By design, the George Washington Masonic National Memorial dominates the Alexandria skyline and can be seen from Washington D.C. or any flight arriving at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The prominent hilltop site was initially considered for construction of the U.S. Capitol. The story behind the Masonic Memorial funding, design, planning, and construction is an interesting one.
OurHistoryMuseum has assembled a variety of interesting historical documents, photographs, and memorabilia, some of which are shown below (including the absolutely riveting preconstruction renderings and brochure from 1925).
I invite our readers to email photos of additional items that they would like to share. Please email me (ken@ourhistorymuseum.org) photos of your GW Masonic National Memorial related collectibles, and I'll publish them in a subsequent piece with only your first name or anonymously, whatever you choose.
Wikipedia notes:
The George Washington Masonic National Memorial is a Masonic building and memorial located in Alexandria, Virginia, outside Washington, D.C. It is dedicated to the memory of George Washington, the first President of the United States and a Mason. The tower is fashioned after the ancient Lighthouse of Alexandria in Egypt. The 333-foot (101 m) tall memorial sits atop Shooter's Hill (also known as Shuter's Hill) at 101 Callahan Drive. Construction began in 1922, the building was dedicated in 1932, and the interior finally completed in 1970. In July 2015, it was designated a National Historic Landmark for its architecture, and as one of the largest-scale private memorials to honor Washington.
A great deal more can be learned by reading the rest of the impressively detailed Wikipedia article about The George Washington Masonic National Memorial, looking at the collection below, and by taking a tour, which I would highly recommend. As of this writing, they are open for tours, seven days a week; with appropriate Covid restrictions in place, reservations are required.
Here is the complete 20-page 1925 preconstruction brochure followed by photos of other interesting items related to The George Washington Masonic National Memorial:
The centerfold is amazing!
Salt & Pepper shakers
A fundraising booklet
The replica miniature trowel used for fundraising
A photo postcard promoting photography services
Silver flower stem vase
sorry so blurry
An envelope from the day of the dedication of the memorial
A brass calendar
A preconstruction rendering of the memorial in postcard form
A souvenir plate
A souvenir pennant