As Presented by Gary Scott, P. M. Naval Lodge #4, F.A.A.M.
September 13, 1998, on the 205th Anniversary of the founding of Federal Lodge No. 1, F.A.A.M.
Mount Olivet Cemetery, Washington, D.C.
James
Hoban was born in County Kilkinney, Ireland of a serving family working
for the Cuff family. Although it was then against the law
to education Irish peasants, the children were educated on the Cuff estate. Through
Cuff connections, James went to Royal Dublin School of Drawing. The
Duke of Leinster was the patron of the school.
James Hoban served as apprentice under Irish architect Thomas Ivory,
where he learned drawing and worked with Ivory on the Dublin Exchange. Hoban
first went to Philadelphia after the Revolution and then to Charleston.
He built the Charleston Theatre and the Fireproof courthouse at Meeting
and Broad. with Pierce Percelle. While visiting in Charleston
President Washington was introduced to Hoban by leading Charleston citizens. In
the competition for the design of White House Hoban’s drawing won,
Washington making the decision. This happens just as the eruption with
L’ Enfant occurred.
Hoban remained as an architect builder in Washington for the rest of
his life. He is active in the militia and St. Patrick’s Church. He
built the first St. Patrick's, now on 10th Street. The priest at
St. Patrick’s had been Hoban’s friend in Ireland. Hoban
patterned the White House after Leinster House in Dublin. Hoban
superintended the building of the White House and the Capitol. When the
White House burned by the British in 1814, Hoban is brought back to rebuild
it in 1815, and builds and designs the two porticos. The north portico
is his last work in 1831, when he dies. They are of his design and
not Latrobe’s. He discussed building porticos with Washington.
Collin Williamson was a cousin of John Suter of Suter’s Tavern
in Georgetown. He was the chief stonemason and master of the Aquia quarry,
which produced the stone for the Capitol and the White House until 1794
when he fell out with Hoban over changing wages from pay by measurement
to pay by hourly wage. Collin Williamson took a group of disgruntled masons
to Port Tobacco. Williamson was a member of Dyke
Lodge in the Highlands of Scotland. George Walker went to Edinburgh
in 1794 to hire new masons for the White House project. He meets Alexander
Crawford who introduces him to members of Edinburgh lodge #8, Grand
Lodge of Scotland.
All had worked under Robert Adam and his brother on New Town Edinburgh. But
at the time a building slump was going on, and needed work. Their
marks are found by White House historian William Seale in the Lodge Mark
book in Edinburgh Grand Lodge. Operative masonry continued in Scotland
longer than it did in England. Even today in Edinburgh there are Masonic lodges of stone masons.
These Scots come over to build White House, working under Hoban. In
September 12, 1793, six days before the laying of the cornerstone
of the Capitol, Hoban and Collin Williamson and Clotworthy Stephenson,
mason at the Capitol, formed Federal Lodge #15, Grand Lodge of Maryland.
This new lodge of architect and mason workers at the White House took
part in the U.S. Capitol cornerstone ceremony presided over
by George Washington, as Worshipful Master pro tem of Alexandria Lodge.
Federal Lodge was founded in the builder’s lodge on what is now
Lafayette Square. According to Paul Dolinsky's examination
of the early records of Federal Lodge, the Scottish
stonemasons brought over in 1794 from Edinburgh Lodge #8 joined Federal
Lodge #15 under James Hoban. They are:
James Traquier •
George Thomson •
James White •
Alexander Wilson
Alexander Scott •
James Mackintosh •
Robert Brown •
John Williamson •
James Williamson
Their mason’s marks, or bankers marks are inscribed in the Lodge
#8 book in Edinburgh, and have been matched up with the marks which
were found carved on stones at the White House during the 1948 Harry Truman
renovation. President Truman send the stones with their marks to
lodges and grand lodges all over the country.
Collen Williamson remained in Maryland. In his will he protested
that the commissioners of D. C. still owed him money. Alexander Reid made
mantelpieces for the Capitol and operated a stone business in Washington
until 1812. Robert Brown opened a marble yard in Georgetown
and carved tombstones. Some of the Scots returned, but the ones
who stayed were members of the Presbyterian Church in Georgetown
and joined as brothers in Federal Lodge with Hoban, a Roman Catholic.
James Hoban died December 8, 1831 at the age of 73. We as buried
in St. Patrick’s cemetery which was at the corner of 14th
and H Streets, NW where the old Grand Lodge building now stands. According
to Harper’s History of the Grand Lodge of DC, James Hoban
was known as Captain through his connection with a militia organization,
and as architect of the Capitol and the White House:
He was one of many Irishmen and devout Romanist who in that day were
also consistent members of the Masonic fraternity. A quick tempered
though generous man, with a rather exalted opinion of his own merits,
his professional life was a stormy one, but to the sheer power of his
will, combating official parsimony, the country is indebted for the magnificent
proportions of our Capitol and Executive Mansion, and in him the
fraternity finds one of the most potent early forces for the permanent
establishment of masonry in this section. A resident of Washington for
nearly forty years, he grew rich, prominent, influential and esteemed,
and after a long and honorable career passed away in 1831, and after a
temporary burial in Saint Patrick’s graveyard, found his last resting
place in Mount Olivet Cemetery.
Harper goes on to say “Next perhaps in point of interest
among the earlier Masons was Brother Clotworthy Stephenson, who acted
as Grand Marshall at the laying of the cornerstone of the Capitol. Until
his death in 1819, he was most active in Masonry and conspicuous on all
public occasions, being a man of fluent speech, good presence, and quick
resource. Collin Williamson, a Scotsman and Master Stone Mason at
the Capitol, who personally set the cornerstone of that building, also
deserves a place in the list of the prominent Masonic pioneers as one
who, although only a short time resident of this city, left the impress
of his personality indelibly stamped on the early history of the fraternity.”
All of them, like many of us here today, came to this city as poor young
men, with little money, of no particular background, and perhaps
a few connections. They prospered and made important contributions
to the early history of our city. They did not come like the legendary
Dick Whitington who came to London with only a cat, and stayed to became
the Lord Mayor of London. They served in capacities behind the scenes
as many of us do today. They served the construction of the White
House and the Capitol as some members of this Lodge do today. In
their capacity they served the government, the president, their city and
their president. So should we now take upon ourselves their mantle. Hoban
was an architect. Several of you are architects. They stonemasons
and freemasons, you are freemasons, building your career here in Washington.
In this time of confusion and shame, let us here consecrate ourselves
to their example to be living stones in the building of this temple
called the city of Washington in the District of Columbia, that
it may still yet to come to reflect and bear more and more resemblance
to an intangible temple, a house not made with hands eternal in the heavens.
And as past Grand Master George Adams said at the 150th celebration
of the laying of the cornerstone of the Washington Monument. The
apex of the monument is the Light all seeing eye of the Deity, high
and lifted up on the Monument. Let us who labor here below attempt
to bring more and more of that Light to bear in the affairs of the city
and of the nation.