District of Columbia Masonic Lodges
The complete directory of 16 Masonic lodges across 1 cities in District of Columbia.
Top Rated Lodges in District of Columbia
Grand Lodge of District of Columbia
Grand Lodge of DC F&AM
Founded in 1811
About Freemasonry in District of Columbia
A deep look at Masonic history, the oldest lodges, the admission process, and notable Freemasons connected to District of Columbia.
History of Freemasonry in District of Columbia
Few jurisdictions have as much Masonic history packed into so few square miles as the District of Columbia. Freemasonry was active in the area now called Washington from the moment it became the federal capital. The cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol was laid by President George Washington himself, in full Masonic regalia, on September 18, 1793, in a ceremony conducted by the Grand Lodge of Maryland and Lodge No.
9 of Maryland (later Federal Lodge No. 1, F.A.A.M.). For decades, lodges in the District operated under warrants from Maryland or Virginia, since there was no local Grand Lodge. That changed on December 11, 1810, when delegates from five DC lodges met to form the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia.
The young Grand Lodge nearly didn't survive the 1820s; the Anti-Masonic agitation that followed the Morgan affair hit Washington hard, and several lodges went dormant. The Civil War years were extraordinarily complicated, with Union and Confederate sympathizers literally sitting in the same lodge rooms before the war started. After Reconstruction, DC Masonry expanded with the federal workforce and the city's growth. The 20th century brought the construction of two of the most significant Masonic buildings in the country: the House of the Temple of the Scottish Rite Southern Jurisdiction on 16th Street, designed by John Russell Pope and dedicated in 1915, and the George Washington Masonic National Memorial just across the river in Alexandria, dedicated in 1932.
Both still anchor American Masonic identity today.
Oldest and Most Historic Lodges in District of Columbia
DC's oldest lodges have name recognition that few other jurisdictions can match. Federal Lodge No. 1, F.A.A.M., is the senior lodge of the District. It was originally chartered as Lodge No.
9 by the Grand Lodge of Maryland in 1793 and participated in the U.S. Capitol cornerstone ceremony that same year. When the DC Grand Lodge was formed in 1810, Federal Lodge took the No. 1 position.
Columbia Lodge No. 3 has roots going back to 1802 and counts numerous federal officials in its long history. Naval Lodge No. 4, chartered in 1805, has a strong tradition of military and naval officer membership and meets in a temple on Capitol Hill that's worth visiting just for the Egyptian Revival interior.
Potomac Lodge No. 5 in Georgetown, originally Potomac Lodge No. 9 of Maryland from 1789, is one of the oldest continuously operating lodges in the federal area; this was actually the lodge that lent the silver trowel George Washington used at the Capitol cornerstone laying, and the trowel is still preserved. Lebanon Lodge No.
7 and Hiram Lodge No. 10 round out the early-19th-century chartered bodies. National Lodge No. 12 and B.B.
French Lodge, named for a 19th-century Grand Master, are also historically significant. These lodges anchor the heritage of Masonry in the federal city.
District of Columbia Masonic Lodges by the Numbers
The Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia is small in count but high in profile. There are approximately 30 to 40 active constituent lodges meeting in the District, most of them headquartered at the Naval Lodge building on Capitol Hill, the Almas Shrine Center, or smaller temples in Georgetown and northwest Washington. Total membership in recent years has been estimated around 3,000 to 4,000 Master Masons. Because DC is geographically tiny, the Grand Lodge does not use a district structure the way larger jurisdictions do; communications and visitations happen on a city-wide basis.
The official website at dcgrandlodge.org maintains the lodge directory, calendar of stated meetings, and information for prospective members. The Scottish Rite Southern Jurisdiction's House of the Temple and the George Washington Masonic National Memorial nearby in Alexandria draw thousands of Masonic visitors to the area each year, even though the latter is technically in Virginia.
How to Become a Freemason in District of Columbia
Joining a lodge in the District of Columbia is similar to other mainstream jurisdictions, with the petition-investigation-ballot pattern that's standard across regular Masonry. You start by visiting a lodge, having dinner, and getting to know members. After expressing interest, you submit a petition signed by two Master Masons of your chosen lodge. An investigation committee meets with you and your family, asks about your motivations, and reports back to the lodge.
The lodge then takes a secret ballot, which must be unanimous favorable. If accepted, you'll go through the three degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason over a span typically ranging from a few months to a year. Total fees in DC tend to run from $300 to $600 for initiation and the three degrees combined, with annual dues commonly between $100 and $250 depending on the lodge. The Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the District of Columbia is the only authority for chartering lodges and conferring degrees within the federal district under the mainstream system.
Because DC has such a transient population, many lodges are used to working with petitioners who plan to relocate; demit and affiliation procedures are well-practiced here.
Notable District of Columbia Freemasons in History
The District of Columbia has hosted more famous Masons than nearly any other jurisdiction simply because so many federal officials passed through. President Andrew Jackson was associated with DC Masonry during his presidency. President Theodore Roosevelt was raised in Matinecock Lodge No. 806 in New York but visited DC lodges frequently.
President Harry Truman, raised in Belton Lodge No. 450 in Missouri, made multiple appearances at DC events while in office and was a Past Grand Master of Missouri. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was raised in Holland Lodge No.
8 in New York City and remained active in DC Masonic events throughout his presidency. J. Edgar Hoover, the longtime FBI Director, was a 33rd Degree Mason and active in DC Scottish Rite circles for decades. Justice Thurgood Marshall was a Prince Hall Mason whose Washington years overlapped his Supreme Court tenure.
General John J. Pershing, who lived and worked in DC during and after World War I, was a Mason. General Douglas MacArthur was raised at sight as a Mason and visited DC lodges in his later years. Major Pierre Charles L'Enfant, designer of the city's street grid, while not definitively documented as a Mason, worked extensively with Masonic clients on building projects.
Albert Pike, the long-serving Sovereign Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite Southern Jurisdiction in the late 19th century, lived and is buried in Washington and reshaped American Scottish Rite ritual through his work in DC. Numerous Senators, Congressmen, and Cabinet officers from across two centuries have either joined DC lodges directly or attended as visitors from their home jurisdictions, making the lodge dinners on Capitol Hill an unusually well-connected social scene during many administrations.
Prince Hall Freemasonry in District of Columbia
Prince Hall Masonry in the District of Columbia has a deep and important history. The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia was chartered in 1848, making it one of the older Prince Hall jurisdictions in the country and a major civic institution in the African American community of the capital. The Prince Hall Grand Lodge has its temple on U Street NW, in the heart of what was once known as the Black Broadway. Many of Washington's prominent African American leaders, educators, and civil rights organizers were Prince Hall Masons, and the lodge buildings served as meeting spaces during a period when Black access to public venues was restricted.
Mutual recognition between the mainstream Grand Lodge of DC and the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of DC was established in 1999, with both bodies now exchanging visitations and cooperating on charitable initiatives. Notable Prince Hall Masons connected to DC include Justice Thurgood Marshall and numerous figures from the civil rights movement who made the District their base. The Prince Hall Grand Lodge of DC also oversees the parallel structure of Eastern Star, Scottish Rite, York Rite, and Shrine bodies serving the African American Masonic community in the District.
Frequently Asked Questions about Masonic Lodges in District of Columbia
How many Masonic lodges are in Washington DC?
The Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia oversees approximately 30 to 40 active constituent lodges. Additional lodges operate under the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia, headquartered on U Street NW.
Where is the oldest Masonic lodge in DC?
Federal Lodge No. 1, F.A.A.M. is the senior lodge of the District, originally chartered in 1793 as Lodge No. 9 of Maryland.
Potomac Lodge No. 5 in Georgetown is also among the oldest, with roots going back to 1789.
Did George Washington lay the U.S. Capitol cornerstone as a Mason?
Yes. On September 18, 1793, President George Washington laid the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol in a Masonic ceremony, wearing his Masonic apron and using a silver trowel from Potomac Lodge that's still preserved today.
Where is the House of the Temple in DC?
The House of the Temple of the Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction, is located at 1733 16th Street NW in Washington. It was designed by architect John Russell Pope and dedicated in 1915. Public tours are typically available.
Does DC recognize Prince Hall Masons?
Yes. The mainstream Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia and the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia formally established mutual recognition in 1999 and maintain inter-visitation and cooperative civic relationships.
Sources & Further Reading
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