The tour took us up the elevator, which was actually an inclinator, ascending to the top level at a seven-and-a-half-degree angle. Although I didn't notice until the guide mentioned it, at each stop, the two elevator cars on either side of the building moved closer together, from 61 feet at the bottom to just 4.5 feet at the observation deck level.
Our first stop was a gallery with a lot of words about the Freemasons and several of their costumes and other regalia, too. The guide gave us a quick overview of who can be a Freemason (male, religious, upstanding) as well as the three levels of membership (apprentice, fellow craft, and master mason). Conspicuously missing were any specific details, and I noticed that the more I read, the less I understood. Even so, it was hard to formulate questions that fit within the scope of this casual tour, especially since my fundamental knowledge was so slight. Short of saying, "I don't get it," I quietly examined the artifacts and read their accompanying signs, but I didn't get it.
In addition to the three degrees of Freemasonry, master masons could also pursue optional degrees. These include the Shriners, the Knights Templar, the Scottish Rite, the Tall Cedars of Lebanon, and the Order of the Eastern Star (which women can join), and a few others, too. I have no idea what they do or how you join, but I did see some fancy dresses and little cars the Shriners drive in parades.
The next stop was all about George Washington, and I was on more familiar ground there. At the library on the next floor, our guide told us we could come back as registered researchers should we choose. "What type of materials are here?" I asked.
"Blah, blah, blah, I'm not a Mason," he answered.
After a stop in the chapel of the Knights Templar, where a couple of mannikins were decked out in chain mail and the familiar chivalric regalia I've seen in movies. "Do they actually wear that when they're here?" I asked.
"Probably not the chain mail," he answered noncommittally.
