The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-03-01

Grand Master of the District of Ooium-
 hia officiated at the laying ol ths ,oa, SVa ner stone of the extension or the Sap.eo,
 at Washington. .deS A,eSahar,s .ha eeremonies and
 took with them the Washington apron.
 which they requested Grand MSs.e E'.s
 French to wear He did so, ana MT. Cuss ,
 tis, then an aged man, was preSsshs sne ane
 recognized the apron at once as tne 1an oaie
 worn by Washington September ls, i.sS' and nresented by him (Mr. Custis) 70 Al-
 exandria Washington Lodge No. zz' m
 whose possession 1t now remains.
 Aprons Not Authentic.
 The writer in thus particular m speak- ing to the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, hacailaa there are numerous Masonic aprons in htis country that are claiiIeu 2 : bV their owners to be the oriBlnai ba a- fayette- Washington apron. 0ne o11 t 4i aroV' m and was recently described m Cni- caru paper as the authentic apron meoe by Mime. Lafayette and presented py her
 husband to Washington, who gave IL .o Oliver Walcott one of the signers or the Declaration of Independence, from whose heirs the lodge obtained possession Ine article gave the age or this apron as ieO M years, which would make the date or us Ynanufacture 1747. As Lafayette was not horn until i757, or ten years after the time the apron was made, 1t IS oouptLuI if it was made by his direction py ms
 wife, (who was not born unul lIos), 10 pc presented to Washington, then boy 10 Wears of age. Another Masonic apron De- iongs to Henry J. HallNof Jacksonville iii said to have been made by Mme; I.afayette and given to Washington, ana there are others, but, with all due respect to their owners, they are mistaken as to the history of their aprons. , Washington remained memper oi Fredericksburg Lodge, No. f. until IIo3, when a lodge was instituted by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania at Alexanoria, Va within easy riding distance or Mount Vernon called Alexandria Lodge No Ss, of which he became a member. Tn Idoo | this lodge decided to receive char.er | from the Grand Lodge Of Vrglna, anu
 on March 2S, transacted tne a Lolio"'ns
 saThe Lodge proceeded to the appoint ment of A Master and Deputy Master to | be recommended to the Grand Lodge or | Virginia, when George Washington, Esq,
 was unanimously chosen Master, Robert McCrea Deputy Master, William Hunter, IT.. Senior Warden, John Allison, Junior
 Lodge is Given Charters.
 On Anril 2s, 17Ss, charter was granted
 The firm was known as Watson & Cous- "Know ye that we, Edmund Randolph, Governor of the Commonwealth Of Vir- Rinia, and Grand Master of the Most An cient and Honorable Society or Free Ma sons in the same, by and with the con- sent Of the ITfdDu 11OQkG OL NhkAlAAAt Oc hereby constitute and appoint our Illus trious and well-beloved brother, George Washington, Esquire, late General ana Commander in Chief of the forces, of the United States of America, and our wor- thy brethren, Robert McCrea, Willia m Hunter, Jr., and John Allison, Esqs., be admitted to associate with them, to be a first true and regular Lodge of Free Masons, by the name, title. and designa- ton of the Alexandria Lodge No. D."
 TnHa AatA 0T naceTnhHF g0 11RR fhA Lodge records read: ''His Excellency, General Washington, was unanimously elected Master" And on December 16, 1799, appears the following: Lodge of emergency, funeral lodge called for the burial of General Geo. Washington, first Master of this Lodge, No. 2."
 The burial of Washington took place on December IS, 1799, at Mount Vernon. The cers of Alexandria Lodge. No. 22, and after Rev. MT. Davis, an Episcopal min ister, had read the funeral service of his church and delivered q short address, the Masons performed their burial ceremony
 and the body was deposited in the vault
 Presented to Lafayette.
 On December Il, 1895, the Grand Lodge
 of Virginia changed the name of Alex
 andria Lodge to Alexandria Washington
 Lodge. No. p, without changing the orig
 inal charter. On October II. lS24, General Lafayette visited Mount Vernon, and
 while there was presented by George
 W. P. Custis with the Masonic collar and
 jewel that Watson and Cossoul had given
 Washington In 17s2. and also ring con-
 taining a lock of his nair.
 In 1852 the centennial anniversary of
 Washlngton's initiation into Freemasonry
 was celebrated by the fraternity through out the United States and on December "A. 1899, a large number of English-speak- ing grand lodges were represented at the memorial services held at Mount Vernon.
 at which President Mckinley delivered an address.