commentator and one-time Bill Clinton strategist Paul Begala famously said, “DC is Hollywood for ugly people.”  This is at once the funniest and most honest assessment of these two cities in history.

[4] But, from anecdotal evidence, it seems that most jurisdictions are indeed getting younger as more and more Millennials join the Craft. 

[5] Plural Members are members that belong to multiple Lodges within the jurisdiction; Dual Members are members who belong to Lodges across multiple jurisdictions.