7 interesting facts about George Washington

6. Was a Freemason

Yes, conspiracy theorists, George Washington was indeed a Freemason. He joined the Masonic Lodge in Fredericksburg, Virginia, in 1752 when he was 20. He became a third degree, or Master Mason, the following year.

According to the Alexandria, Virginia-based George Washington Masonic National Memorial, Washington maintained strong ties to the famous secret society throughout his adult life.

“At his first inauguration in 1791, President Washington took his oath of office on a Bible from St. John’s Lodge in New York,” explained the Memorial.

“Washington became charter Master of the newly chartered Alexandria Lodge No. 22, sat for a portrait in his Masonic regalia, and in death, was buried with Masonic honors.”

According to History.com, for Washington, becoming a Mason was “a rite of passage and an expression of his civic responsibility.”

“The Masons of the 18th century adhered to liberal democratic principles that included religious toleration, loyalty to local government, and the importance of charity,” History noted.

“Many other leaders of the American Revolution, including Paul Revere, John Hancock, the Marquis de Lafayette, and the Boston Tea Party saboteurs, were also Freemasons, and Masonic rites were witnessed at such events as Washington’s presidential inauguration and the laying of the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C.”