Photo: Naval Lodge No. 4

Freemasonry on Capitol Hill and Beyond

April 9, 2002
On April 9, 2002, Barbara Franco presented the second Overbeck Lecture on the history of Freemasonry on and beyond Capitol Hill.

Franco spoke in some detail about the history of the Naval Lodge #4, where the lecture was given, and used the hall's elaborate interior to illustrate Freemasonry's symbols and beliefs. Franco became an expert on Freemasonry and other fraternal organizations in American history while serving at the Museum of Our National Heritage in Lexington, Massachusetts. Naval Lodge #4 was founded in 1805 by officers and workers at the Navy Yard and has played a major role in the social and economic life of Capitol Hill since then.

As then-president of the Historical Society of Washington, D.C., Franco also provided an update on the society's plans for the new D.C. history museum, which was scheduled to open on Mount Vernon Square the following year.

Past Lectures