Naval Lodge of Masons came into being in the dawn of the nineteenth century, and to the fact of its location in the Navy Yard settlement, or to use a colloquial phrase, "on the Navy Yard" and likewise, perhaps, to the fact that the war with Tripoli had just ended and the country was ringing with the daring deeds of Decatur and his fleet, may be attributed the selection of its name. This latter assumption seems all the more probable because it was in Washington, D.C., that many of the crew from that fleet were discharged, and as a consequence the citizens of the city were brought into closer touch with the naval heroes and their achievement. Tradition, indeed, holds that from this source the Lodge obtained a large accession of valuable membership.

• Why The Name "Naval Lodge"
• The War of 1812
• The Civil War
• Naval's Stone at the Washington Monument
• Back-To-School Fun Fair
• Brother Gerald Ford
• Brother Taft, President of the United States, visits Naval Lodge
• Naval Lodge No. 4 on NPR