• 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.
​
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. 
​
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.

By W. Bro. Carroll Collins, PM
(Past Master - Naval Lodge No. 4)

We know from Harper’s History that the first purpose-built Masonic structure in the District of Columbia was known as Union Lodge Room, on Eleventh Street NW, near Pennsylvania Avenue, and was a joint venture[1] of Federal Lodge No. 15 (now No. 1) and Columbia Lodge No. 35 (now Justice-Columbia No. 3).

Additional detail about the building is found in an article from the January 31, 1900 edition of the Evening Star, in which we are informed that the property was purchased for $75.00 from Nicholas King,[2] a member of Federal Lodge, and that it was a 23’ x 50’ parcel of ground in lot 14 of square 323. It was described as being a brick building of two stories, with an exterior stairway on the south side that provided access to the lodge room. Although a logical conjecture might place the building on the southern portion of lot 14, adjacent to lot 1, the exact position of the building is unknown: it is reasonable to assume that the building fronted on 11th Street.

Union Lodge Room was used as a Masonic meeting place from 1804 to 1827, first by the two lodges that built it, and after the formation of the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia in 1811, they were joined by Lebanon Lodge No. 7 and the Grand Lodge.

As with DC Masonic buildings today, the lower floor was rented to provide income for upkeep and expenses. The Evening Star article tells us, “...it afforded accommodations for the boards of aldermen and common council,” and, “...was also used for many years by the old Washington library and the Vine Lyceum Society.” The article goes on to say that, “...before proceedings were instituted to condemn the site for the government, it was under rent to colored Masons,” most likely refering to Prince Hall Masons in the city.
​
The whole square was razed for the erection of the magnificent "Richardson Romanesque" City Post Office, with its grand clock tower. However, the location was not geographically conducive for use as the District’s main postal facility, and ceased being used for that purpose in 1914. For decades thereafter, he structure was used as an office building. Today the site is occupied by the Trump International Hotel Washington, D.C.


[1] From contemporary newspaper advertisements, it appears that the construction was at least partially financed by subscription.
 
[2] Brother King worked as a surveyor for the Board of Commissioners of Washington in 1796-1797, and was appointed City Surveyor by President Thomas Jefferson in 1804, a position he occupied until his death in 1812.

​By Bro. Chris Ruli
(Member: Potomac Lodge No. 5)

(From the Archives highlights interesting stories of past D.C. Freemasons and other hidden historical gems found in archives of the Grand Lodge of D.C. - ed.)

​By 1792, the fledgling District of Columbia was still more forest than capitol. Tracts of land now housing federal buildings, museums, and rowhouses were filled with trees, creeks, and rolling hills. Though, Georgetown had developed into a busy commercial port and the first group of residents were moving into the District to begin the process of building the capitol.
 
On October 13th of that year, Freemasons from around the area met at Suter’s Tavern, the meeting place of Lodge No. 9 of Maryland (now Potomac Lodge No.5), for the purpose of laying the White House cornerstone. They formed in a traditional Masonic procession and marched to the site of the executive mansion on Pennsylvania Avenue. Once there, the Master of Potomac, Peter Casanave, laid the cornerstone and, after rousing speech, the procession returned to Suter’s where an elegant dinner was held.
 
There are two things that are particularly interesting about this event. First, it was a relatively quiet affair. Compared to the U.S. Capitol cornerstone ceremony a year later, which had bands playing, military parades, large crowds, and a President laying the cornerstone, the White House ceremony felt a bit more reserved. So much so, that we have no record of the event recorded in local newspapers. Second, up until the Truman administration, we didn’t even know when or how it happened!!
 
Here’s the only known record of the ceremony. It was discovered during the Truman White House renovations and serves as our only link to this important Masonic event. The record was published in the Charleston Gazette on November 15, 1792. It was printed from a letter to an unknown Charleston man from his friend in Philadelphia. ​The letter provides a very detailed summary of the 16 toasts given during the dinner. Several toasts were made to prominent leaders and intellectuals of the time including the Marquis de La Fayette and Thomas Paine, who received the honor of toast no. 10, "The Rights of Man and the author of Common Sense."

​Several clues help us confirm that this is, in fact, an authentic account of the White House ceremony. By 1792, the only Freemason lodge east of the Potomac River met in Georgetown and operated out of John Suter’s Tavern, the Fountain Inn. Records also confirm that Peter Casanave was a Freemason and prominent civic leader. (He served as Georgetown’s fourth Mayor) While there is no record of George Washington attending the ceremony, James Hoban and Collin Willamson most likely did. Both men were active Freemasons, regular visitors to the lodge, and were granted a dispensation one year later to charter a new lodge in the City of Washington, which eventually would become Federal Lodge No.1 of D.C. (Georgetown was considered a separate entity at the time.)
 
The reasons surrounding the quiet nature of the event are also a bit of a mystery. But, when considering the year, it is most likely due to the fact that the White House had yet to achieve the prominence and historical relevance it has today. More attention was given to the U.S. Capitol, as it represented the aspirational height of the American experiment.
 
Nevertheless, as we celebrate the building’s 225th anniversary today, Freemasons from across the Jurisdiction and world should take a moment to reflect on the history and providence of the White House, a home that had been truly planned, laid, and built by masonic hands.

By R.W. Bro. Alan Gordon
(Senior Grand Deacon, Past Master - Temple-Noyes-Cathedral Lodge No. 32)
​
​Some months ago, my daughter, Adrienne, found a book in a yard sale near her home in El Cirrito, CA which she bought and sent to me.  The book, The Meaning of Masonry, is by W.L Wilmhurst, PM 275; Past Provincial Grand Resgistrar (West Yorks), UGLE. 
 
I have to confess that, as I am not as well-versed in the esoteric aspects of Masonry as I maybe should be, it was difficult to get started reading this book.  However, on a recent vacation, I found more time to delve into it.  So far, I have only completed reading the first two chapters (or, as he calls them, lectures) of the book.  So this article will not expound on the book as a whole, but rather on the portions of which I have completed in my study, so far.
 
Throughout the reading, WB Wilmhurst draws parallels between Masonic teaching and that of religious teaching, particularly Christianity, referring multiple times to the Holy Trinity in his description of the use of various aspects of Masonry, i.e. three lesser lights, three pillar officers, and the three great Master-builders of the Temple.  Having said that, the author states in part that Masonry is “…not in itself a religion; but rather a dramatized and intensified form of religious process inculcated by every religious system in the world.” 

​Today, we espouse the teachings of all religions and have the books of faith for most major religions on the altars of our lodges.  The parallels WB Wilmhurst draws solely to Christianity are not without merit, and should be considered for the non-Christian faiths, as well.  Therefore, it is left to the reader to open his mind to the possibilities, and be able to address the concepts promoted as they apply to the specific reader’s faith and beliefs.
 
WB Wilmhurst promotes several ideas that, while not totally foreign to our understanding of Masonry, will make the reader think about the rituals and Degrees in a different light.  In the forward to the book, WB Wilmhurst promotes the concept that “Freemasonry is not the repetition of the ritual or the safeguarding of secrets, but the regeneration of the Brethren.”  He states in part that Masonry is essentially a “philosophical and religious system expressed in dramatic ceremonial.  It is a system intended to supply answers to the three great questions that press so inexorably upon the attention of every thoughtful man and that are the subject around which all religions and philosophies move. What am I? Whence come I? Whither go I?”
 
He goes on to explain that the act of initiation, passing, and raising should be seen as parallel to one’s stages of life.  Life, in turn, is seen as a pursuit of the answer to those questions.  The reason a candidate joins Masonry should be a desire for knowledge, a desire for that Light that may not be found elsewhere.  Anything less is seen as a less than worthy reason for applying for membership.  It is also seen as the reason we do not solicit men to join our Craft.  The reasons should come from within the candidate in as an expressed desire to seek improvement in himself internally.  And in that regard, the candidate first prepares himself to become a Mason in his heart. 
 
Masonry is also seen as a pursuit to reach the perfection which was lost at the time of the exile from the Garden of Eden.  Man in his natural state is inherently imperfect.  As he becomes conscious of that state of imperfection, he develops a desire to seek a remedy. Over time, a great many schools of that secret knowledge, which have purported to guide the candidate to that remedy, have risen and fallen.  They have in their time taught both the internal and the external doctrines that we as Masons seek.   The doctrines they taught remain with us even as these schools no longer exist.  Today, speculative Masonry is in part based on these teachings. 
 
In Masonic lore, we address the building of a Temple in Jerusalem.  It is the Temple within us that is being constructed with the living stones being, in effect, the souls of men.  The conspirators of the Master Mason’s Degree are analogous to the disobedience of Adam and Eve in eating the apple; seeking knowledge for which they were not prepared or had not earned.  The tragedy is then seen as “a cosmic breakdown and universal loss; an allegory of the breakdown of a divine scheme” and “a moral disaster to universal humanity”.  What we have lost is not designs upon a trestle board nor even a secret word, but a path to that Supreme Wisdom that will enable us to complete that temple of human nature leading us closer to the perfection of man.
 
Despite these losses, there remains a Light in the East.  We therefore travel from West to East in search of that Light which provides a mere glimmer of the true secrets we hope to find through our studies in Masonry.  Those secrets would otherwise allow us to seek a state of perfection or regeneration as the author refers to in the forward to his book.
 
The above is but a brief interpretation of the first two lectures contained in WB Wilmhurst’s book.  Those two lectures were entitled “The Deeper Symbolism of Masonry” and "Masonry as a Philosophy.”  I personally found the content to be at times enlightening, and at other times intriguing. Sharing this work may promote wider discussion and exploration into our Craft.  While I don’t know that everyone will agree with WB Wilmhurst, the discussion and exploration that is encouraged should enable us all to attain some higher level of understanding which, in closing, is the true focus of Masonry.

As I complete the other lectures in the book, I'll return to offer my thoughts on those, as well.  But until then, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of The Meaning of Masonry.

By Wor. Brother Adam Tager
(Grand Marshal; Master: William R. Singleton-Hope-Lebanon No. 7; and Founding and current Senior Warden: The Eagle Lodge No.1893)

There are many events that DC Masons engage in throughout the year that get us in front of our community. We clean up parks, we go to the V.A., we meet with staff on the Hill, we process around the mall, and we sponsor events, just to name a few. However, there are no other annual events that give us as much pride and visibility as our participation in Independence Day parades around the city.
 
Every year, the Grand Lodge Independence Day Parade Committee starts working as early as February to get registered for four different parades around the city. We march in the National Parade, the Palisades Parade, the Takoma Park Parade, and the Capitol Hill Parade. Participating in these parades allows us to celebrate our great country while representing the Craft, and sharing that experience with friends and family who march with us.
 
This year, by 10:00am on July 4, over 20 Masons from Maynliad #, Albert Pike #33, Wm. R. Singleton-Hope-Lebanon #7, Magnolia #53, and St. Johns Lodge #11, among others, as well as their family and friends, had gathered on the National Mall to begin preparing for a 11:45am National Parade step-off. By 10:30am, we took possession of our American Flag balloon, and eventually, stepped into the street. Sandwiched between two high school bands from different parts of the country, we marched down Constitution Ave. while thousands of parade attendees lined the streets and cheered when they saw our inflatable Old Glory pass by.

​by Chris Ruli
(Member: Potomac Lodge No. 5)

(From the Archives highlights interesting stories of past D.C. Freemasons and other hidden historical gems found in archives of the Grand Lodge of D.C. - ed.)

In the Fall of 1841, John Mason, Jr., a prominent Georgetown lawyer and businessman, submitted a petition to re-affiliate with Potomac Lodge No. 5, his Mother Lodge. Mason had applied for and received the degrees sixteen years earlier, but was forced to quickly ask for leave, as he was headed to Mexico on a diplomatic mission of the State Department.[1]
 
What happens next still perplexes Masonic historians: Mason was elected Grand Master of the District of Columbia. Yet, he never held masonic office and had only returned to Potomac two months prior. There are no explanations in our Grand Lodge history or proceedings, and no clues are found in Potomac Lodge’s minutes.
 
In the official history of D.C. Freemasonry, WB Harper writes “[Mason’s] active membership in his lodge was remarkably brief and his selection to preside over the Grand Lodge can only be attributed to some special conditions, hidden by the lapse of years, but among which it may be surmised his prominence and the unsettled period were powerful factors.” 
 
Here we have some historical proof that indeed, Mason was a prominent figure in the District. His grandfather was a famous officer in the Revolutionary War (none other than George Mason, himself), he served in the Continental Congress in 1777, and he drafted the Virginia Declaration of Rights in 1776. His family’s estate on Mason’s Island (now known as Theodore Roosevelt Island) was considered a social center of early D.C. In fact, the King of France, Louis Phillipe I, lodged there on one of his trips to the United States. And as for the rest of his family, Mason’s uncle was the first Governor of Michigan and his brother, James M. Mason, was a Virginia Senator from 1846 to the Civil War and represented the Confederate States of America as commissioner to the UK and France during the Trent Affair. So, it’s easy to see that Mason was undoubtedly a prominent and important figure wherever he happened to be during his lifetime.  
 
But the best place to understand who he was as a Freemason would have possibly been written somewhere his Lodge’s minutes. Unfortunately, in 1963, a fire destroyed the Masonic Hall in Georgetown, and with it, any direct clues to the mystery of Mason’s lighting fast rise to Grand Master. Add to that the rarity of original source material from the time, and we find ourselves in a difficult position when trying to find out why Most Worshipful Brother Mason ascended to the Grand Oriental East so quickly. However, hopefully, as more resources move online, future historians will have a better picture of Mason and what is surely his remarkable life story.


[1] Mason’s official Letter of Appointment to his diplomatic post in Mexico. The letter was signed by President Monroe and attested by then Secretary of State John Quincy Adams. It is part of UNC: Chapel Hill’s Wilson special collection.  

by Bro. Chris Ruli
(Member: Potomac Lodge No. 5)

The term lodge, according to former Grand Lodge Historian Kenton N. Harper, was not only defined as an organized and continuing body common to us today, but also “a hap-hazard congregation of Masons [gathered] for a single meeting.” Masonic scholar Robert Davis calls these congregations “occasional lodges,” and explains that they operated wherever “two or three [Masons] were gathered.”[1]

A good example of this type of “occasional lodge” were any of the traveling military lodges found during the Revolutionary War. They were chartered by the Grand Lodge in England, and brought British troops and their Colonial rivals together with their common interest in forging fraternal bonds in the lodge room which eclipsed their differences on the battlefield. These original groups of Masons have gone by various names including occasional, military, army, regimental, foot, traveling, and ambulatory lodges, but for the sake of this article, I have chosen a simpler term to encapsulate all the hap-hazard and informal congregations of masons: proto-lodges. 

So how did proto-lodges operate? They met in very small groups at any given time as membership fluctuated based on travel, weather, social and/or political happenings. They met in taverns and operated under inherent right, or outside the authority of a Grand Lodge’s rules and regulations – imagine an informal network of men gathered across Maryland to make Masons using the simple ceremonies they knew at the time. From this, some lodges grew, expanded their scope, requested charters from Grand Lodges, and in one instance even reinitiated clandestine Masons![2]

It’s unclear how many proto-lodges existed, but surviving evidence suggests that they operated for decades before the Grand Lodge of Maryland organized in the late 18th century.  In fact, Bro. Edward Shultz dedicates over fifty pages (almost the entire first section) in the first volume of Maryland history on the various records of proto and traditional lodges chartered by the Grand Lodges of Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, England, and inherent groups from Germany and Scotland.[3] Most of these early traditional and proto-lodges ceased to operate after several years, but their members undoubtedly traveled, participated in masonic activities, and contributed to the continuing development of the Craft across Maryland.

There are two unique proto-lodges worth noting. The first is a lodge organized under the auspices of German immigrant and glassmaker John Amelung. Amelung was considered one of the original and most successful glassmakers in the colonies. Astonishingly, Amelung brought 300 to 400 settlers with him during his voyage to the New World, which included doctors, bakers, shoemakers, tailors, and blacksmiths. His lodge was most likely made of up Masons from this contingent and was known to have operated around 1789 to 1799.

Though little is known about this lodge, including its name (if it had one), we do know that Amelung’s glassworks were so popular that it is believed he received a personal audience with George Washington at Mount Vernon in 1789. Washington wrote an enthusiastic letter to Thomas Jefferson claiming that ten thousand pounds of glass per year was manufactured by Amelung (worth about $1.5 million in 2017), and advertisements for his products were printed in the earliest newspapers in the District of Columbia.

The other notable proto-lodge was St. Andrews Lodge of Georgetown, which also can be considered the last of these proto-lodges. By tradition, St. Andrews was organized by Scottish masons who were the predominate emigres to Georgetown in the early 18th century. It is believed that some of these settlers moved throughout Maryland and opened branches in Bladensburg, Leonardtown, Port Tobacco, and Joppa. Shultz notes that family names of the original founders of Joppa matched the names from the earliest settlers in Georgetown.

The only remaining evidence of this lodge is a Bible currently held in the Potomac Lodge No.5 archives. The Bible was printed in 1754 in Edinburgh, Scotland by Adrian Watkins. These editions were favored by early Scottish settlers for their low cost, abundance, and availability in shops at Port Tobacco.

We may never know the true number or impact of proto-lodges. Harper notes, “It was the custom of the early days, especially during the Revolutionary War, to keep the records of lodges on slips of paper which were, after so long a time, destroyed, to prevent the possibility of their falling into the hands of profanes, a custom peculiarly aggravating to the modern historian.” There was also a global shortage of paper that required early printers to reuse their supplies.[4] In fact, the Lodge No. 9 (the precursor to Potomac Lodge No. 5) charter was written on the back of its original petition(!), and it is possible that other old documents today may have once been used to record charters, minutes, or other lodge business.

The first traditional, non-proto lodge chartered in the area was Lodge No. 9 of Maryland, who were chartered April 21st, 1789 in Georgetown (just 9 days before George Washington’s first inauguration in New York). Then in 1793, a group of ten Masons engaged in the construction of the U.S. Capitol and the White House, not wishing to travel the long distance to Georgetown, applied to No. 9 for a dispensation to organize their own lodge.[5] Several months later, those Masons received an official dispensation from the Grand Lodge of Maryland to be organized as Federal Lodge No. 15 and thus became the first lodge chartered in the new capital city of the District of Columbia, but still well before the foundation of that city’s Grand Lodge.

On September 18, 1793, Lodge No. 9 and Federal No. 15 were two of three D.C. lodges that assisted President Washington in laying the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol building in a full, public Masonic ceremony.[6] No. 9 went inactive several years later, and Federal Lodge operated as the sole Masonic entity north of the Potomac River until 1805, when several other dispensations for lodges were granted, including one from the original members of No. 9 petitioning to reconstitute their lodge under the new name “Potomac Lodge.”

In 1811, five out of the six Masonic lodges in the area came together to form the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia, and charters were reissued based on the date of their original Maryland charters.[7] In the beginning, the founding five lodges operated similarly to their proto-lodge pasts. The Past Master’s degree was conferred onto any interested Master Mason, and financial accounts were kept in pounds, shillings, pence (Maryland currency), and later in dollars. This undoubtedly made financial business a complicated process, but was common practice before the circulation of standard dollar currency.

Members also organized around professional or social groups. Charter members of Federal No.1 were predominately Irish and Scottish laborers, craftsmen, and stone masons working on the Capitol and White House. The Masons of Columbia No. 3 (today, Justice-Columbia Lodge No. 3) were employed in various levels of the U.S. Treasury Department, and members of Potomac No. 5 were prominent landowners and businessmen in Georgetown. Naval Lodge members were, unsurprisingly from the name, mostly Naval servicemen and shipyard employees; and they amassed the largest roster of early members in part due to the number of veterans returning from the war in Tripoli and the lodge’s location near the Navy Yard, itself.

Like many of their proto-lodge and later lodge counterparts, members of Potomac first hosted meetings in a popular Georgetown tavern, and granted two dispensations while under their No. 9 Maryland charter. (Federal Lodge No.15 and St. Columba No. 10 in Port Tobacco, Maryland).[8] The Grand Lodge of Maryland was initially critical of the dispensations, but eventually accepted their legitimacy.[9] Few details are known about when and where charter members received their degrees. It is most likely the case that these masons were initiated at lodges in their respective countries or in various proto-lodges throughout Maryland and Virginia. Founding members undoubtedly brought with them the customs and rules once set up by their proto-lodge counterparts.

Post Script:

With the exception of Naval No. 4, the lodges experienced stagnated growth in the early years of their existence. None of the founding members of Federal Lodge appear on the Grand Lodge of Maryland register six years after their formation, and almost half resigned in 1811 to form Lebanon No. 7.  Brooke Lodge No. 2 had its charter seized by the Grand Lodge two decades after their formation due to indebtedness, deteriorating activity, and the events of the Morgan Affair. Columbia surrendered their charter several years later, but members eventually regained their charter in 1857. As previously mentioned, after a short hiatus, the original members of Lodge No. 9 reconstituted their old lodge under the new name Potomac. Several decades later, the Grand Lodge of Maryland declared that No. 9 and Potomac Lodge No. 5 were, “…considered to have been the same lodge with periods of inaction.” And in 1939, the Grand Lodge of Maryland returned the original No. 9 charter that they had discovered several years earlier.

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[1] Bro. Robert Davis’ book, A Mason’s Words, details the origins of freemasonry ritual and is recommended reading for anyone interested in learning more about its evolution and spread from England to the U.S.

[2]  Occurred in Joppa Lodge No. 1. This event is documented in Bro. Edward Shultz’s first volume of Grand Lodge of Maryland’s history. 

[3] The author has omitted the documented quarrels between the Modern and Ancient influences for the sake of brevity. It is believed that proto-lodges fell into the Ancient ritual category, but there is a lack of supporting evidence on this.

[4] The global shortage of paper, or linen-paper combinations called rags, was well-documented across the 18th century.

[5] They were mostly Irish and Scottish stone masons and carpenters led by the architect of the White House, James Hoban, who would serve as the new lodge’s first Master.

[6] Alexandria-Washington No.22 was the third lodge, and at that time, Alexandria was a physical part of the District.

[7] Alexandria-Washington No.22 declined the invitation to join the Grand Lodge of D.C.

[8] St. Columba operated out of the Chimney House tavern in Port Tobacco for several years before becoming inactive. The Chimney House still stands, and there is a commemorative St. Columba plaque on display.

[9] This was most likely done by Lodge No. 9 for the sake of convenience, as travel up to Baltimore or northern Maryland for a petition was arduous.