George Washington Presidential Inaugural Bible comes to East Orange, New Jersey

Bible used to swear in Presidents of the United States will be brought from Federal Hall for the Installation of the new Worshipful Master at the Historic Alpha Masonic Lodge No. 116, the first mainstream lodgeof black Masons in the United States.
 
Sept. 26, 2008 - PRLog -- East Orange, NJ  WED, Dec. 10

            The Officers of Alpha Lodge No. 116 F&AM (located at 56 Melmore Gardens in East Orange) will be installed at 7:30 PM by the Honorable Rev. Dr. Gene Hill, a fourth generation member of Alpha Lodge.  The Worshipful Master elect will be taking his oath upon the George Washington Inaugural Bible which will be extracted from Federal Hall by its custodians in St. John's Lodge No. 1, A.Y.M of NYC & brought to East Orange for this Masonic purpose.  We ask that you be with us to share in this historic moment at the historical Alpha Lodge in the Great 8th Masonic District.  On April 30th, 1789 it was upon this Bible that George Washington took his oath of office and launched the Presidency of the United States.  Since that time, the Bible had been used for the Inaugurations of Warren G. Harding, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter, and George H.W. Bush whose 1989 inauguration was in the bicentennial year of George Washington's. The Bible was present at President George W. Bush's inauguration.

       In addition to its inaugural duties, the Bible has been utilized in the funeral processions of President George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, and Zachary Taylor. The Bible has also been utilized at the cornerstone-laying of the U.S. Capitol, the dedication of the Washington Monument, the centennials of the cornerstone laying of the White House, U.S. Capitol, and the Statue of Liberty, the 1964 World's Fair as well as the launching of the aircraft carrier George Washington.  Other Presidents who have made use of the Bible include Andrew Jackson and Gerald Ford.  

       Expected to attend the evenings public ceremony are Masonic dignitaries from Africa, Bermuda, Scotland, Ireland, England, Spain, France, Washington, DC & New York.  Also invited to attend are East Orange Mayor Robert L. Bowser, VP of Rutgers University Isabel Nazario, members of the Royal Family in Spain, author and historian R.A. Gilbert, & Alpha Lodge member Ralph Rogers, M.D., Ph.D..

           Alpha Lodge No. 116 of Free & Accepted Masons is chartered by the Most Ancient and Honorable Society of Free & Accepted Masons in the State of New Jersey, and it is home to some of the country's first black judiciary officials, actors, artisans, sports players and notably presided over by James M. Baxter, the first African-American school principal in Newark.. and James Bynoe, Royal Chemist to the Emperor of Ethiopia.

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Academic Research Society with a focus on a fusion of the Arts and the anthropological study of initiatory, esoteric, fraternal and chivalric Orders of the Western Mystery Schools.
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