Dan Brown's 'The Lost Symbol': Inside the Mysterious World of the Freemasons

Sept. 15, 2009— -- This time, it's not a fanciful yarn about the holy father's deep dark secrets. Instead, the best-selling author of all-time, Dan Brown, takes aim at America's founding fathers and their connection to a mysterious fraternity with a secret handshake in his new book "The Lost Symbol."

The book was released this morning, and its plot has been a complete secret. About the only thing anyone really knew about it is that it's set in Washington, D.C., and that its opening scene takes place inside the imposing headquarters of the Scottish Rite Freemasons, one of the worldwide fraternity's bodies.

If the runaway success of Brown's books and movie "The Da Vinci Code" is any guide, the mysterious Freemasons are about to get a whole lot more attention.

"We don't know whether to batten down the hatches or throw open the doors and say, 'Come on in,'" said Brent Morris of Ellicott City, Md., a 33rd-degree grand commander of the Freemasons and author of the "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Freemasonry."

Ground zero for "The Lost Symbol" is the Washington Monument, the enormous shrine built to honor the nation's most revered Masonic president. For years, the common wisdom has been that the monument's granite stones include secret markings made by the Freemasons. And the monument to the nation's first president might not be the only landmark in Washington that's marked.

Conspiracy theorists have long maintained that the layout of Washington's streets includes Masonic symbols, such as the compass and the rule, and that the famous landmarks of Washington are really a secret code.

"[Freemasons] were very instrumental in the planning of the city," said Warren Getler, author of the book "Rebel Gold" and a consultant on the hit movie "National Treasure." "The theory that Dan Brown is going to put forward is that there is a geometric code, a Masonic code, in the layout of Washington, D.C."

The Freemasons insist that's an urban legend and that there is no secret code. But the Freemansons make perfect fodder for Brown, who is obsessed by secret symbols and powerful conspiracies. Among the members of the ancient Masonic fraternity are 14 presidents, Supreme Court justices, members of Congress, as well as countless other influential men.

Even before the book was released, entrepreneurs were hoping to cash in. "We think there's going to be a boom in tourism from people incredibly curious about the Masonic influence in America and in Washington," Getler said.

Getler is planning a three-hour Dan Brown walking tour of Washington, starting next month. "We think there's going to be a boom in tourism from people incredibly curious about the Masonic influence in America and in Washington, based on [the book], just like what happened in Europe with the Priory of Sion and the sites in France and ... Rome, and in Scotland at the Rosslyn Chapel."