George Washington, Valley Forge, and Freemasonry were presented as symbols of patriotism, freedom, and brotherly love to Freemasons. Washington served as Master of his Masonic Lodge while he was President of the United States. Through preservation of the National Memorial Arch in 1996–1997, the Freemasons of Pennsylvania sought to honor Washington as a national hero, patriot, and prominent Freemason, and also to honor the men who endured the winter encampment at Valley Forge in 1777–1778. The arch had been authorized by Congress in 1910 as a tribute to Washington and his army, was designed by Philadelphia architect Paul Phillipe Cret, and was dedicated on June 19, 1917. By the mid-1990s, after standing for nearly 80 years as a symbol of Washington’s triumph, it needed major structural repairs and was closed to the public for safety reasons. During 1996–1997, the Freemasons of Pennsylvania contributed more than one million five hundred thousand dollars to preserve it to its original grandeur.
