The Architect of Washington DC

by Senior Midnight Freemason Contributor
WB Gregory J. Knott

 

On my latest visit to Arlington National Cemetery, I went to see Arlington House which sits at the highest point in the cemetery.  Outside of Arlington House is the gravesite of Pierre Charles L’Enfant. 

L’Enfant was a native of France who left at a young age to enlist his services in the  American Revolutionary War.  He was an engineer by training and served as a Captain in the Corps of Engineers.  L’Enfant was wounded in the Siege of Savannah and later recovered only to be captured and become a prisoner of war.  He was freed in a prisoner exchange and served the remainder of the war on the staff of General George Washington.

After the war concluded, Congress began the discussions and planning for a federal city that would serve as the capital of the fledgling nation.  Eventually, newly elected President George Washington appointed L’Enfant to plan and design the new city.   Things were not smooth sailing for L’Enfant and he was eventually dismissed by Washington and the project planning for what would become Washington DC proceeded on without him.

In 1902 the McMillian Plan was a report issued by the United States Senate to examine the park system planning for Washington DC. What came out of this report was the beginning of the creation of the National Mall as we know it today.   Much of this plan was based on the work that L’Enfant had done over a century before.  

In 1909 L’Enfant, who died in 1825 was moved from his resting spot in Prince George’s County Maryland to his new resting spot atop the hill outside of Arlington House in Arlington National Cemetery.  His gravesite overlooks the National Mall that he helped inspire.  On his tombstone is engraved a map of his original design for the new federal city.

Was L’Enfant a Freemason?  That is a topic of considerable debate.  I encourage you to read this article by Pierre F. de Ravel d’Esclapon, 32°, Valley of Rockville Center, N.Y. for further information.

Freemason or not, L’Enfant left an indelible mark on his adopted home country, the United States of America.

~GJK

WB Gregory J. Knott is a founding member and Senior Contributor of the Midnight Freemasons blog. He is a Past Master of St. Joseph Lodge No. 970 in St. Joseph (IL) and a plural member of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL) and Naval Lodge No. 4 in Washington, DC. He’s a member of the Scottish Rite, the York Rite, Eastern Star and is the Charter Secretary of the Illini High Twelve Club No. 768 in Champaign-Urbana. He is also a member of ANSAR Shrine (IL) and the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees. Greg serves on the Board of Directors of The Masonic Society and is a member of the Scottish Rite Research Society and The Philathes Society. He is a charter member of a new Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter U.D. and serves as its Secretary. Greg is very involved in Boy Scouts—an Eagle Scout himself, he is a member of the National Association of Masonic Scouters. You can contact him at gknott63@gmail.com

At The Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier

by 
Midnight Freemasons Founder

Todd E. Creason, 33°

&
Midnight Freemasons Senior Contributor
WB Gregory J. Knott

Originally published 3/10/17, we thought this would make a good Memorial Day piece.  Too often we forget the real reason we celebrate Memorial Day--to honor our fallen heroes.  We hope you'll spend at least a small part of your day today remembering those that gave everything to protect and preserve the way of life we enjoy as Americans.  TEC/GJK

The first time I saw the changing of the guard at Arlington National Cemetery, I was five years old.  We were in Washington, D.C. on a family vacation.  I remember it very clearly.  That solemn ceremony left a very deep impression on me.  I've watched on television as Presidents on Memorial Day have laid the Memorial Day wreath many times, and every time, I'm struck with that same sense--a mixture of American pride, patriotism, honor, and deep respect for the sacrifices that have been made in the name of freedom. 

Two years ago, I saw the changing of the guard again--more than forty years later.  Fellow Midnight Freemason Greg Knott and I flew to Washington D.C. for a Masonic event, and less than an hour after the plane landed at Ronald Reagan International Airport, we were standing at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  The Boy Scouts were there that day, and during the changing of the guard, they presented a wreath--the same exact ceremony the President takes part in on Memorial Day.  We both knew what we wanted to do on our next trip out--to place a wreath on behalf of Freemasons everywhere to honor our fallen heroes.  In February, we were able to do just that.  Greg and I on behalf of Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL) and with the blessing of Our Grand Master of Illinois, Anthony Cracco.  We also asked the President and Past President of The Masonic Society to join us--Kenneth Davis and James Dillman were only too happy to do so.

 

The reality didn't really set in until I was standing at the top of the steps looking out over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the cemetery beyond as the Relief Commander slowly ascended the steps before us.  The wreath we provided was already in place waiting for us as we descended together in step. 

It was about thirty-five degrees with a thirty mile-per-hour wind, but the four of us barely felt the bracing cold.  We were there to represent Freemasonry, so we left our winter jackets behind in favor of our suits, jewels, aprons, and gloves.  We were about to honor our fallen veterans on behalf of Freemasons everywhere by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider. 

Once the wreath was placed, a soldier played Taps.  It was an indescribably moving experience listening to Taps as I fixated on words on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier: HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY AN AMERICAN SOLDIER KNOWN BUT TO GOD.  It was an experience I don't think any of us will ever forget.  I certainly won't. 

Left to right: Todd E. Creason, Gregory J. Knott, James Dillman, Kenneth Davis

Afterwards, we stood and watched the guard for some time.  It occurred to me that there had been a guard watching the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, 24-hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, uninterrupted, since I'd been there as a five year old child.  It was that important.  And the honor of being able to serve in that capacity is considered one of the highest honors in military service. 

As we left the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a funeral procession was in progress--something that happens on average twenty-four times a day at Arlington National Cemetery.  Greg Knott and I walked to a large tree in the center of one of the plots to get a better view.  As the horse drawn cassion passed with the flag draped coffin on top, and I looked out across the cemetery at the thousands and thousands of identical stones, I was struck by the high price Americans have paid for freedom.  And yet it's a price that generation after generation of Americans have continued to pay, because in the end, there is nothing more important to who we are as the American people than those freedoms provided us under the United States Constitution.

~TEC/GJK

Todd E. Creason, 33°, FMLR is the Founder of the Midnight Freemasons blog and is a regular contributor.  He is the award winning author of several books and novels, including the Famous American Freemasons series. He is the author of the From Labor to Refreshment blog.  He is the Worshipful Master of Homer Lodge No. 199 and a Past Master of Ogden Lodge No. 754, where is currently serves as Secretary.  He is the Sovereign Master of the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees.  He is a Fellow at the Missouri Lodge of Research. (FMLR) and a charter member of a new Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter U.D.  You can contact him at: webmaster@toddcreason.org

WB Gregory J. Knott is one of the founding contributors of the Midnight Freemasons blog.  He is a Past Master of St. Joseph Lodge No. 970 in St. Joseph (IL), and a plural member of Ogden Lodge No. 754, Homer Lodge No. 199, and Naval Lodge No. 4 in Washington, D.C.  He's a member of the Scotttish Rite, the York Rite, Eastern Star, and is the Charter Secretary of the Illinois High Twelve Club No. 768 in Champaign-Urbana.  He is also a member of ANSAR Shrine (IL) and the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees.  Greg serves on the Board of Directors of The Masonic Society and is a member of the Scottish Rite Research Society and The Philalethes Society. He is a charter member of the a new Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter No. 282 (IL) and serves as its Secretary.  Greg is very involved in Boy Scouts--an Eagle Scout himself, he is a member of the National Association of Masonic Scouters.  you can contact him at gknott63@gmail.com

Arlington National Cemetery and Freemasonry

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Greg Knott

There is no more solemn place in our nation than Arlington National Cemetery.  Thousands upon thousands of white granite stones in symmetrical rows mark the final resting place for the heroes of America. 

Here lie those who have protected our freedom through some of the darkest moments in our nation’s history.  Yet their service and sacrifice have provided the opportunity of freedom for countless future generations.  Theirs is legacy of commitment and honor that a grateful nation shall never forget.

Among those laid to rest in Arlington are many members of the Masonic Fraternity.  There are numerous headstones with the square and compass or other Masonic insignia.  This will be the first in an occasional series where we look at the Masonic brethren whose final resting place is at Arlington National Cemetery.

Dr. John Mills Browne, who was Surgeon General of the Navy, was born May 10, 1831 in Hinsdale, New Hampshire.  Dr. Brown was made a Mason on June 3, 1852, in Philesian Lodge No. 40 at Winchester, New Hampshire, where he received all 3 degrees in one day under dispensation from the Grand Master, because he was ordered to sea.  He later affiliated with Naval Lodge No. 87 at Vallejo, California and was Master in 1870.  Dr. Brown served as Grand Master of California Masons from 1875-1879. 

He was exalted in Benicia Chapter No. 7 at Benicia, CA on November 25, 1866 and was Grand High Priest of California Royal Arch Masons in 1878.  He was Knighted in California Commandery No. 1 at San Francisco on December 27, 1867 and received the Cryptic Degrees in California Council No. 2 on September 2, 1871.

Dr. Brown was very active in Scottish Rite as well, the Fourth through the Thirty-Second on February 1, 1870.  He later was Venerable Master of Naval Lodge of Perfection at Vellejo from 1870-1877 and Commander-in-Chief of the California Grand Consistory from 1874-1876 and was coroneted a 33° in 1876. 

He had an impressive naval career, entering the service in 1853 as Assistant Surgeon, having graduated from Harvard University.  He served on several naval ships, including the Kearsarge for 3 years, including when the Alabama was destroyed off Cherbourg in June 1864. 

Brother Brown died in Washington DC December 7, 1894, the funeral serviced being held in St. John’s Episcopal Church, which is near the White House and was interred in Arlington.  His tombstone is marked with the Scottish Rite emblem of a 33° Mason.

~GK

Gregory J. Knott is the Worshipful Master of St. Joseph Lodge No. 970 in St. Joseph (IL) and a plural member of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), and Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL). He's a member of both the Scottish Rite, and the York Rite, and is the Charter Secretary of the Illini High Twelve Club in Champaign-Urbana. He's also a member of the Ansar Shrine (IL). Greg is very involved in Boy Scouts--an Eagle Scout himself, he serves the Grand Lodge of Illinois A. F. & A. M. as their representative to the National Association of Masonic Scouters.

Sources:

http://books.google.com/books?id=Q6iOWM2r8n0C&pg=PA525&lpg=PA525&dq=Dr.+John+Mills+Browne+scottish+rite&source=bl&ots=4VRppAQtjH&sig=hmVDqnPO1AeoUivc46qWZtZLUoo&hl=en&sa=X&ei=bfeZT8CmOYSkgweE8rSNDw&ved=0CEoQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=Dr.%20John%20Mills%20Browne%20scottish%20rite&f=false

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=FB0F14FD395515738DDDA10894DA415B8485F0D3