Mt. Vernon

This morning I drove to Mt. Vernon, George Washington's family home.  He lived there since he was 3 years old. His older brother Lawrence named the plantation after his former commanding officer. The house exterior is wood.  To create the appearance of stone, the boards were painted and then sand was sifted on the paint.  Lawrence owned the property until he died, then George inherited it.  George bought adjacent farms as they became available amassing 5 miles of property along the Potomac.

I arrived an hour before my scheduled 9:00 a.m. tour of the Mansion, 8:00 a.m..  Good think I did.  I had the first parking space and when I got to the house, they let me tour early, so I had a private tour! After the tour, I took a boat ride to see the neighborhood from the Potomac.  

It is really a special place, unfortunate that I couldn't take photos in the house.They have most of the original furniture, art, and chandeliers.  There are very colorful paintings of Washington, Lafayette, Martha, their grandchildren, period Christian paintings of Mary and baby Jesus and one of John the Baptist, nature scenes from the northeast US, many many lithographs and silhouettes.  The room colors are recreated from originals based on renderings and supply orders.  The great room is a pale green accented with a hunter green and white. The crown molding in the great room has to be at least 2 feet wide curved around the room and butted up against another 6 inches at the ceiling, very unusual.  The center windows in the great room have three panels, the center is 2 feet taller and wider than the side panels.  The center panel is also arched.  They provide a view of the forest making the light spilling into the room brilliant.  There are several bedrooms, a formal dining room, a family dining room, luggage room, and library.  His office has his original desk and chair.  The chair has a built in overhead fan that would move back and forth to cool his head.  It's got to be hot under that wig.   

The master bedroom has 2 walk in closets, one is a dressing room. If you peek around the corner of the master bedroom, you can see a really cool clock on the mantel. I asked about it and the proctor told me it was the most expensive item in the house.  

Since Washington wrote his name in all his books they are too valuable to have in the house.  The books on the shelves in the library are from the period; not personally owned by the Washington family.  

When Lafayette came to visit he had his own room.  Other guests would stay in the other bedrooms as available. Each year after he completed his presidency, 700+ visitors would stay at Mt. Vernon visiting the Washington's. 

Next to the house are the kitchen rooms, craft houses for making clothes and shoes, livery barns, laundry, green house, garden and seed house.  There are slaves quarters for both men and women.  

In his will Washington released his slaves and provided for the education of all the school aged children; however, Martha held on to them until her death at which point they were released.  

After the tour I took a little ride on the Potomac.

You can walk to his tomb.  There is an American Flag on one side and an George Washington Regimental Flag on the other side.  Martha is buried next to George and other family members are in the crypt in the back of the tomb.  How fortunate we were to have George Washington for our first president, such an honorable man.

The Visitors Center has a nice video, museum and gift shop.  There are also photos of dignitaries from the last century who have visited the house.