Tucked away in a room at 101 Callahan Drive is a treasure trove of information — information about George Washington, about the Masons and about early Virginia history. It is called the George Washington Masonic National Memorial Library and it is located on the sixth floor of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial.
This relatively obscure facility became popular in the early '90s, shortly after a book titled “New World Order” was published which convinced religious fanatics that the Masons were part of the conspiracy discussed in the book. They came to tear pages out of the books which they believed contained Satanic inferences. This became so prevalent that the collection had to be moved to an upper floor; guests can only access a title from that section by special request.
Overseeing this collection is Harry Lyon. Retired from a long career with the petroleum industry, he has turned his talents and time to restoring archival materials and helping out with library functions.
A long-time Mason, Lyon said that he met the former librarian while at a Mason function in Kansas City.
“He got me involved; then it grew on me. Once you realize what’s in this place, you’re hooked,” Lyon said.
He volunteers his time three days a week. Most of the time, he’s hidden away in a special restoration room. Piles of old books await restoration. Depending on the condition of the book, he will replace the spine, the joints and the covers.
Lyon is in the process of copying and republishing one particularly valuable book that is too old to restore. The book contains Grand Lodge Proceedings; a collection of these records dating back to the Mason’s inception is contained in the library. It is invaluable to people doing genealogy research as it contains the names of all the Masons and Grand Masons, as well as an account of events that were happening during those times.
WHILE THE LIBRARY is open to the public, very few people know about it. Dustin Smith, librarian and curator, is hoping to change that. He has already undertaken the job of sorting, organizing and storing archival materials for improved preservation. The next step is to catalogue all of the titles that are currently in the library; these will be available online within the year. This will make it easier for users to see what is available and request the information to be pulled before their visit.
“It [the library] will attract more people when they are catalogued,” Smith said.
When he first started as librarian, there was some order, but he had to spend months going through the materials and rearranging them. He also removed items which were not in line with the rest of the research materials. The bulk of the original library’s collection came from Rae John Lemert, author and former Mason. Lyon said that Lemert’s grandfather worked for George Washington as a rent collector. Several hundred books came from Patty Washington’s family. Masons and others continue to donate books.
None of the materials in this library can be checked out; it is a research library only. Researchers can come in during the week between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. It is best to have an appointment as Smith also serves as the curator of the museum. Lyon is there Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. While most of the library’s shelving is original, the library has replaced the original library table lamps with modern electrical wiring. The new wiring allows for laptop collections; Lyon believed that they were one of the first libraries to provide this service.
“The whole point is that people do very serious research,” Smith said. “The library inspires research.”