Grand Lodge of Virginia

The Grand Lodge of Virginia, formally known as the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge, A.F. & A.M., of the Commonwealth of Virginia, is the oldest independent Grand Lodge of Freemasonry established in the United States.

The plans for the creation of the Grand Lodge took root in a convention held on May 6, 1777. The Grand Lodge was formally constituted on October 30, 1778, with its headquarters in Williamsburg, Virginia. The Grand Lodge relocated to Richmond, Virginia in 1784, where it remains to this day. [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=GUS5-9IouBIC&pg=PA1082&lpg=PA1082&dq=%22Grand+Lodge+of+Virginia%22+%22encyclopedia+of+freemasonry%22&source=web&ots=5ja3S_BN8N&sig=J5RPDv9b4oluxymNFdhub_rCug8&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=7&ct=result “Encyclopedia of Freemasonry Part 2" by Albert Gallatin Mackey, H. L. Haywood, Google Books] ]

The Grand Lodge of Virginia was formed by the union of nine charted Lodges: Norfolk, at Norfolk; Port Royal in Caroline County; Blandford at Petersburg; Fredericksburg at Fredericksburg; Saint Tammany at Hampton; Williamsburg at Williamsburg; Botetourt at Gloucester Courthouse; Cabin Point in Prince George County and Yorktown at Yorktown. Three other Virginia Lodges in the colonial era chose not to participate in the Grand Lodge’s establishment.

George Washington was invited to be the first Grand Master of the Lodge, but he was unable to accept the honor due to his military leadership in the war for American independence. [ [http://www.historypoint.org/columns2.asp?column_id=529&column_type=hpfeature#virginia "250 Years of Freemasonry in Fredericksburg," May 31, 2002, HistoryPoint.org / Central Rappahannock Regional Library] ] Today, the Grand Lodge represents more than 300 Lodges throughout Virginia, with more than 42,000 total members. [ [http://www.grandlodgeofvirginia.org/about_us.htm “About the Grand Lodge of Virginia”] ]

References