Mount Vernon Manor
Mount Vernon is the former country residence of the first President of the United States , George Washington , near Mount Vernon, Virginia . The colonial- style property is located in northeast Virginia on the north bank of the Potomac River , which flows south from Washington, DC , 12 miles south of the White House , Washington’s seat of government in the US capital. It now serves as a museum .
George Washington's half-brother Lawrence Washington , who initially owned the country estate, named it after the British Admiral Edward Vernon , under whose command he had participated in the War of Jenkins' Ear . After Lawrence's death, George Washington initially rented the property from his sister-in-law Anne, before inheriting it after her death in 1761 .
The main building was expanded several times over several decades. Washington, his wife and several family members are buried at the manor. In 1860 the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union acquired the site.
The Mansion
George Washington acquired Mount Vernon in 1754. Over the next 45 years, the manor house was extensively expanded to meet Washington's high status in the state of Virginia. Washington monitored every detail during the drafting, building and creation phases - even during times when it was at war. Powerful wall colors demonstrate Washington's wealth and taste. The interiors have been extensively renovated based on an inventory drawn up after Washington's death in 1799. Probably the most impressive room is the large dining room in green (Washington's favorite color), in which he received the messenger of Congress in April 1789, who brought him the - well expected - news of his election as first president. The artifact with the greatest historical significance hangs in the central hallway: the key to the Bastille, which the Marquis de Lafayette sent him after the beginning of the French Revolution.
The outbuildings
When designing his estate, Washington looked for a harmonious balance of beauty and practicality. While pleasure gardens and scenic viewpoints characterize the picture along the east-west axis of the property, the outbuildings are located on the north-south axis, which testify to everyday life on the plantation. Six days a week the slaves worked here from sunrise to sunset, spinning wool and linen, washing the laundry of Washington’s family and hundreds of guests, preparing meals, curing meat, shod horses, and doing many other jobs and services necessary for running one large plantation were necessary.
Washington's grave
George Washington died on December 14, 1799 - at the age of 67 - in his bedroom on Mount Vernon. In his will he decreed that he wanted to be buried on Mount Vernon. As the condition of the old family crypt deteriorated, he also selected a site for a new brick burial site. When this was completed in 1831, the remains of Washington, his wife Martha, and other family members were transferred there.
Slave memorial and cemetery
The location of the former slave cemetery is marked by a memorial dedicated to the slaves who lived and worked on Mount Vernon. This piece of land was used as a burial ground for slaves and free blacks who worked for the Washington family during the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century. None of the original tombstones have been preserved and the identity of the approximately 75 people buried here is largely unknown.
Gardens
The upper garden offers a wide variety of flowers and tree species as well as two box trees in the French Fleur-de-Lis design. The lower garden, one of America's most impressive Colonial Revival-style gardens, provided the busy Mount Vernon kitchen with fresh fruits and vegetables. In the orchard and nursery, Washington & DC raised a. Cherry, apple and pear trees. Here he also experimented with new seeds and plants before using them on his country estate.
Forest trail
Nearly half of George Washington's 3240-acre Mount Vernon manor was covered in forest in the 18th century. An approximately 400-meter-long forest hiking trail gives an idea of what the forests looked like, which provided the estate with firewood, construction timber and material for erecting fences, as well as the venison on George Washington's table. The woods also provided entertainment for Washington and other avid fox hunters visiting the estate.
Model farm
Although best known as President and Commander in Chief of the Army , George Washington saw himself first and foremost as a farmer. He recognized the inadequacies of 18th century farming practices and pioneered innovative methods such as alternating cultivation and the use of fertilizers. The 1.62-acre exhibition farm is just a 5-minute walk south of the mansion, next to the pier on the Potomac River. Among the highlights of the farm is a sixteen-sided barn designed by Washington itself. Today an on-site video presentation explains the reconstruction of this building.
Potomac River - bank and pier
For its farming and fishing operations, Washington needed a pier from which the goods could be shipped to Alexandria. The current pier was built in the 19th century and restored in 1991.
George Washington's whiskey distillery and flour mills
George Washington was a farmer and businessman with an entrepreneurial spirit. His whiskey distillery and flour mill used technology that was cutting edge and innovative for the 18th century. The watermill is still in operation and open to visitors today. Whiskey is also distilled on Mount Vernon, just like in Washington's time. The mill and distillery are about 4.5 kilometers from the property.
The Mount Vernon Manor - A Brief Timeline
- 1674 John Washington, the great-grandfather of George Washington, receives land on the upper Potomac River between Little Hunting Creek and Dogue Run, the future location of Mount Vernon.
- 1726 Augustine Washington , the father of George Washington, acquires the Little Hunting Creek plantation from his sister Mildred.
- 1732 George Washington, Augustine and Mary Ball Washington's first child , is born on Pope's Creek Plantation on the Potomac River in Westmoreland County, Virginia.
- 1735–38 and 1741 Augustine Washington stayed with his young family on the Little Hunting Creek plantation.
- 1743 Augustine Washington dies. Lawrence Washington, George Washington's older half-brother, marries and settles on the plantation, which he renames Mount Vernon in honor of his commander, Admiral Edward Vernon.
- 1752 Lawrence Washington dies on Mount Vernon.
- 1754 George Washington leases Mount Vernon from Lawrence Washington's widow.
- 1759 George Washington marries Martha Dandridge Custis, the widow of Daniel Parke Custis, and settles on Mount Vernon with her and their two young children, John Parke Custis and Martha Parke Custis.
- 1775 Washington is named Commander in Chief of the American Forces. Apart from brief stops on his way to and from Yorktown in 1781, he will not see Mount Vernon for eight years.
- 1781 John Parke Custis dies; George and Martha raise their youngest grandchildren, Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis and George Washington Parke Custis , like their own children.
- 1783 George Washington resigns from military service and retires to Mount Vernon.
- 1787 George Washington chairs the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention.
- 1789–97 George Washington is the first President of the United States of America. During this time he visits Mount Vernon fifteen times.
- 1799 George Washington dies and is buried in the old family vault on Mount Vernon.
- 1802 Martha Washington dies and is buried next to her husband in the old family crypt. Mount Vernon passes to George Washington's nephew Bushrod Washington .
- 1829 Bushrod Washington dies, leaving Mount Vernon to his nephew John Augustine Washington.
- 1831 According to George Washington's Last Will and Testament, a new tomb is built. He, his wife Martha and other relatives are reburied from the old family crypt in the new grave.
- 1858 The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association receives its concession from the State of Virginia and acquires Mount Vernon for US $ 200,000 from John A. Washington Jr.
- 1960 Mount Vernon is designated a National Historic Landmark and is one of 121 such historic sites in Virginia.
- 1966 Mount Vernon is listed as a structure on the National Register of Historic Places .
- 2008 Mount Vernon is included in the tentative list for nomination as UNESCO World Heritage .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ronald D. Barley: Rendezvous with America's President. On the way to the places of her life. Primus, Darmstadt 2012.
- ↑ Listing of National Historic Landmarks by State: Virginia. National Park Service , accessed March 6, 2020.
- ↑ Mount Vernon on the National Register of Historic Places , accessed March 6, 2020.
- ↑ Entry Mount Vernon on UNESCO website
Web links
- Official website of the property with tourist information and virtual tour
- 3D Mount Vernon
Coordinates: 38 ° 42 ′ 28 " N , 77 ° 5 ′ 10" W.