Alexandria Virginia(VA) History

George Washington Masonic National Memorial.  101 Callahan Drive.  The George Washington Masonic National Memorial rises 333 feet above Shuters Hill (sometimes called Shooters Hill, the origin of the name being unknown).  In 1781, John Mills (d. 1784), a merchant who dined at Mount Vernon in 1775, built here a “Mansion-House well-known for its beautiful Situation, and the absolute Perfection of the Plan.”  Ludwell Lee (1760-1836) purchased the property in 1786, and Benjamin Dulany (1754-1816) bought it in 1799.  Both Lee and Dulany were friends of George Washington.  The original mansion burned in 1843.  In the 1850s, a brick mansion was built nearby.  During the summer, you often can find individuals from Alexandria Archaeology working on a dig behind the monument.  They have found many artifacts from the old buildings.

At the start of the Civil War, Fort Ellsworth was built on the hill as part of the Defenses of Washington. The fort included 29 guns, bombproofs, powder magazines, and two wells. Barracks were built on the east side, and the brick mansion was used for military purposes.

The oft-told legend that Thomas Jefferson wanted to place the U.S. Capitol building on Shuters Hill is unlikely for several reasons.  First, Shuters Hill was never part of the original District of Columbia (the two-mile marker for the original District of Columbia is across the street on the tree lawn of 7 Russell Road).  Second, part of the “Great Compromise” that resulted in the District of Columbia being placed on the Potomac River called for the government buildings to be on the Maryland side of the river.

In 1904, Orville Wright demonstrated flight for the federal government by flying from Fort Myer to Shuters Hill and back.

The George Washington Masonic National Memorial was dedicated in 1932.  Its Memorial Hall contains a 17 foot high bronze statue of Washington as the Charter Worshipful Master of Alexandria Lodge No. 22.  The Replica Lodge Room reproduces a Lodge No. 22 meeting room as it would have appeared in Washington’s day and includes furniture and relics actually used by Washington.  Twelve dioramas illustrate well-known events in George Washington’s life from his early days as a surveyor to his inauguration as the first President of the United States; and large wall murals show Washington attending church and laying the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol.  Several museum rooms contain a variety of Washington artifacts, including the trowel with which he laid the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol and the front portal key to the Bastille given by Lafayette to Alexandria-Washington Lodge 22 (similar to the Bastille key given by Lafayette to George Washington that is now on display at Mount Vernon).  Personal items of George Washington include the Washington family bible, the sabers used at his funeral, his bodyguard flag, the field trunk carried with him throughout the Revolutionary War, and the clock stopped by his doctor when George Washington died at 10:20 P.M. on December 14, 1799. 

Open to the public daily from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM.  Free.  Only one block from the King Street Metro station.  Information at http://www.gwmemorial.org/.

 (Adapted from Robert Madison’s Walking with Washington, available in Alexandria museum gift shops.)