Seeing Is believing
Next Saturday, the Newburyport Masons will bring a genuine historical artifact to the city ‑ the Bible that George Washington laid his hand on when he took the oath of office as the first president of the United States. Tom Pulkkinen, the master of the Newburyport Lodge, says he’s ready for a question or two about secret treasures, and he doesn’t mind. He thought the movie was fun, and anything that might bring out kids and adults to see this unique detail of history is fine with him.
“This is an opportunity to see a really important piece of American history for historians, Civil War buffs or people who are just curious,†says Pulkkinen. “Whatever it takes to get people interested is fine.†And while there probably aren’t any secrets hidden in the Bible, there are plenty of interesting stories surrounding it.
According to most accounts, Washington was in New York all powdered up and decked out with ribbons for his inauguration on April 30, 1789. Everything was proceeding like clockwork until somebody noticed that no one had remembered to bring along a Bible.
