Bible used by George Washington on display
The Bible upon which George Washington laid his hand and took his historic oath of office, making him the first president of the newly formed United States of America, will be on public display at the Newburyport Masonic Building, 31 Green St., from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday.
The Bible is property of St. John's Lodge No. 1 of New York, and was provided by a member of that lodge at the first inauguration in 1789.
The Bible comes to Newburyport 209 years after Washington visited the town and stayed at the home of fellow Mason Nathaniel Tracy, whose former mansion on State Street is now the Newburyport Public Library.
According to Tom Pulkkinen, presiding officer of St. John's Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons in Newburyport, this is the first time the Bible has been to Newburyport, and is one of the only times it has ever been publicly displayed in the Northeast.
"For most, it'll be the only opportunity of a lifetime to see this document," he said.
The Bible also was used to inaugurate Warren Harding, Dwight Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter, and George H.W. Bush. According to Pulkkinen, the Bible also was present at the funeral processions of Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, and Zachary Taylor.
The historic text is used only for the inauguration of a president, a governor of New York, a grand master Mason of New York, or a master of the home lodge in New York City.
The Bible has also been used on other special occasions, such as the cornerstone laying of the US Capitol building and the dedication of the Washington Monument.
DANIEL RYAN 