Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-20

within the limits Of the present District
of Columbia was issued by the Grand
Lodge of Maryland. April 81. 1859. to q
lodge to be held in Georgetown. Nd, on
the Potomac river, to be ofiicially known
as Lodge No. 81 The designation 'Po-
tomac appeared seventeen years later in
connection with the third lodge char
tered in Georgetown.
That Freemasonry was a dominating
though unobtrusive force from the very
first in this section" said Mr.. Harper,
has striking Illustration in the fact that
the corner stone Of the District was laid
with Masonic ceremonies. an event prob
ably without parallel in the WORLDS an
mails. 1t consisted of small marker OF
masonry. set up at Jones point, on
Hunting creek. below Alexandria. from
which were run. at right angles. the first
two sides of the ten-mile square consti-
tuting the original District of Columbia
The stone. according to Masonic usages.
was placed April Is, 1891, by the Masonic
lodge OF Alexandria. Va. which had been
chartered eight years before by the Grand
Lodge of Pennsylvania as No. 30. In l7SS
it became Alexandria Washington Lodge,
No. %. under the jurisdiction of Virginia.
with George Washington as master.
In January, 1792. Lodge No. assumed
authority to grant dispensation for lodge
to certain OF it's members who had moved
to Port Tobacco, Md, to be known as ST.
Columbia. pending regular application
10 the lIOuSe OF MdFSldlHl tiiS
remarkable action. said the speaker. finds
partial justification in the crude condi-
tons of transportation and communica-
ton Of the time and the survival In de-
gree of the old inherent right" doctrine.
Although unfavorably criticised, the &C
ton was virtually confirmed by. the Mary
land Grand Lodge in the issue OF a war
rant to the new body as st. Columbia,
No. II.
T,avino If corner Stone
The corner stone Of the White House
was laid October Is, 1892. While tradi
ton holds the ceremonies to have been
under Masonic. auspices. said Mr.. Harper.
diligent search fails to unearth any &C
count Of the occasion, although conditions
were such at the time as to render as a
historic probability the fact that the cere-
mony was Masonic.
''The third public Masonic affair and
the first in the city Of Washington Of
which there is incontrovertible record
was the laying of the corner stone Of the
Union Public Hotel, long known as ''Blod-
Getts, between e and F and 7th and sth
streets northwest July IA, 1893.
Federal Lodge, then known as No. 15
was given Masonic warrant September
II. 1893. six days before the laying Of
the corner stone Of the United State Cap
itol. Among its charter members was
the Capitol and Executive Mansion, and
one Of the many Irishmen and devout
Catholics. who In that day were consist
ent members of the fraternity"
The most important event in the his
tory of the local fraternity, declared the
speaker. all things considered, was the
laying Of the corner stone of the United
States Capitol building, which occurred
September Is. 1893. and was under the
exclusive control Of the craft. Joseph
Clark. worshipful master Of Lodge No.
u. at Annapolis. acting as grand master.
George Washington, then President Of
the United States, joined in the cere-
monies as a Mason and was honored with
the chief place in the procession. He is
believed to have taken the square and
level in his hands and laid the stone ac-
cording to the ancient Masonic rites
THE gavel used by Washington, at the
conclusion of the ceremonies. was handed
by him to Valentine Rented. then master
of No. and later the first grand master
OF the District. 1t has been jealousy
guarded ever since by the successors Of
the original Georgetown lodge
The speaker then led up to the consti-
tuition of Columbia Lodge, No 10, Octo-
Der %, 1875.