Mount Vernon

~Here are some pictures that I took while touring Mount Vernon, the estate of George Washington in Virginia.  The land had been in Washington's family since 1674, and prior to George owning it, it belonged to his half-brother Lawrence, who left most of the estate to George; by 1761 he had inherited sole ownership of Mount Vernon.  He then embarked on an ambitious plan of building, expansion, and development that he continued with throughout his life, both before and after his presidency.

The main house of the estate.  George Washington inherited this house when it was smaller, and he had it enlarged by adding new wings on either side.

The back of the house, atop a steep hill.  Many foreign leaders have visited the house while in the U.S. (including, amusingly, British royalty). See that row of chairs?  They're great for relaxing and seeing the view of the Potomac River, below:

View of the Potomac from the back of Mount Vernon (click on the image for a larger panoramic view).  What a great vantage point! The proximity to the river also enabled the estate to harvest large amounts of fish from the river.

View from the side. The tall tree is a famous 160 year-old, 140 foot tall Pecan tree. See how it leans to the right? That's because it was bent by a massive storm in the early 1900s. Notice also the other buildings connected to and apart from the main house; Mount Vernon is not just a mansion, it's a collection of buildings and farms.

This official visitor's guide map to Mount Vernon helps to give a sense of scale to the estate. The buildings on the right are the museum and visitors center, and the buildings from left-center all the way to the right are part of the actual estate.  You can access an interactive version of the map at this URL: http://www.mountvernon.org/visit-his-estate/map

Washington's tomb is located on the grounds of the estate, alongside grave markers for other family members.

Interior of the tomb.  I wonder if his remains are really inside that marble casket?

A memorial to the slaves of Mount Vernon, constructed in 1983. Washington inherited, purchased, and rented slaves, who worked the fields and did other work to maintain the estate. Like Monticello, it's a strange contrast: the estate and grounds are beautiful, and the owner clearly put a lot of work into planning and management, but ultimately the beautiful buildings and productive fields were the product of forced labor. The area that this memorial was built on was originally used as an unmarked grave site for slaves that died at Mount Vernon; the only slave known to be buried here is William Lee, who served Washington during the Revolution.

Washington was personally uncomfortable with slavery (his will freed all of his slaves), but he was a man of his time, and like other Virginia estate owners, he did use slave labor.  Politically, did not want to risk splitting the young United States apart by attempting to abolish slavery nationwide, and he signed the Fugitive Slave Law and provided military support to slave owners in Haiti during the revolt there.  Towards the end of his life, he increasingly expressed disgust with slavery and supported efforts towards gradual emancipation. He was the only Founding Father to free his slaves in his will.  You can learn more about George Washington and slavery here: http://www.mountvernon.org/slavery

A blacksmith works at the smithy, located in a small building on the estate.  Note his very large right arm...

Peanut, a turkey pardoned by the President of the United States. Mount Vernon is where all of the pardoned turkeys go to live out the remainder of their not-terribly-long lives.

The profoundly stupid custom of the President "pardoning" a turkey was set into motion by Ronald Reagan during the the Iran-Contra affair. At the time, Reagan was under pressure to give a presidential pardon to Oliver North, who had been convicted of lying to Congress over the sale of weapons to Iran and diverting the resulting funds to rebels in Nicaragua. So Reagan joked about pardoning a turkey in place of pardoning North, who was given an extremely lenient sentence which was eventually overturned (with help from the ACLU, no less). This was not an "official" pardon of a turkey; that was given by the next President, George H.W. Bush, who started the tradition by officially pardoning a turkey for Thanksgiving. Subsequent Presidents have carried on this bizarre custom.  Pardoning them for what, though? Gobbling?

A gingerbread house display of buildings at Mount Vernon, made by students at a local school.

The Man Himself.

When I said "Mount Vernon, or bust!", this wasn't what I had in mind.

A sword owned by George Washington, now in the museum at Mount Vernon.

George and Martha washington, along with two of Martha's grandchildren, Eleanor ("Nelly") Parke Custis (b. 1779) and George Washington ("Washy") Parke Custis (b. 1781). Their father died in the Battle of Yorktown during the Revolution, and George and Martha took care of them after that.

There was also a fascinating display of books owned by George Washington from his library at Mount Vernon. Unlike most of the other Founding Fathers, Washington had little in the way of formal education (something he expressed regret for later in life) and was largely self-taught. He had a lifelong love of learning and recognized education to be of critical importance for the new nation. He also enjoyed reading for pleasure -- Don Quixote was a favorite novel of his.

George Washington is a fascinating historical figure who had a profound impact on our nation, and Mount Vernon is one of the best places to learn about his life and the events that formed the United States. It's well worth a visit.