This book, a product of collaboration and cooperation between two non-Masonic historians and the Grand Lodge of Virginia, is an objective, comprehensive study of the history of Freemasonry in the state of Virginia. The authors relate a fascinating chronicle of Freemasonry, from its British origins two hundred years ago to today. Along the way, they describe the colorful figures who populate this history and debunk many myths about Freemasonry.

"The book's strength lies not in its myth busting...but in Rutyna and Stewart's highly detailed study of the membership and organization of the Masonic lodges in the Commonwealth of Virginia." - The Virginia Magazine

"This meticulous history of Virginia's Freemasonry from its beginnings in the eighteenth century into the 1990s indicates that individual Masons played a fundamental role in Virginia's important political moments and controversies. . ." - Journal of Southern History

"...exhaustively researched...should enhance further study of the role of Freemasonry in American society. H.M. Ward, University of Richmond>" - CHOICE

"...exhaustively researched...should enhance further study of the role of Freemasonry in American society. H.M. Ward, University of Richmond" - CHOICE

"The book's strength lies not in its myth busting...but in Rutyna and Stewart's highly detailed study of the membership and organization of the Masonic lodges in the Commonwealth of Virginia. - The Virginia Magazine