Off the Beaten Path - Alexandria Travel Guide

The George Washington Masonic National Memorial is a Mason's lodge and memorial for President George Washington, a mason, and former president of the local lodge. The nine story tower is designed after the ancient lighthouse at Alexandria, Egypt, and the exterior was built from 1922 to 1932. Work on the interior was not completed until 1970, and the monument and plaques on the front lawn were just completed in 1999. The building's replica lodge room contains Washington's masonic artifacts such as his apron and the silver trowel he used to lay the cornerstone of the Capitol Building. The top floor has an observation deck offering views in all four cardinal directions.

During our visit, we were between tours of the tower, so we stuck to the ground floor and the basement. The ground floor is dominated by a huge hall with a tall bronze statue of Washington flanked by great white columns in front of murals and stained-glass windows. To the left of this atrium is a small room with artifacts and photos of previous Mason commanders, then a modern-day meeting room. Downstairs you will find a central hall with small paintings of some of the great Masonic lodges of America, and there is also a small museum and gallery for the Shriners.

The monument stands on a tall knob called Shuter's Hill, that overlooks downtown Alexandria. In 1781 this was the site of John Mill's plantation house, which burned to the ground in 1842. In the 1850s a large brick house was built on the site, and this was incorporated into the Civil War-era Fort Ellsworth. The brick mansion was destroyed by fire in 1905. It is said that Thomas Jefferson once proposed this hill as the ideal site for the nation's capitol, prior to work starting across the river in Washington.

The monument is open to the public from 9am to 4pm daily with guided tours daily at 10am, 11:30 am, 1:30 pm and 3 pm.

The monument has three plaques that read:

"Let prejudices and local interests yield to reason. Let us look at our national character and to things beyond the present period. — George Washington"

"This classic sculpture commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial. The bronze bas-relief is a gift from Eastman Kodak Company, and was first commissioned as part of America's Bicentennial observance. It is the work of Isabel Giampietro Knoll. Dedication August 1982."

"This monument erected with the support from Grand Lodge of Ohio; Scottish Rite, Hartford, CT.; Corinthian-Philo Lodge No. 368, Philadelphia, PA.; Scottish Rite, Bridgeport, CT.; Demolay Foundation of New Jersey, Inc.; Mt. Lebanon Lodge, Boston, MA.; Supreme Council, Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction; Supreme Council, Scottish Rite, Northern Jurisdiction; Scottish Rite, Southern New Jersey; Holland Lodge Foundation, Inc. N.Y.; to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial."

Off the Beaten Path in Alexandria

Alexandria Hotels

Alexandria Off the Beaten Path

Visiting Alexandria?

Visiting Alexandria?

Alexandria Hotels