GWMNM Masonic FDCs

George Washington Masonic National Memorial

First Day Cover

This special FDC was cancelled on the Dedication Day of the Memorial and bears all 12 of the known George Washington stamps in circulation at the time.

The George Washington Masonic National Memorial stands on a 36 acre tract of ground high above the Potomac River in Alexandria, Virginia, overlooking the nation's capitol. The Memorial stands in memory of George Washington: Patriot, Farmer, General of the Continental Armies, Surveyor, Founding Father, First President, Freemasonry's most illustrious member and truly the Father of our Country.

The Memorial is located on Shooters Hill in the tidewater region of Virginia. The building is 168 feet wide, 248 feet long and 333 feet high. It is but six miles from the nation's capitol, Washington, D.C. The cornerstone for the building was laid November 1, 1923 at a special communication of the Grand Lodge of Virginia. More than 25,000 persons participated in the procession to the Memorial where the cornerstone was laid using the same trowel employed by Washington in laying the cornerstone of the United States Capitol. Assisting in the ceremonies were President Calvin Coolidge, Chief Justice William H. Taft and the Grand Masters of all the Grand Jurisdictions in the nation. In 1932, the Washington bi-centennial year, the building was officially dedicated. President Herbert Hoover assisted in the dedication ceremonies.

As visitors enter the Memorial, they are confronted with two large murals of George Washington. One depicting the laying of the cornerstone of the United States Capitol in September of 1793 with President Washington officiating at the ceremony and the other showing General Washington attending a religious service on St. John's Day in 1788 in Christ Church, Philadelphia, PA. There is also a large bronze statue of President Washington measuring 17 feet 3 inches high and weighing nearly 8 tons. President Harry S Truman, who was a Past Grand Master of Missouri, assisted in the unveiling ceremonies of the statue.

The Memorial features displays of other Masonic Bodies. They include the George Washington Museum, a gift of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry; the Memorial Library, provided by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania; the Grotto Archives Room; the Royal Arch Room; the Cryptic Room; the Knights Templar Chapel; the Replica Lodge Room; and the Alexandria - Washington Lodge Room. The George Washington Museum which contains the most outstanding Washington memorabilia to be displayed to the public was dedicated in 1966. Its central item is the Washington Family Bible donated to the Memorial by collateral descendants in 1965. Indeed, the George Washington Masonic National Memorial stands as an inspiring reminder of the wisdom, strength and beauty given the United States in its infancy by the Father of our Country and a fitting tribute to the man who said, "A good moral character is the first essential in a man. It is, therefore, highly important to endeavor not only to be learned but to be virtuous."

FREE ADMISSION - OPEN TO THE PUBLIC DAILY (except New Years Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas) Guided Tours Daily from 9:00 a.m. to 4 :00 p.m.

HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE

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