Turner Ashby Commandery No. 35 was started as an idea, presented to Sir Knight Barry E. Constant, Eminent Commander of Piedmont Commandery No. 26 for 2016-2017, by two other members of the Commandery whose home lodge and Royal Arch Chapter reside in Warrenton, Virginia.

Due to the distance (40 miles) and time required (approximately 1 ½ hours) from Warrenton to Ashburn, Virginia, the home of Piedmont Commandery, the two Sir Knights, Kenneth Lee McInnis and Paul William Lockhart asked Sir Knight Constant to look into the requirements to form a new Commandery to be based in Warrenton at Mt. Carmel Lodge No. 133.

Sir Knight Constant enlisted the aid of a few other members of Piedmont Commandery which by the time the petition was submitted to Grand Commandery totaled twelve Sir Knights.

The Sir Knights had decided to minimize uniform costs that the Sir Knights would wear Cap and Mantle, as approved by Grand Commandery and Grand Encampment.

The petition was submitted to the Grand Recorder’s office in 2015 but no action was taken by the Grand Commandery. At the Stated Conclave of Grand Commandery in 2016, the petition was brought up again, but due to misinformation or misinterpretation of Grand Commandery law, the petition was handed over to the Committee on Charters for action. Right after the stated conclave of Grand Commandery in May 2016, the incoming Grand Commander, Sir Knight Joseph Patrick Westfall, Jr, was persuaded by several Past Grand Commanders and others to issue a dispensation to the twelve Sir Knights from Piedmont Commandery No. 26 to form Turner Ashby Commandery No. 35 in Warrenton.

The Grand Commander, Grand Recorder, the Department Commander, a Past Department Commander, other past Grand Commanders, Grand Officers, members of the Commanderies in District 3, 4 and 9 and a number of Royal Arch Companions (all totaled Thirty-five) were present on June 6, 2016, when Sir Knight Westfall presented the dispensation to the Commander under dispensation, Sir Knight Donald Leo McAndrews, Knight Commander of the Temple.

On June 8, 2016, the Commandery held its first stated conclave for the express purpose of balloting on petitions for membership from a number of Royal Arch Masons from Warren Royal Arch Chapter No. 5. There were seventeen Sir Knights present. The ballot was spread, and the thirteen petitioners were elected to receive the Orders of Knighthood.

At the July 13, 2016, stated conclave of the Commandery, the fifteen Sir Knights present approved the petitions for four more members and after balloting, the Illustrious Order of the Red Cross and Order of Malta were conferred on fourteen candidates previously approved for membership.

A special conclave was held on August 6, 2016, for the purpose of conferring the Order of the Temple on fourteen Knights of Malta who had received the Order in July. Seventeen Sir Knights, including four visitors, conferred the Order on the fourteen Knights of Malta who received that Order in July. With the exception of the Prelate, all major parts were performed by members of Turner Ashby Commandery.

At the September 2016, stated conclave, the Commandery officially received the District Deputy Grand Commander for District 3, Sir Knight Jason Weber Lotz. Sir Knight Lotz was officially received through the lines after which, the Commandery formed for inspection, per the ritual. With four petitioners not having received any of the Orders, the members decided to confer the Orders of Red Cross and Malta at the October 22, 2016, stated conclave and the Order of the Temple on October 22, 2016.

On October 12, 2016, at its October stated conclave, Turner Ashby Commandery No. 35, Under Dispensation again conferred the Orders of Red Cross and Malta on seven candidates, three from Turner Ashby Commandery No. 35 and four from Arlington Commandery No. 29 who had requested courtesy conferrals for their candidates. Once again, the Orders were conferred entirely by members of Turner Ashby Commandery No. 35 without assistance. By the end of this meeting, Turner Ashby Commandery No.35, under Dispensation, had grown from an original twelve members to thirty members with four candidates in waiting.

On October 22, 2016, the Commandery opened at 7:30 a.m. so that we could accommodate the schedules of some key players in the Conferral of the Order of the Temple. There were six Knights of Malta present, two from Turner Ashby Commandery No. 35 and four from Arlington Commandery No. 29. Sir Knight Mark T. Pennypacker, Past District Deputy Grand Commander, Winchester Commandery No. 12, was present to again perform the part of the Prelate, which he did in a very eloquent manner. The new Sir Knights were knighted by their respective Commanders, Sir Knight Constant, pro tem for Turner Ashby No. 35, and Sir Knight Martin C. Juul, Eminent Commander of Arlington Commandery No. 29.

In May 2017, Turner Ashby Commandery No. 35 received a Charter from the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Virginia and held its first meeting under that Charter on May 10, 2017. The Charter Commander was Sir Knight Barry Eugene Constant, PDDGC and the Charter Recorder was Sir Knight James Barry Bartley, Past District Deputy Grand Commander.

Since then, the Commandery has been holding regular conclaves and has not failed to open since its formation. The past presiding Commanders include Sir Knights McAndrews (Commander Under Dispensation) Barry E. Constant (Charter Commander), Kenneth Lee McInnis, Jason Wayne Armistead, Charles Reese Trude, and Christopher Louis Wilson. Sir Knight Trude presided over twelve Zoom Teleconference Conclaves due to the Covid pandemic. The Recorders to date have included Sir Knights James Barry Bartley, Past Commander, Barry E. Constant, Past Commander and E. Allen Wade, Past Commander. Sir Knight Bartley is the current Recorder and will be replaced by Sir Knight Trude in March 2022. The Commandery also has five affiliated Past Commanders, four of whom are Charter members.

Turner Ashby Commandery presently has thirty-nine members on its rolls and has several candidates waiting in the wings. Their receiving the Orders of Knighthood has been delayed due to the pandemic. The Orders should be conferred along with the other Commanderies in District 3 sometime in the fall/winter of 2021-2022.

The Commandery has on its rolls one awardee of the Knight Commander of the Temple, Sir Knight Donald L. McAndrews, Past District Deputy Grand Commander, and one appointed grand officer, Sir Knight Jeffrey C. Hedges, Grand Musician. It has three honorary members, Sir Knights Joseph P. Westfall, Jr., Knight Commander of the Temple/Knight Templar Cross of Honor and Right Eminent Grand Commander, Charles W. Wagner, Knight Commander of the Temple and Right Eminent Grand Commander, and Ralph T. Woodrow, Knight Templar Cross of Honor and Past District Deputy Grand Commander. The Commandery has two fifty-year members, Sir Knights James W. Van Luven and Jeffrey S. Mitchell. Turner Ashby Commandery also has eight Life Members in Perpetuity, and all members hold Life Sponsorships in the Knight Templar Eye Foundation.

The Commandery is in the process of acquiring all of the paraphernalia for the conferral of the orders of Knighthood. It is also looking to recruit former members of Fairfax Commandery No. 25, three of whom have already joined the Commandery.