Mount Vernon - Home Of George Washington

in 1674 John Washington great-grandfather George Washington obtained the present home site through a grant by the English crown the area he acquired was then and is now one of the most beautiful in America Washington himself wrote that no estate in United America is more pleasantly situated than this it lies in a high dry and healthy country 300 miles by water from the sea on one of the finest rivers in the world this great plantation mansion stands today almost perfectly preserved and restored just as it appeared 180 years ago we must not look upon this shrine as just the site of the tomb of George and Martha Washington but instead as a living reminder of immortality made visible because in this house on the Magnificent grounds are on the great Piazza with its splendid view of the Maryland shore he lives today millions of visitors pay homage to this greatest of all Americans by visiting Mount Vernon to see and hear the true story of this remarkable estate that is imbued with the spirit of George Washington in this drawing of the mansion-house complex you see George Washington's own plan for his formal grounds Washington's father Augustine Washington built the first portion of the existing mansion however what Mount Vernon became and is today is due almost entirely to the loving efforts of George Washington and to the Mount Vernon ladies Association dedicated since 1858 to the preservation of his home George Washington's Mount Vernon the state of over 8,000 acres was divided into five separate farms each a complete unit with its overseer workers livestock farmlands equipment and buildings today the four outlying farms are gone but the main farm with its great house is intact and is known as the mansion-house farm this is a view of the mansion-house farm gate although George Washington's stay at Mount Vernon was constantly interrupted by the call to serve his country he was known as one of the most progressive farmers of his day he was a keen observer of crops and farm methods even when military problems or affairs of state weighed heavily upon him here is the old seed house and paddock wall which are still intact today the mansion-house farm was not a farm in the usual sense of the word no large-scale crops were grown but a kitchen garden was maintained close to the house the garden has been accurately restored from Washington's writings and reports to his gardener in 1785 Washington built a handsome greenhouse he derived vast pleasure from the growing of plants from all over the world the greenhouse was destroyed by fire in 1835 the present structures on the same site were reconstructed after intensive research and investigation let the house in the upper garden called the schoolhouse be cleaned and got an order against I return instructed George Washington to his manager William Pierce May 15th 1796 mrs. Washington's grandchildren may have been tutored in this small octagonal building during good weather George Washington acquired his boyhood home Mount Vernon in 1754 after the death of his elder half-brother at that time the house was one and a half stories of modest size with a central hall and four small rooms on the first floor prior to his marriage the mansion was raised from one and a half to two and a half stories and extensively redecorated the East front view facing the Potomac River displays the most striking feature of the mansion the innovation by Washington of the high column Piazza extending the full length of the house the exterior finish of the mansion is an unusual feature most believed it to be masonry actually wood siding was beveled to give the appearance of stone and then sand was applied while a paint was still fresh this process is known as rustic ation here is the northern end of a mansion featuring the Palladian window now we see the same Palladian window from the inside this large dining room is one of the best examples of the unusual nature of Washington's administration of his vast estate although seldom home during the war and his presidency he still managed to participate directly through correspondence in all planning construction and management of the mansion and grounds the large dining room was built during the Revolutionary War by Washington's wartime manager lund Washington in 1776 while heavily menaced by the British Army in the dwindling of his own military power he still found time to write lund with instructions on the placement of the chimney and how various other constructions and decorations were to be carried out a truly remarkable man once again displayed his infinite love for his home the central passage extended the full width of the house from the front door on the courtyard side to the huge Piazza overlooking the river located here is this perfectly preserved central hall staircase Washington cherished his family in his life with them in addition to his two stepchildren John Parke Custis and Martha Parke Custis he also accepted custody of two of Martha's grandchildren after the death of their father in 1781 general and mrs. Washington with these wards George Washington Park Custis and Elinor Parke Custis are shown inspecting a map of the Potomac in the capital city in the 1796 painting by savage this is known as the little parlor music played an important part in the life of Mount Vernon in 1793 Washington imported from London the harpsichord that you see here during the period between the death of Martha and the acquisition of the estate by the Mount Vernon ladies Association much of the original furnishings and fittings of the estate had been sold or given to relatives and friends thanks to the wonderful work accomplished by this dedicated group which is maintained and operated the Mount Vernon estate since 1858 the collection of the original items has steadily grown by gift loan and purchase here is mrs. Washington's tea service displayed in the West Harlem this is the small dining room as it has been called to distinguish it from the large dining room at the north end of the mansion it's a very beautiful room decorated by two master craftsmen in 1775 but rather small to accommodate the numerous guests who so frequently gathered at Mount Vernon after the Revolution this viewers of the downstairs bedroom which was a common feature of the early Virginia homes the post-revolutionary family of Washington numbered 8 persons including his two male secretaries the family occupied the rooms on the second floor Mount Vernon was a continual stopover for overnight guests and they certainly must have taxed the sleeping facilities of the house there are five bed chambers on the second floor of the mansion in addition to Washington's master bedroom over the study this was the bedroom of Nelly Custis mrs. Washington's youngest granddaughter who was a member of the household since childhood this is General Washington's bedroom a narrow stairway from the floor below afforded Washington a measure of privacy in the house constantly filled with guests in this room and on this bed George Washington passed away on the 14th of December 1799 George Washington was especially fond of Windsor chairs and ordered several dozen of them for use at Mount Vernon these Windsor chairs are in the third floor room Martha Washington occupied after the death of her husband her sewing basket rests on the floor to the right research indicates that a Franklin stove heated the room the study was an important feature of the enlarged mansion it was finished before Washington departed to attend the Second Continental Congress no room in the mansion is more intimately associated with his life at Mount Vernon four it was here that he spent a great deal of time and directed the management of his estate this is the sweetmeat closet here was stored under the care of the butler the family tableware in daily use on the floor through a small door is a model of the Bastille given to Washington by General Lafayette in 1790 the word dependencies designates buildings and houses that were used for specific purposes on the Mount Vernon estate two of these the kitchen and storehouse are seen here in the right foreground is what was known as servants Hall a 2-story dwelling of four rooms situated across the yard from the kitchen in addition to its use as a family dwelling by the manager Washington designated that it was to be used by Howe strangers the strangers were of course visitors who by common custom were accorded the hospitality of Mount Vernon the kitchen was of necessity one of the mainstays of the farm the staff included two cooks and two waiters who were under the direction of a steward they were constantly prepared for large company and it was a rare occasion when there were no guests breakfast was served at 7:00 a.m. dinner promptly at 3 p.m. tea at 6 p.m. and supper at 9 p.m. the dinner consisted of such main courses as roasted pig boiled leg of lamb or roasted fowl along with all the assorted side dishes here is the skullery Washington was a kind and generous man his person granaries were always open to his less fortunate neighbors his manager was instructed to let no one go away hungry and to supply necessaries to the poor the kitchen larder is where food supplies and meats were stored some after being smoked in the smokehouse that was located on one of the farms the storehouse was used both by the overseers and the store keepers here were kept all sorts of tools and supplies nails for the carpenter cloth for the tailor leather for the shoemaker these craftsmen served the needs of the residents of the estate for example in one year the shoemaker finished 217 pairs of shoes while mending 99 the mansion house was in a way a seat of government for the estate it was in a sense a small Empire for which Washington planned well in 1786 there were about 90 slaves in residence at the mansion house farm alone in addition over 150 other persons lived on the other four farms of necessity and as nearly as possible the estate was self-supporting in the spinning house ten or more women were constantly employed spinning and knitting wool flax and cotton fibers which were grown on the estate farms here is the West quarters building these subsidiary buildings housed many people supplying a variety of necessary duties carefully developed plans brought these people in close proximity to the house but incorporated them in harmonious units as we tour these many buildings we marvel at the brilliance of Washington at his foresight and careful planning here he displayed the same methodical and brilliant genius that shaped and formed our nation during its early years the bricks table was built in 1782 it was reserved for the use of the family coach and saddle horses and those of their guests General Washington was an outstanding horseman the coach compartment of the stable housed the family coach in the stable today you see a coach that belonged to Washington's good friend the mayor of Philadelphia Samuel Powell it is believed to be identical to one of Washington's own coaches displayed here is a lighter vehicle known as a riding chair this simple vehicle belonged to Washington's friend and patron Lord Fairfax the totally reconstructed grist mill is located on Doga Creek on one of Washington's former farms two miles from the mansion he bequeathed it in about 2000 acres to his nephew Lawrence Lewis and his wife Nelly Custis Lewis within this enclosure rest the earthly remains of general and President George Washington and his wife Martha the construction of this vault was requested in his last will and testament viewed from the Piazza the Potomac closed softly past Washington's beloved home we have seen it's almost unbelievable history its unique position in American folklore the great legacy that it leaves for all Americans and all people's everywhere the call to individual freedom we have seen the genius once again of our founding father of his great wisdom of his kind compassion for others of his ability to create a lasting heritage for all

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Keywords: george, washington

Id: Oo4n5u-BiDY

Length: 14min 57sec (897 seconds)

Published: Mon Sep 19 2011