As a matter of record, WASHINGTON was a member of Alexandria Lodge, No. 39, of Pennsylvania,[69] and attended some of its meetings at Alexandria in 1783 and 1784, as is shown by the Minutes of the Lodge, and the records here presented.[70] Further, that when the Brethren of Alexandria Lodge, No. 39, changed their allegiance from Pennsylvania to Virginia, General WASHINGTON was especially named in the warrant, after his consent having been first obtained,[71] and thereby became the Warrant Master of Lodge No. 22, under the Virginia jurisdiction, April 28, 1788, serving as such until December 20 following, when, as the minutes of that date show,[72] he was unanimously elected to succeed himself for the full term, serving in all about twenty months. The records further show that, in 1778, WASHINGTON occupied the chief position in the procession at the celebration of St. John the Evangelist by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia in 1778, in which more than three hundred Brethren joined.[73] He also occupied the same position when he laid the corner stone of the present capitol at Washington, September 18, 1793, clothed with the Masonic Apron presented by Lafayette, which is now in the Museum of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. Upon both of these occasions, WASHINGTON made a public profession of his membership in the Masonic Fraternity. Records show that WASHINGTON was present at the meeting of American Union Lodge (a Military Lodge), at Morristown, N. J., December 27, 1779;[74] at American Union Lodge at Nelson's point on the Hudson June 24, 1782;[75] at King Solomon's Lodge of Poughkeepsie, December 27, 1782, and occasionally at Alexandria Lodge, No. 39, in 1783-1784, and the Virginia Lodge, No. 22, between the years 1788 and 1797.[76] WASHINGTON in the next paragraph of his letter to Snyder makes his meaning absolutely clear, that while he had not attended any Lodge regularly during the past thirty years he plainly states: "I believe notwithstanding, that none of the Lodges in this Country are contaminated with the principles ascribed to the society of the Illuminati." This belief is further accentuated by the letter to the Grand Lodge of Maryland a few weeks after the above letter was written to Snyder. In addition to above records, there are numerous traditions of WASHINGTON's occasional visits to Masonic Lodges and functions:[77] all of which fall within the thirty years mentioned in the Snyder Letter.[78] Further, WASHINGTON's great interest in Freemasonry is shown by the many addresses received from different Grand and Subordinate Lodges throughout the Union, all of which he acknowledged in fraternal terms, also by the various Masonic constitutions and sermons dedicated to him, which he received with thanks and were preserved in his library.