MOUNT VERNON

When we arrived here in Alexandria, we had nothing planned except to visit my nephew Eric, his wife Irva and daughter Elvica (pronounced ELvika) Joy.  We got hooked up to water and electric at the Elks Club, then went the few miles to their house for a visit.  When we got there I realized that I forgot the camera!!!!  We visited at their home, then drove to a restored downtown section and parked.  We strolled up the street to a Mexican restaurant for dinner, then down the street for soft custard.  Today we decided to visit George Washington's home.  We got the bike out and hit the road.  We arrived around 10 am, parked, got our tickets.  Our $16 senior tickets got us access to the entire complex plus the grist mill/distillery which is located about 3 miles away.  The complex is the oldest historical site in existence.  In 1860 the estate and 200 acres were purchased by the Mount Vernon Ladies Association.  Since that date the non-profit organization has maintained and operated Mount Vernon.  

Our first stop was the Orientation Center where we got our tickets and map.  We looked around at the exhibits including this bronze of the Washington family, a miniature of the mansion, and a short but very good film reenacting the Christmas Eve crossing of the Delaware and taking of  Trenton from the British.

Washington revealed through his quotes.

From the Orientation Center we followed the walkway to the Mansion grounds.  This is the sight that welcomed Washington whenever he came home.  

The drive splits and comes up to both sides of the house with a large grassy area in front which is called a Bowling Green.  The original house was the middle section and just one story.  Washington added the second floor and the two wings over several years.  Covered walkways lead to two identical buildings on the right and left.  On the right is the kitchen and pantry.  On the left is the servants' quarters for the servants of visitors.  Our tour started there where we were informed that positively NO pictures could be taken in the house, went to the left wing which is the new room the formal dining room.  From there we went out the back then into the middle section.  We saw a guest bedroom, an everyday dining room, a music room /family room with a harpsichord, and a room for entertaining guests with card tables.  Up the stairs were guest bedrooms and a stair to the third floor.  We went through one of these to access the right wing.  Originally there was a wall there but for the convenience of the tour it was left out of the restoration.  The third wing was the personal space of the family.  George and Martha's bedroom and  another stair to the third floor.  We learned that when George died, Martha followed the custom of closing and locking their room and using a small room on the third floor.  Downstairs was George's library.  He didn't finish school, but educated himself.  His library had over 900 volumes.  The other room was his study.  Next we went outside to tour at our leisure.

View of the back porch and kitchen with a view of the servants quarters between.

Washington's view of the Potomac from his back porch

Washington was a soldier and statesman, but first and foremost he was an innovative farmer.  This is one of his 'new' techniques. 

View of the river from the wharf.

The wharf was closed so we got no information about it or the boat.  We do know that the Washingtons ordered lots of goods from many other other countries.  They all came in here and were carried up the hill to the mansion and surrounding farm.

Self explanatory

Another innovative invention.  The inside of this 16 sided threshing barn has a rail around the middle section, and space between the boards.   Wheat was spread on the floor, then horses ran around and around on the wheat and separated the gran from the stems.  The grains fell through the cracks to the floor below.

On Mount Vernon's 8000 acres were four farms which grew crops suitable to the soil in each one.  A scaled down version of one of these farms was represented here with the threshing barn and a slave cabin.  There were several slave cabins like this one grouped on each farm.

Joy of joys!  A blacksmith demonstrating in the shop!  

Of course I had to take Duane's pic in front of the blacksmith's.  He's in a white shirt at the far end leaning against the building.

This is the slave women's quarters at the mansion.  The men's quarters were at the opposite end of this building with a greenhouse between.  People slept 2 and 3 to a bed.  We visited a lot of other outbuildings at the Mansion Farm including the weavers, smoke house, wash house, stables, gardener's house, overseers house, storehouse, etc, reading the info boards as we went.  We also visited the tombs and viewed the crypts of George and Martha.  The complex was not only self sustaining but also made money by selling products.

A small part of the upper garden.  There was also a lower garden, fruit garden, and nursery.  Half of the property was kept in timber.  Washington  husbanded it carefully.  Only downed trees were gathered for burning and he experimented with holly and boxwood for use as natural fencing to cut down on the use of wood for fences.  Some of the trees were gifts from other countries and some he kept for their aesthetic value.  Some are over 200 old.

Our tour of the house and grounds complete, we went back toward the Orientation center to the food court for lunch at 2 pm.  Next stop was the Education Center (another building where absolutely no pictures were allowed) where we learned about George Washington's public life from young Virginian through his military career, his involvement in the new government, and finally his last two years as a private citizen.  We also learned that although he and his family took excellent care of their teeth--brushing, rinsing, using dental picks against tartar buildup--Washing was prone to gum disease and lost all of his teeth.  That was why he had to have dentures and why he didn't smile much in public.  This area featured small seating areas with short videos featuring  different aspects of Washington.  One of these was his view of religion. A large theater offered an immersive experience with snow, fog and rumble seats.  That was cool! He attended services in every type of church he was near, and thought every religion should be welcomed.  He was also a wily war leader and started the first spy system during the Revolutionary War.  Our next stop was the Museum which featured Washington's personal life and artifacts or their facsimiles from his home.  Our last stop was the gift shop where I got a pressed penny for my collection. At 5 pm we decided that we had seen all there was to be seen on the grounds and headed for the bike and home. 

Next stop is the grist mill/distillery and another visit with my nephew and family.  I promise to remember the camera!

Louise and Duane