HdG Masons Outfit Lafayette Statue Downtown

HAVRE DE GRACE, MD — The General Marquis de Lafayette statue has often been decorated, for occasions from Halloween to homecoming.

But have you seen his apron?

Yes, the Freemasons from the Susquehanna Masonic Lodge have admitted to dressing up the general with an apron to signify to their members what type of meeting they will be having at their headquarters on North Washington Street.

"Havre de Grace has a rich tradition of masonry," Phil Powell, past master of Susquehanna Lodge 130 said, in a video recently released by the Maryland Freemasons. The masons are dedicated to building character through study and service work.

According to Powell, Lafayette was a mason and a confidant of George Washington, also a mason. Many of the streets in Havre de Grace were named for masons, Powell noted.

Lafayette is credited with naming Havre de Grace and so, near the ferry crossing where he first laid eyes on it in 1782, the city dedicated a statue to him in 1976.

Since then, Lafayette has been a "decorated" general, with outfits sometimes changing with the seasons.

Readers on Havre de Grace Patch have in the past said they supported dressing up the status as a way of keeping alive the memory of Lafayette as part of the city's history.

See Also: Havre de Grace Supports Decorating Lafayette Statue

Still picture from the Freemasons of Maryland YouTube video.