VIRGINA: Mount Vernon

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Today is my birthday!!  I’m excited to do something different, like I’ve never done before, for my birthday . . . . go to Mount Vernon.  How many people do you know that get to go to beautiful Mount Vernon, Virginia,  for their birthday?  And I woke up to a beautiful sunny day - It’s been so hot in the south, but today the temperature is the perfect jeans and t-shirt kind of day.  I also hadmany adorable little voices saying “Happy Birthday Mom”, or “Auntie Pam” this morning.  What a special beginning to my day – it can’t get any better than that!.  I’m feeling very blessed.We drove to Mount Vernon, purchased tickets and once again we were able to get a homeschool discount.  Right on!  We scheduled a boat ride up the Potomac River as a birthday treat!  J

The boat boarded at the old Mount Vernon dock where it was used for Washington’s farming and fishing business to transport goods up the river to Alexandria.   George built an octagon shaped barn which he called the treading barn.   The outside portion of inside the barn was made for horse to trot around on top of wheat they would lay on the ground.  The flooring was wooden panels that were exact 1 and a quarter inch apart so that all the seeds would fall through to the ground below and the hay would remain on top.  Ingenious way of being productive and George invented it.  Many farmers started to use his method after they learned of it. 

Potomac is an Indian name given to the river in honor to the Indians that used to live here.   The river runs 385 miles to the Chesapeake Bay and it can at some point be 8 miles wide.   We rode up the Potomac River to Fort Washington, built during the Revolutionary War, and then turned around to go back down to Mount Vernon.  The view of Mount Vernon from the river was spectacular.  Hard to believe at one time in Washington’s life he had 8000 acres of land. 

After the boat ride, we toured the grounds on the north and sound lanes of  the house called the outbuildings.  From dawn to dusk, six days a week, slaves worked this plantation spinning wool and lines, laundering the Washington’s clothes and guests, preparing foods, curing meats, shoeing horses, tending the garden, and many other jobs to keep the plantation running.  

They had a working blacksmith who was making a link chain that was fascinating to watch.  This was exactly what a blacksmith would have made back then, producing one foot of chain in one hour (4 links).  He had to constantly put it back into the fire to work on it and bend it into the shape that he wanted.  Then he had to work on linking it with the chain and then sealing it.  Wow . . . that Is quite the process of heating & hammering again and again.  

 

Next it was our time to go through the main house where we filed in a large line to wait to get in.  George Washington acquired the house in 1754 from his older half brother Lawrence after he died from TB.  George was very blessed to inherit such an estate because as the old tradition went, he was the younger brother and would have received nothing.  He went out into the world to make his own way by becoming a surveyor, which ultimately is what God had planned for him because that skill allowed him to serve in the military and moving up in rank quickly because of his bravery and special skill.  God has an amazing way to direct our paths, even in the suffering.  He was very close with his brother Lawrencea, so I’m sure that it was difficult to inherit the house at that time. 

During the next 45 years he greatly expanded the home to reflect his status as a Virginian gentleman, personally overseeing every detail of design, construction and decorating, even when he was away at war.  He was an incredible business man who did an excellent job of making Mount Vernon a thriving and profitably plantation. 

As we walked through each room there were docents telling about the special features.  George had immaculate taste in decorating for that time period with a bright green dinning room and a bright blue  living room which was a very expensive task back then.   The most interesting fact was that Martha was very practical and frugal, so she decorated their own room with all white – still beautiful but very plain compared to the others rooms.    And off course . .  there was no photography in the house.

Next we toured the slave quarters which actually looked nicer than what we have seen so far.  There were 10 bunk beds in each of the women’s & men’s rooms with a fire place and a sitting area.  They had a spinning wheel where one slave would work on spinning wool day and night.  In another chamber a slave would have to continually monitor a fire and stoke heat through an underground area to the plants, to help the crops grow.  

George was very conflicted about keeping slaves because of his leadership and his fight for liberty. When he died he freed his slaves, and several of them left and many of them stayed to work on Mount Vernon.   We viewed the grave site of many blacks who remained on the property. 

George Washington and Martha are also buried there in a tomb built into the side of the hill.  It was beautiful and very respectful.   Several other close family members are buried there as well.

The kids finished up their scaneger hunt that they were working on and found the secret mark!  It was easy but they had a great time. 

Last we went to the museum which was spectacular.  It had 2 movies, one from Martha Custis Washington’s perspective on her husband which portrayed her as humble, gentle, helpful to his service, but also very lonely when he was away.  It seemed that she loved him very much and even went to the battlefields several times to be with him.  She would always bring homemade treats to the soldiers who loved them.  The second movie was about his leadership at Valley Forge where they camped out for months and finally attacked on Christmas Day when the British wouldn’t expect it.  They rowed boats across the frozen Potomac River and during the movie it snowed in the audience.  The seats would also vibrate as shots were fired.  It was awesome.

Do you know George's favorite horse's name???

Nelson . . . the white horse!!

Did you know that George was the one to make the mule?  Yes, it’s true . . . he knew that donkey’s were strong, but horses were bigger, and so he had some bourght to his plantation to breed with the horses.  Many people started buying mules from him after they realized what an asset they were to a farm.

To top off a wonderful day at Mount Vernon we went out to eat at a yummy Mexican food restaurant.  They sang Happy Birthday to me and I had to wear the dorky Mexican hat, but this one was much nicer than our traditional Chevy’s hat.  Then I realized that you can’t keep this hat which was a good thing because we have no room for it.  What a wonderful birthday day it was - I am so blessed.  .