Where You Can Find George Washington's Inaugural Bible
By WILLIAM FISCHER
History - Science
The 9-pound illustrated edition of the Bible that George Washington used to take his oath in 1789 is currently held by the St John's Lodge No. 1 Foundation in New York.
Per CBS News, every other detail of Washington's inauguration was handled except the Bible. The copy at St. John's — a Masonic lodge — was fetched and opened to a random page.
However, the lodge maintains that using its Bible wasn't an accident and that the page Washington swore on — Jacob's blessing of his 12 sons — was carefully chosen.
The Foundation traces George Washington's inaugural Bible to a 1770 donation by lodge member Jonathan Hampton, who ordered the copy from the Baskett printers in England.
As of 2023, St John's Lodge No. 1 is an active Masonic lodge and has used the Bible for rituals. It has also been lent out for notable events, like the 1964 World's Fair.
Per the National Park Service, when the lodge isn’t using the Bible, it’s to be displayed on the first floor of Federal Hall in New York, where Washington took his oath of office.