State of the Union live updates: Pres. Trump to deliver address tonight on ABC - ABC30 Fresno
During the State of the Union, Speaker Mike Johnson will display George Washington's historic gavel for the first time during a president's address to Congress, in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the nation's founding. The gavel, used by Washington in 1793 to lay the Capitol's cornerstone, has been preserved by the Potomac Lodge No. 5. It will be placed on the rostrum as a symbolic tribute.
Speaker Johnson will display Washington's gavel during speech
Speaker Mike Johnson will display George Washington's gavel during the State of the Union.
The U.S. Capitol Historical Society says it's the first time the gavel will be displayed during the president's speech to Congress. It will sit on the rostrum in honor the 250th anniversary of the nation's founding.
Washington used the gavel in 1793 to lay the cornerstone of the Capitol building, according to the Historical Society. It's been maintained ever since by the Potomac Lodge No. 5, a Masonic Lodge in Washington, D.C.
"At the Capitol site, Washington stepped into a dug trench, laid a silver plate onto the ground, and set the cornerstone atop it," the Capitol Historical Society wrote in a news release. "He was accompanied by brethren who conducted a Masonic ritual with corn (a symbol of nourishment), wine (a symbol of refreshment), and oil (a symbol of joy). Witnesses then chanted and celebrated until night."
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