Obelisks are slender four sided tapering monuments, usually hewn of a single piece of granite, terminating in the pointed or pyramid top.  Obelisks were placed in pairs before temples, one on either side of the portal.  Down Each of the four faces of the obelisk ran lines of deeply inscribed hieroglyphs and representations setting forth the names and titles of the Pharaoh.  The cap or pyramidon was sometimes sheathed with copper or other metal.  Great numbers of obelisks were made but very few of colossal size.

Four of the giant obelisks have been carried from Egypt and are preserved in Rome, Paris, London and New York.  The two obelisks known as Cleopatra's Needles were first erected before the temple of  Heliopolis, the biblical city of On, where Moses was born, now stand in London and New York.

In the Piazza di San Pietro in Rome stands the largest obelisk removed from Egypt, approximately 83 feet high and weighing over 720,000 pounds.  Brought to Rome from Helioppolis during the reign of the Roman emperor Caligula, early in the first century A.D.  It was erected in the Circle of Caligula where it stood for fifteen centuries.  In 1585 Pope Sixtus engaged the architect Fontana to relocate this obelisk to St. Peter's Square where it now stands.

In 1830 the newly established Egyptian Museum in Paris sought a specimen of Egyptian art.  Napoleon had received an obelisk form as a monument to the campaign of 1799 but no efforts had been made to remove it to France.  An obelisk at Luxor in Egypt nearly 75 feet in height and weighing over 400,000 pounds was transported to France and erected in the center of the Place de la Concorde in October 1836.

In 1801, when the battle of Alexandria placed the obelisk now in London in the hands of the British forces, first attempts were made to remove the obelisk as it lay on its side near the erect obelisk that is now in Central Park, New York.  The London obelisk is 64 feet in height and weighs nearly 420,000 pounds.  After many years of efforts the London obelisk was erected on the Victoria embankment of the Thames River, between Charing Cross and Waterloo bridges.

The standing obelisk at Alexandria caught the interest of the New York World newspaper in 1869, at the time of the opening of the Suez Canal.  The Khedive (ruler) of Egypt agreed to give an obelisk to the United States.  William H. Vanderbilt agreed to provide the funds needed to secure the obelisk for New York City.  Brother Henry H. Gorringe of Anglo Saxon Lodge  No. 137 in New York City and a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy was employed by Vanderbilt to remove the obelisk from Egypt and erect it in New York.

Brother Gorringe arrived in Egypt on October 21, 1879 to begin work and discovered that, although it was well known that the standing obelisk in Alexandria had been given to the United States, no one, not even the Khedive, believed that the obelisk would be removed.  During the succeeding months, Brother Gorringe overcame all obstacles and on June 1, 1880, the steamer Dessoug left Alexandria with the giant obelisk on board, arriving at the Fifty-first Street wharf in New York City on July 31, 1880.

The New York obelisk is seventy feet in height and weighs over 448,000 pounds.  Unlike the obelisks in London and Paris, the New York obelisk was removed from an erect position and thus the pedestal, steps and foundation stones were intact, permitting a full examination.

During this examination, the similarity between the form and actual relative positions of the pieces here described and those of the emblems of Freemasonry led to the appointment of a committee of Freemasons then in Egypt to examine them and after discussion and deliberation, the following conclusions were announced:

Most Worshipful Jesse B. Anthony, Grand Master of Masons in the State of New York, presided as the cornerstone for the obelisk was laid in place with full Masonic ceremony on October 2, 1880.  Over nine thousand Masons paraded up Fifth Avenue from 14th Street to 82nd Street and it was estimated that over fifty thousand spectators lined the parade route.

To commemorate that historic event, the Grand Lodge of New York under the leadership of Most Worshipful Bruce Widger, then Grand Master of Masons in the State of New York restaged the historic ceremony on October 5, 1980.  It was a ceremony of proportions fitting to this historic event.  Entertainment was provided by bands from the New York State Maritime Academy in Fort Schuyler, Bronx, NY, the Emerald Society Pipe Band and from the Kismet Shrine Band.  The award winning drill team of the Knights Templar put on a precision display of their expert marching maneuvers and the Masonic War Veterans presented the colors with dignity and grace.  The invocation was presented by my old friend, R\W\ Daniel Fleming of Kismet Shrine Temple.  M\W\ Charles W. Froessel, Honorary Chairman provided a warm and moving opening address.  Remarks were presented by W\Eugene F. Haug of Anglo Saxon Lodge No.137.

The highlight of the ceremony was the cornerstone reenactment  and address by Most Worshipful & Dr. Bruce Widger, Grand Master of Masons in the State of New York.   At the conclusion of his address, he warmly thanked all of the participants for their part in the ceremony - the National Red Cross Emergency Disaster Team, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, the New York City Police Department, the Grand Lodge Staff Officers and others who are mentioned above.

The benediction was presented by R\W\ Louis C. Gerstein.

My thanks to M\W\ Bruce Widger for providing this information and supporting documents to me.