You walk up the path from the Ford Orientation Center, look to your left and the white plantation house with its’ red roof, and large bowling green framed by tall trees takes you back to 1799. Tourists merge with the guides who are dressed in costumes of the day and you feel like you are at a busy estate in the middle of a large working farm and business. Let your imagination wonder. This is where Rochambeau met with the General to finalize the battle of Yorktown, Lafayette journeyed to discuss human rights and democracy with the Father of our Country, and Bishop John Carroll spoke with George Washington about God and religious freedom. Grounds that felt the shadows of Jashua Barney, Thomas Coke, Lois Guillaume Valentin DuBourg, Alexander Hamilton, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, Henry Lee, James Madison, John Marshall, George Mason, James Monroe, Eliza O’Connor, Thomas Pinckney, Edmund Randolph, John Searson, Thomas Stone, and Noah Webster. You can almost picture George and Martha taking a leisurely stroll to meet you as they did with these great people and more. You can feel the history throughout your body and mind and a new understanding of the man emerges.
This is Mount Vernon, the home of our first and greatest President and it is waiting for you to experience.
Located just 16 miles south of Washington, DC, on the Virginia side of the Potomac River it is very easy to reach, parking is free, and the estate is dog friendly. You can drive, use a bus, ride a bicycle from Alexandria (just 8 miles), or even take a boat from Old Town and dock at the estates refurbished peer. Admission varies with age from Free for children under 6 to $15 for adults 12 to 61. Very reasonable since Mt. Vernon does not accept grants from any government and exists totally from admission fees, gift store receipts, dining revenues, and donations from individuals and corporations.
As an overview, you will see the mansion, 20 outbuildings, a working farm, the 16 sided treading barn designed by the General himself, gardens, slave quarters, the tombs of George and Martha Washington, the slave cemetery, and the banks of the Potomac. In addition you can and should spend a good deal of time in the Ford Orientation Center, Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center, and for $2 more, the Distillery and Grist mill. Yes, distillery. George Washington probably made more whiskey than anyone in the United States at the time and for a practical reason. We know him as our first President, the General who lead us to victory in the Revolutionary War but he was also a family man, highly successful business man, architect, horticulturalist, inventor, farmer, and much more. Had he chopped down the cherry tree his reason would probably be to help someone, the fruit would have been canned, the leaves turned to mulch, the twigs used as kindling, and the trunk turned into furniture. He would probably have sold some of it also. This is the mindset I want you to have during your visit.
Your first stop is the Ford Orientation Center and the first impression is a life sized statue of George, Martha, and Martha’s two grandchildren, Neglly and Washy. A guide will shake your hand, tell you about what you are going to see, answer questions and give you a map. You will need the map because this is no small place. There are stained glass windows depicting five scenes from Washington’s life and a huge floor-to-ceiling wall of glass to keep you in touch with the plantation as the General would have wanted it. Then there is the 1/12 scale working model of the mansion. It automatically opens to reveal every room of the home accompanied by plaques explaining some of the details. At this point you are in line for one of two 450 seat theaters where the learning process will begin in a highly entertaining way.
Next stop, the mansion. This was actually a rather small house when Washington first moved to the property with his parents and siblings in 1738. It was called Little Hunting Creek tobacco plantation at the time and they actually lived in a different house, this being left vacant. Washington inherited the estate in 1752 from his half brother Lawrence and began to renovate and expand both the house and the property. You will learn that Washington was not only the chief architect but also landscaper. On top of that he designed many of the tools and processes and turned some of that into additional profitable businesses.
There is so much to say about the house itself that books have been written on the subject. I will let you learn first hand and feel the excitement from his warm family life, entertaining everyone who dropped by, and the sadness from the death of his adopted Patsy at age 17 from an epileptic seizure. Washington himself died in the Master Bedroom and Martha never used it again. You will be overwhelmed. Stop for a few minutes on the piazza (back porch) overlooking the Potomac River. Washington designed this also as a place to meditate, recreate, and enjoy his beloved river. You will quickly understand the attraction.
There are four gardens with plants known to have been at Mt. Vernon in the late 1700’s. You see, few details have been missed. As I understand it 13 trees still exist that the President had planted. Understandably the vegetable plants were near the house and used to feed the family, staff, and slaves. Flowers were also near for their own beauty and use in the house. Washington experimented with these plants and developed new strains.
The outbuildings are fascinating. A kitchen building to keep the heat away from the main living space, storehouse, smokehouse, and wash house. There is also a large open area, it is not for recreation. This is what we would call today, the dryer. Clothing and linen were hung here daily to dry and it is directly behind the wash house.
The coach house, stable and paddock are near the stercorary (covered dung repository). Washington believed animal waste, combined with plant waste, made a good fertilizer and all the components were available. Being well aware of the value of time he located these structures in close proximity to each other. All these buildings are well worth your time for examination. Stop and feel the activity that must have gone on here each day.
You are walking toward the Potomac but before that is the Old Tomb. Washington was buried here initially and later moved. He saw that the structure was beginning to crumble and designed a new resting place for himself, Martha, and the family. There is a place in the Capital Building for his remains but Washington loved Mount Vernon, stated in his will that he should be buried there, and the family honored his request.
Now you should be approaching the fruit garden and nursery. Washington not only used these for the dining table and to sell but also for experimentation. He was a self-taught botanist and horticulturalist and tried to develop more weather tolerant and productive crops. While originally a tobacco plantation the General noted quickly how tobacco severely ruined the soil. He sought other crops that did less damage and were more profitable and developed a rotation to increase the yield. Wheat replaced tobacco as the chief crop but corn, oats, barley, rye, buckwheat, alfalfa, and vegetables were also raised in large quantities.
A little further east is Washington’s tomb, the final resting place of George, Martha and several family members. It is curious to note that the inscription calls him General and not President. Thomas Jefferson did not have the presidency mentioned on his gravestone in Monticello either.
The wooded hill to your side is the graveyard of the slaves and freed blacks who worked at Mt. Vernon. Interestingly none of the graves are marked and nobody knows the names or number of people buried there. A sad commentary but in a way this land tells a great story about an unforgivable period in of American history. Mt. Vernon does mention slavery on several occasions but not nearly enough. For instance I never found mention of Billie Lee, Washington’s manservant from about 1768 to the General’s death, who was with him throughout the war and Presidency and the only slave directly freed in Washington’s will. There were 277 slaves on the plantation, 124 owned by Washington and 153 owned by Martha but little is known about any of them. The will does state that the 124 would be freed upon Martha’s death though she freed them earlier.
Your next stop is the wharf. Cargo ships from the other colonies and Europe would load here, taking goods from Mt. Vernon to wherever the price was best. You can assume Washington also used this for his neighbors, at a fee, because the General always had an eye for increasing his profitability. He was a very aggressive and fair businessman
To the south are cooking and craft demonstrations depending on the season so you can get an idea of what life in the 1790’s was like. No pizza’s or microwaves, everything home made. Then there is the pioneer farm site so you can get a feeling of how the property must have looked. This plot of land is approximately 4 acres compared to the 5,000 Washington owned in 1790. The 16 sided barn, which Washington designed, is a very interesting building. Horses were used to trample the grain and this process would contaminate the yield. Washington solved much of the problem but still in a very pioneer fashion. I compared it to the process now used and realized what it must have been like to live at that time.
You can walk to the Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center or take a ride on one of the busses. It is a fair distance away but and enjoyable journey. If your legs are asking for break though, take the bus.
By now you may find yourself a little hungry so I suggest a stop at the food court or Mount Vernon Inn. The food court is good and offers pizza, gourmet burgers, subs, salads and hand-dipped ice cream. The Inn is great though with atmosphere, really taste food, and a peanut and chestnut soup that is worth the trip on its own. I understand that the crab cakes are delicious also but I’m from Maryland and there is nothing like a real Maryland Crab Cake. I’ll tell you more about this in another post.
I can not tell you enough about the Reynolds Museum and Education Center. It appeals to all ages and gives you a glimpse into Washington as a General, President, husband, father, and businessman. It takes time to see and digest. There is a film about the relationship between the George and Martha that is a must see. How they met, how they lived, and what they were to each other. Don’t miss it. There is another film about the General, in a separate location, that brings you inside. Simulated snow falls during the Valley Forge portion.
The museum begins with his early life and you learn about his family, ambitions, hardships, and travels through Virginia. You will see life sized replicas of Washington as a surveyor and accounts of his actions in the French and Indian War. The Fort Necessity fiasco is not overlooked and a diorama will make it more understandable. The Revolutionary War and Presidency times are addressed as well as the importance of Mt. Vernon with some insight into slave life. Artifacts include the goblet used at his christening, paintings, tools, and his famous teeth. You can spend half a day in this building alone and you will come out with a much better understanding of just who George Washington really was.
If you still have some time please visit the gristmill. It is not on the site but only 3 miles down the road. Washington realized that his grain and corn would sell for a good amount but he could make more if he turned it into flour and cornmeal. It was also cheaper to ship. The better the quality the better the price so he invested in a gristmill in 1754 which was upgraded in 1791. As it turned out the mill was shipped to him without instructions so he and his people had to figure out how to put it together, which they did. He located it close to Piney Branch which was diverted through the mill to Dogue Run Creek so the water could power the mill and carry the product to the Potomac for further shipment.
Farm Manager James Anderson suggested that the rye, corn, and barley could be fermented into whiskey, brandy, and vinegar with the addition of a distillery so one was built in 1797 alongside the gristmill and produced 11,000 gallons of whiskey each year. By 1799 the distillery was the most successful enterprise of Mt. Vernon. The gristmill and distillery produced a large quantity of waste which Washington used as a fertilizer component and to feed 150 head of cattle and 30 hogs being raised on-site.
Most people remember Mount Vernon as a half day trip made only on good weather days. This is not so anymore. Take my advice and visit it now. This may be the best attraction in the entire DC area.
If you have an extra dollar or two please consider leaving it as a donation. Mt. Vernon is owned and run by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association which is the oldest historic preservation organization in the United States. They have done and continue to do a remarkable job preserving and presenting our greatest President, George Washington.
