George Washington Masonic National Memorial (Archival Film)

George Washington Masonic National Memorial (Archival Film)

[Music] This is me for forever. One of the lost ones. The one without her name, without an onest compass. This is me for forever one without a name. This time the last endeavor to find the missing life. All I wish for. I wish to my loving heart lost in the night. My heart is my everything. My flower withered between the pages two and three. The ones forever [Music] with my se [Music] the darkness we angels hold the past for hell. me with your love and reveal to me my true [Music] wish. Oh, how I wish to be free. Oh, how I wish to be once and for all. I know for once name my name forever. [Music] [Music] [Applause] Heat up here. [Music] Heat up here. [Applause] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] [Music] Heat up here. [Music] Heat. [Music] [Music] Let me introduce you to our room. It’s almost identical to the old to the old Alexandria Masonic lodge room. Uh this this room is architecturally similar to that old lodge room. And this is the same furniture that was in the room when George Washington was master of our lodge. And Washington served as master of our lodge. It was 1788 and 1789. Uh he didn’t finish up the 1789 year. That’s when he had to he had to go to New York City where he was inaugurated president. But this is an interesting room. And if you’d like to step in, I’ll point out several things. Sure. The most I think the most important thing that old black leather chair that’s under the pressure glass cover that that chair came from George Washington’s home. It was his library chair down at Mount Vernon. He used that chair in his library of course many years. He donated that chair to our lodge the first year that he was the chief officer of the master of the lodge. That chair was used for 118 years by the presiding masses. I guess everybody wanted to sit in Georgia’s chairs. 118 years of other did that portrait of Washington over the chair is probably uh the the the centerpiece of this whole memorial and it’s probably the only portrait of George Washington that that really and honestly shows the way he actually looked. He insisted with the artist he said he didn’t really want to pose. He was busy was in Philadelphia present but he told the artist I’ll pose for you but don’t flatter me. Don’t make me look any better. Let me show you what the artist did over here. Now, this is a this is a high quality lithograph of the original. And this is so you can see it. Now, that artist that artist included liberal facial blemish. Whether it was flattering or whether it was just something that was not flattering, he included it. Now, Washington had small pox when he was 19 years old. And you notice a little white pock mark here. That’s a scar from the small box. And around his cheeks up here is another scar around his eyebrow. And there’s a if there’s a little brown mole on his right ear. And there’s a there’s a scar a little scar right here left cheek. And that scar it concerned me. I was wondering how did he get that scar? Was it a bullet wound? An accident? But it turned out to be something rather simple. He had an abscess tooth and they had to make a little incision to drain that tooth. It never did heal cleaning. His skin coloring, it’s red and it’s harsh. There was no attempt to add any cosmetic touches to it to make him look better. That’s the way he really looked. And when that portrait was finished, George Washington did agree. He says, “It doesn’t flatter me, but it’s a good likeness.” He accepted that portrait. It’s been on display in that room since 1794. Mages wear aprons is all symbolic. That apron was making for George Washington by some nuns in a convent in France. It’s a lovely thing that’s done on Saturday. All the stitching heavy stos when he laid the cornerstone for our national capital 1793. That’s a that’s a really historic item. A couple other things. I mentioned to you that George Washington George Washington laid the cornerstone for a national capital building. That’s his Masonic apron he wore. That’s a Masonic ceremony. And this is a little trial he used ceremonial of course but didn’t have a lot of lot of motor. That little trial was used by George Washington when he laid the cornerstone fair capital building. Now, since then, that little trial has been used for so many, many public buildings in this area, which of course would include the Washington Monument, the Smithsonian Institution, the Senate and House Office buildings, the State Department, the Jefferson Memorial. And of course, that trial was also used for the cornerstone ceremony for this building was done in 1923. It was really a tight day. The uh that strap going across the bottom of the case is a coffin strap. It was used to help roll Washington’s body into the vault at Mount Vernon. Uh he had a Masonic funeral ceremony. And incidentally, all but one of the pawbears at George Washington’s funeral, all but one were mothers of his messiah Alexander. His bed sham clock. On the evening Washington died, one of the three physicians who attended him was Dr. Elisha Cullen Dick. And Dr. Dick cut the pendulum cord on the clock. He removed the counter weight and he stopped the clock at the exact time of his death. You notice it was 10:20. George Washington died at 10:20. It was in it was in the evening on the 14th of December 1799. Usually, it’s almost invariably during the day yet when our visitors come in, they ask a qu two questions. How old was Washington when he died? He was 67. What was his illness? What caused his death? He had this terrible problem with the throat. This thing had become so severe, so debilitating. He was having trouble trying to speak. His wife Martha couldn’t couldn’t understand. He couldn’t swallow anything. He was having trouble trying to breathe.

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The George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia, was built as a tribute to the first President of the United States and his enduring connection to Freemasonry. Rising prominently above the city, the memorial was inspired by the ancient Lighthouse of Alexandria in Egypt, and its design blends neoclassical architecture with elements of Masonic symbolism.

The cornerstone of the building was laid in 1923 with a ceremony that drew attention nationwide, emphasizing both Washington’s role as a leader and his identity as a Freemason. Construction spanned several decades, with the memorial officially dedicated in 1932, marking the bicentennial of Washington’s birth.

Inside, the memorial houses museum exhibits, Masonic meeting rooms, a library, and collections related to George Washington and American Freemasonry. Its nine floors contain halls dedicated to different Masonic bodies and themes, while the memorial hall with its massive statue of Washington stands as the centerpiece. Visitors can also find artifacts, documents, and portraits that highlight Washington’s life, his presidency, and his deep involvement in the fraternity.

The tower reaches 333 feet high and provides a commanding view of the Potomac River, Washington, D.C., and the surrounding region. Beyond its architectural grandeur, the site serves as both a historical landmark and an active center for Masonic activity. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and continues to attract tourists, scholars, and Freemasons from around the world.

The George Washington Masonic National Memorial remains a symbol of leadership, civic virtue, and the shared ideals that shaped the early United States. It bridges the personal legacy of George Washington with the broader traditions of Freemasonry, standing as one of the most distinctive monuments dedicated to him in the nation.