'Flashback Friday: Where no man has gone before'

     

DeWint House in Tappan, New York.

DeWint House is one of my favorite places in Freemasonry. Owned and operated by the Grand Lodge of New York as a historic site and museum in service to the public, it is a gem in Tappan. It was used repeatedly as headquarters by General George Washington, most significantly during the grim days of autumn 1780, when General Benedict Arnold’s treason was discovered. Bro. Arnold’s conspirator, British Major John André, was tried, convicted, and hanged in town.

So it was a no-brainer to visit the spot again on the sunny blue sky morning of Sunday, February 19, 2012 to hear Bro. Mark Tabbert speak as the highlight of the celebration of Washington’s 280th birthday. (Click here to see past Magpie posts of DeWint events, including some nice photographs.)

Once again, my notes of this lecture are with That Which Was Lost, but I had the presence of mind to shoot four and a half minutes of the ensuing Q&A. The audience was a bit reluctant, so I asked Mark to describe what Freemasonry was like during Washington’s time. I expected a sharp and unique answer, so as he began to reply, I reached for my little Panasonic and started shooting video, thus capturing a brilliant analogy that could come only from Mark. Sorry the audio is muffled (I was standing all the way in the rear of the room), but it is audible.

Enjoy.