Freemasonry: From Cornerstone Rituals to a Closed Power Network
On 18 September 1793, George Washington wore Masonic regalia and laid the cornerstone of the United States Capitol in Washington. Lodges from Maryland, Virginia, and Alexandria joined the ceremony. An engraved metal plate was placed beneath the stone. Its inscription recorded both the year of American independence and “the year of Masonry 5793”. The building later became the place where Congress wrote laws, yet the f
On 18 September 1793, George Washington wore Masonic regalia and laid the cornerstone of the United States Capitol in Washington. Lodges from Maryland, Virginia, and Alexandria joined the ceremony. An engraved metal plate was placed beneath the stone. Its inscription recorded both the year of American independence and “the year of Masonry 5793”. The building later became the place where Congress wrote laws, yet the first sign beneath its foundation belonged to a private fraternity with oaths, degrees, and recognition signs.
On 18 September 1793, George Washington wore Masonic regalia and laid the cornerstone of the United States Capitol in Washington. Lodges from Maryland, Virginia, and Alexandria joined the ceremony. An engraved metal plate was placed beneath the stone. Its inscription recorded both the year of American independence and “the year of Masonry 5793”. The building later became the place where Congress wrote laws, yet the f
On 18 September 1793, George Washington wore Masonic regalia and laid the cornerstone of the United States Capitol in Washington. Lodges from Maryland, Virginia, and Alexandria joined the ceremony. An engraved metal plate was placed beneath the stone. Its inscription recorded both the year of American independence and “the year of Masonry 5793”. The building later became the place where Congress wrote laws, yet the f
On 18 September 1793, George Washington wore Masonic regalia and laid the cornerstone of the United States Capitol in Washington. Lodges from Maryland, Virginia, and Alexandria joined the ceremony. An engraved metal plate was placed beneath the stone. Its inscription recorded both the year of American independence and “the year of Masonry 5793”. The building later became the place where Congress wrote laws, yet the f
On 18 September 1793, George Washington wore Masonic regalia and laid the cornerstone of the United States Capitol in Washington. Lodges from Maryland, Virginia, and Alexandria joined the ceremony. An engraved metal plate was placed beneath the stone. Its inscription recorded both the year of American independence and “the year of Masonry 5793”. The building later became the place where Congress wrote laws, yet the f