Founded in the waning days of the American Revolution, the birth of our lodge began in 1782 when Robert Adam, Esq., Col. Michael Ryan, William Hunter, Sr., John Allison, Peter Dow and Dr. Elisha Cullen Dick presented a petition to the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania requesting a warrant to open a Masonic lodge in Alexandria. Lodge No. 39 at Alexandria, Virginia was warranted by the Provincial Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania (Ancient) on February 3, 1783 and was constituted on the 25th of that month, installing Worshipful Robert Adam, Esq., Master; Col. Michael Ryan, Senior Warden; and William Hunter, Junior Warden. Dr. Elisha Cullen Dick was installed as Secretary. The lodge has been in continuous existence ever since that date, making it the first lodge in the City of Alexandria and one of the oldest lodges in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

From 1783-1802, as was common practice for many Masonic lodges of the time, meetings were held in a rotating series of taverns and private homes around Alexandria. Early meeting locations included John Wise’s Tavern (later known as Gadsby’s Tavern, a National Historic Landmark). In addition to serving as an early home and place for refreshment for our lodge, the tavern was a hub of social and political life in Alexandria during the early days of our nation. A meeting convened there by George Washington laid the foundation for the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, and the first celebration following the adoption of a Federal Constitution was held at the tavern in 1788. In addition to George Washington, prominent Freemasons known to have enjoyed the tavern’s hospitality (and perhaps some fellowship with Alexandria Lodge) include founding fathers George Clinton and Benjamin Franklin. As early as 1785, however, as the bustling port city continued to grow some of these locations were found to be less than ideal, with some described as “a public resort for strangers and travelers, and not sufficiently secure from intrusion.” The need for a permanent meeting space became increasingly apparent.

From 1783-1802, as was common practice for many Masonic lodges of the time, meetings were held in a rotating series of taverns and private homes around Alexandria. Early meeting locations included John Wise’s Tavern (later known as Gadsby’s Tavern, a National Historic Landmark). In addition to serving as an early home and place for refreshment for our lodge, the tavern was a hub of social and political life in Alexandria during the early days of our nation. A meeting convened there by George Washington laid the foundation for the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, and the first celebration following the adoption of a Federal Constitution was held at the tavern in 1788. In addition to George Washington, prominent Freemasons known to have enjoyed the tavern’s hospitality (and perhaps some fellowship with Alexandria Lodge) include founding fathers George Clinton and Benjamin Franklin. As early as 1785, however, as the bustling port city continued to grow some of these locations were found to be less than ideal, with some described as “a public resort for strangers and travelers, and not sufficiently secure from intrusion.” The need for a permanent meeting space became increasingly apparent.

A series of fires in the eighteenth century solidified the need for a fire resistant building to host the lodge’s irreplaceable collection of Washingtonia. Concurrently, while there were numerous celebrations of the Founding Father and first president, there was a growing desire to create a memorial to Washington the Freemason. In 1908, Charles H. Callahan, Alexandria City Commissioner of Revenue and Senior Warden of Alexandria-Washington Lodge (Callahan would later serve as Master of the Lodge from 1910-1911 and Grand Master of Virginia from 1924-1925) proposed that a Masonic memorial be built in Washington’s home of Alexandria. The lodge created a local committee to study the feasibility and later recommended the creation of a national association allowing all American Masons to contribute to the creation of a memorial and museum space to celebrate our Illustrious Brother. In 1915, Alexandria-Washington Lodge purchased a large plot of land on Shuter’s Hill and plans for the scope of the memorial – initially envisioned as a modest two story building budgeted at $10,000 to serve as the permanent home of Alexandria-Washington Lodge and a small museum for its relics – began to grow. As the 1923 groundbreaking approached, the vision was now for a $4 million (in 1923 dollars), 330-foot building constructed entirely of granite and modeled after the Lighthouse of Alexandria, Egypt, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The cornerstone was laid on November 1, 1923 in a Masonic ceremony led by Charles Callahan and attended by approximately 14,000 Masons from around the country and dignitaries including President Calvin Coolidge and Chief Justice William Howard Taft. The silver trowel used in the ceremony was the same one employed by George Washington to lay the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol building in 1793, which he then presented to Alexandria-Washington Lodge and it remains a crown jewel of our archives to this day.