FUN WITH MAPS – ISSUE 2022-183 DAILY FEATURE:

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (October 13, 2022) – In Issue 2022-183 of Steve Kovacs Fun with Maps, we learn about a  “cornerstone” of the American Presidency.

“MAY NONE BUT WISE MEN EVER RULE UNDER THIS ROOF” – John Adams

The cornerstone of the Executive Mansion, better known as the White House, was laid on October 13, 1792, in an elaborate Masonic ceremony. 

Although he attended the ceremony, Washington was the only President who did not live in the building.

The whereabouts of the cornerstone is a mystery today.  It was laid and then seems to have disappeared. 

Apparently, much celebration in a nearby tavern followed the ceremony, so firsthand recollections were unreliable. Since construction had begun immediately it most likely got covered up by the next day and could not be verified.

Another theory is that it was laid and then removed for safekeeping, most likely to the aforementioned tavern, but got used in another building when it was left behind.

Several attempts to find it have not been successful.  What should be a “must-see” American treasure remains a lost puzzle piece.

This pictorial map of Washington D.C. from 1938 is by Ruth T. White.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.