Mount Vernon Field Trip Companion

Welcome to George Washington’s Mount Vernon. This text was designed to help you
make the most of your students’ visit and maximize their appreciation for our nation’s
Founding Father. We encourage you to use this as a resource on the Estate and in your
classroom to create an effective and engaging learning experience.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Touring the Mansion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
II. Exploring the Historic Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
III. Exploring the Donald W. Reynolds Education Center . . . . . 15
IV. Exploring the Donald W. Reynolds Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
V. A Timeline of George Washington and Mount Vernon . . . . . 25
VI. Interesting Facts about George Washington . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
VII. Resources for Teachers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
VIII. Map: Historic Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
IX. Map: Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center . . 32

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BEFORE 1759 1759-1774
AFTER 1787

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I. TOURING THE MANSION
Built in 1735 by George Washington’s father Augustine Washington, the Mansion started as a small
Virginia farmhouse known as Little Hunting Creek. Its second owner, George Washington’s older half
brother Lawrence Washington, gave the property its lasting name, Mount Vernon, in honor of British
naval officer Admiral Edward Vernon.
After Lawrence Washington’s death, George Washington began enlarging the estate in the 1750s by
purchasing surrounding lands. In 1754, he took ownership of Mount Vernon, which he called home for
45 years. Starting with an inheritance of 2,100 acres, Mount Vernon grew to 8,000 acres by 1786.
Pleasantly situated high on a bluff above the Potomac River, Washington was quick to make Mount
Vernon his home. He spent over four decades transforming the estate into the beautiful and impressive
place it is today. By 1759 when Washington married Martha Dandridge Custis, he had expanded the
farmhouse to create a two and a half story structure. In 1774, he added the south wing, which would
contain his study and the master bedroom. Delayed by the Revolutionary War, his next addition which
expanded the north end of the Mansion to include his large dining room, or “new room” as he called it,
took many years to complete. The iconic Piazza (or large porch on the river side) was completed in
1777. The cupola was completed in 1784 and was later topped off with the Dove of Peace weathervane
in 1787.
Today, the Mansion is meticulously restored to the way it appeared in 1799, the last year of
Washington’s life. When you tour Washington’s Mansion, History Interpreters posted in various rooms
will share interesting facts about each space and the objects within. To allow all of our guests the
opportunity to see the interior of Washington’s home and to keep lines as short as possible, tours are
often abbreviated. We encourage you and your students to spend your time inside the Mansion
viewing the historic spaces. When you exit, a History Interpreter will be available to answer your
questions and continue the conversation.
Q. What body of water do you see from the Piazza?
A. The Potomac River, which is nearly one mile wide at the estate, is visible from the Piazza.
Q. How was the river used?
A. Washington used the river for fishing and transportation. As the highway of the 18th century,
the river was the primary way Washington received and shipped goods.
Q. What do the Mansion’s exterior walls look like?
A. Washington used paint and sand to make his house look like it was made from stone – a process
called rustication. However, the house is constructed of wood.

II. EXPLORING THE HISTORIC AREA
Over the 45 years Washington owned Mount Vernon, he gave personal attention to every part of the
estate. In addition to expanding and improving his home, he built and rebuilt the Mansion’s
outbuildings and developed the grounds they were built upon. Washington altered his gardens, moved
lanes, and applied his vision to all aspects of the landscape surrounding the Mansion.
NOTE: Please allow 60 to 90 minutes in your group’s itinerary to explore
the Mansion, outbuildings, and grounds.
1. BOWLING GREEN
The large lawn on the west side of the Mansion is called the bowling green and was enjoyed by
adults and children. George Washington completely redesigned the landscape at Mount Vernon
in the mid-1780s, and the bowling green, with its symmetrical plan, provided an area for the
Washingtons and their guests to stroll. The sunken brick walls at the bowling green gate are
called ha-ha walls. They kept farm animals away from the Mansion, yet were not noticeable.
Looking west, beyond the bowling green, there are two white gate houses approximately one
mile away. They mark the original carriage entrance to Mount Vernon.
Q. Why do you think the sunken brick walls were called ha-ha walls?
A. Actually, we do not know precisely how these walls got their name. The wall could not be
seen until you were right on top of it. Sometimes people would be surprised – Ha Ha! –
when they came to the edge of the wall. This is one traditional explanation.
Q. How would you travel to Mount Vernon during George Washington’s time?
A. Travelers would arrive by carriage, riding chair, horseback, boat, or on foot.
2. UPPER GARDEN
The upper garden consists of three large, roughly-square, planting beds. Their interior spaces
are filled with produce – the vegetables needed to feed the Washington family, their many
guests, and some of the servants who lived on the Mansion House Farm. Mount Vernon
archaeologists relied on 18th-century documents like gardener reports, visitor accounts and
Washington’s own writing to learn what vegetables grew in this garden. The vegetable beds are
framed with flower beds which include flowering fruit trees, rich perennials, and sweet-
smelling annuals. The borders are edged with boxwood. The upper garden is an example of
George Washington’s design scheme and the perfect combination of the practical and the
ornamental.
Writing of Mount Vernon, George Washington said, “No estate in United America is more pleasantly
situated than this. It lies in a high dry and healthy Country…on one of the finest Rivers in the world…in
latitude between the extremes of heat and cold.”
Q. What plants did George Washington grow in the upper garden?
A. Vegetables: peas, corn, onions, celery, leeks, broccoli, and beets. Fruits: peaches, pears,
cherries, oranges, lemons, raspberries, gooseberries, and strawberries.
Q. What is the difference between perennials and annuals?
A. Perennials last several years without replanting. Annuals must be planted every year.
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3. GREENHOUSE
The greenhouse complex was first built between 1785 and 1792. During the winter months, a fire
was kept burning to keep delicate plants, such as orange and lemon trees, oleander from the
Carolinas, and palm trees from the West Indies, from freezing. On a cold night in 1835, the
greenhouse burned after the fire got out of control. The building you see today was built in
1950, on the foundation of the original greenhouse. Some of the bricks used in the reconstruction
came from the White House. Just as in George Washington’s time, the building now includes a
huge room for plants, a stove room, the shoemaking shop used by William Lee, and the quarters
that housed slave families.
A visitor during Washington’s time described it as, “a complete Greenhouse which at this season is a
vast great source of pleasure. Plants from every part of the world seem to flourish in the neatly furnished
apartment.”
Q. What types of fruit trees were stored in the greenhouse for protection from the freezing cold?
A. Delicate plants, such as orange and lemon trees, were stored in the greenhouse during the
winter months.
4. SLAVE QUARTERS
The slave quarters housed Mansion slaves and replaced an earlier structure, known as the house
for families, in 1792. Here as many as 15–20 slaves lived in each of the barrack-style sleeping
rooms. Other slaves who lived at the Mansion House Farm lived above the buildings where
they worked, such as the kitchen or carpenters shop, or lived in small cabins. Female slaves who
lived in the slave quarters were house servants or worked in the nearby outbuildings
completing important tasks like sewing or laundering. Enslaved men who lived here also
worked in and around the Mansion as valets, cooks, and other skilled laborers.
Although there are large fireplaces, these rooms would have been cold in the winter and the
people who lived here probably slept two or three to a bunk to keep warm. Each person
received a blanket in the fall as part of their yearly rations. Food rations were issued once a
week by the overseer. Many slaves also kept garden plots where they grew fresh vegetables to
eat and to sell at market. They prepared their meals in this communal living area. The work
week was typically six days, with Sundays off. When not at work, the Mount Vernon slaves had
a number of ways to spend their time. They were free to work in their gardens or hunt and fish.
They also spent time visiting with their friends, playing music, smoking tobacco, and taking
part in games and sports.
Q. Look at the bunks in the men’s and women’s sleeping rooms. How do you think they were
made?
A. The bunks were piled with straw, which would have been very uncomfortable and itchy.
Q. What objects can you find that tell you how the slaves might have spent their free time?
A. Notice the bag and marbles in the center of the floor – the children would have enjoyed this
activity. There’s also a jaw harp because music was an important activity during free time.
Q. As you look into the shoemaker’s (or cobbler’s) room, notice the boots and/or shoes. How do
the shapes of the shoes differ from those you wear today?
A. There is no left or right foot.

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Q. How many pairs of shoes would a field hand receive each year?
A. A field hand would receive one pair of shoes each year.
Q. Did the cobbler make shoes for the Washington family?
A. No, the Washingtons ordered finer footwear from local merchants or London manufacturers.
5. BLACKSMITH SHOP
The blacksmith shop was essential to the operation of the plantation and an important part of
George Washington’s entrepreneurial efforts. Records indicate that as early as 1755 a blacksmith
shop was located along the North Lane approximately 200 feet from the Mansion. Most of the
smiths who worked for Washington were slaves, with the exception of the Dutch or German
immigrant Dominicus Gruber. Later, two slaves, Nat and George, worked as the blacksmiths.
Today, a reconstruction of the blacksmith shop is located on the site of the original shop.
An excavation by Mount Vernon’s archaeologists along with paintings and other primary
sources provided valuable clues about the design of the shop. Letters, account ledgers, and
other writings detail the tools purchased by Washington to outfit the shop and also indicate the
types of repair work conducted at the shop.
Q. What material is used to heat the iron for the blacksmith?
A. Coal was burned to provide heat.
Q. What two tools does the blacksmith use to shape the heated iron?
A. Most commonly the blacksmith used a hammer and an anvil.
Q. What tool does the blacksmith use to get his fire hot?
A. The bellows are used to pump air into the blacksmith’s forge – making it burn hotter.
6. OVERSEER’S QUARTERS
The overseer’s quarters is connected to the spinning room. The overseer was responsible for the
daily operations of the farm. Because of George Washington’s extended absences from Mount
Vernon, he relied on his overseers to help keep his farms running smoothly day-to-day. Each of
Washington’s five farms had its own overseer who managed free and enslaved laborers, worked
with livestock and crops, and submitted weekly work reports.
Q. Who was Roger Farrell?
A. In 1799, Roger Farrell was the overseer for the Mansion House Farm. Records show that
among his regular tasks as overseer, Mr. Farrell also agreed to supervise the annual harvest
of fish, keep Washington supplied with mutton, lamb, veal, and firewood, and repair fences
around the estate. In return, Farrell received an annual wage of $133.33 plus “board, bed,
bed lodging, and washing.”
Q. Were the overseers free or enslaved?
A. Washington’s overseers were both free men and slaves. Davy was an enslaved overseer on
the Muddy Hole Farm.

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7. SPINNING HOUSE
During the 18th century, many fabrics were imported from England. Mount Vernon, however,
was a large and fairly self-sufficient estate. Much of the fabric that was used to make clothing
for more than 300 slaves and indentured servants who lived and worked on the estate was
produced here. At any time, there were between 200 and 1,000 sheep on the Mount Vernon
plantation. Their wool was used to make clothing. Washington also grew flax, which produced
linen. Spinners Alice, Kitty and Anna, and knitter Lame Peter were among the ten or more
slaves who were kept busy spinning, knitting, and weaving. The room you see here is too small
for so many people and historians believe this room was used to store equipment, fiber and
yarn instead. Some of the spinning was probably done outdoors during good weather.
Textile production was vital to achieving self-sufficiency at Mount Vernon. George Washington
practiced selective breeding of sheep to produce better quality wool, grew flax and hemp for
making linen cloth and rope, and experimented with cultivating cotton and silk. While slaves
and hired weavers were able to produce basic textiles for plantation use, it was still necessary to
import finer materials from England for the Washingtons’ table and clothing.
Q. Who might be assigned to this work?
A. In addition to able-bodied workers, those who were disabled and physically unable to do
more strenuous work assisted with these tasks. Spinning and weaving were considered
skilled trades on the plantation.
8. SALT HOUSE
George Washington “farmed” the Potomac River every spring. For about seven weeks the fish
would swim up the Potomac and boats carrying large nets were used to draw the fish into
shore. The fish were preserved by salting or “curing” and then stored in large barrels. At Mount
Vernon, large quantities of meat and fish were salt-cured for shipping and were sold. Also, the
preserved meat and fish were used to feed family, guests, servants, and slaves throughout the
year. The salt house, located near the Mansion, was kept locked to prevent theft. Washington,
who never wasted space, probably used this area for storage of other items like bar iron for the
nearby blacksmith shop.
Q. How many fish could Washington catch in one season?
A. In just one season, more than one million fish were pulled from the river by Washington’s
slaves.
9. GARDENER’S HOUSE
In 1797, George Washington hired a young Scotsman, William Spence, to serve as his head
gardener. Spence was responsible for overseeing work in both the upper and lower gardens.
Records indicate that at any given time, three enslaved workers tended the gardens under
Spence’s direction. Spence reported directly to General Washington who was quite specific in
his expectations for his gardener. He detailed the responsibilities of the gardener in a letter to a
friend, “The man ought to be a good Kitchen Gardener; to have some knowledge of a Green house and hot
house, and to raise things in hot beds.” In payment for the job, Washington specified that the
gardener would be “furnished with a good apartment, convenient to his work, to reside in.”
Q. There are glass bell jars on the floor. What do you think they were used for?
A. The bell jars were placed over small seedlings, creating a mini-greenhouse effect, which
helped the small plants grow in cooler months.

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Q. How did the gardener stay in contact with his family back in Scotland?
A. William Spence used a feather quill, ink, and paper to write letters, which he mailed in
bundles. You can see these items on the desk in the gardener’s house.
10. SERVANTS’ HALL
Strangers to the Estate, as well as servants accompanying guests, were sometimes housed in this
building. At the time of his death, Washington was sorting his military and presidential papers
here. The servants’ hall is attached to the Mansion by a covered walkway called a colonnade.
Q. Other than strangers to the Washington family, what type of visiting servants would have
been given lodging in the servants’ hall?
A. Coachmen, children’s tutors, ladies maids, and valets are examples of servants staying in the
servants’ hall.
11. KITCHEN
The kitchen was one of the busiest places on the plantation. Here, slaves such as Lucy, Nathan,
and Hercules, prepared meals for Washington family members and guests. The large fireplace or
hearth was used for cooking. The beehive wall oven was used for baking breads and cakes. The
two rooms to the west end of the kitchen are the scullery, where dishes were washed, and the
larder, where food was kept cool to delay spoiling.
There are two rooms upstairs. In the early years, Lucy and her family lived there. In later years,
the Washingtons employed a paid housekeeper, Mrs. Forbes, who lived above the Kitchen.
Q. Different woods were used as firewood during cooking. Why?
A. Different woods add flavor to foods. Also, some woods burn hotter than others. It would
have been quite an art to cook.
Q. Where did the cooks get their supplies for cooking?
A. Most raw materials were grown or raised on the farm.
12. LOWER GARDEN
Also known as the kitchen garden - the fruits, vegetables, and herbs now grown are noted in
George Washington’s writings and in weekly reports from the head gardener. The fruit trees
trained against the wall (espaliers) and those grown around the beds (cordons) are documented
in records. The two dipping cisterns show the custom of “softening” water by exposing it to
sunlight and air before using it to water plants. Mrs. Washington oversaw the lower garden.
Herbs were planted around the vegetables and helped repel insects.
Q. Why was the kitchen garden completely surrounded by a brick wall?
A. The high brick enclosure promoted a warm environment that extended the planting season,
while serving as an effective barrier to wild animals. Due to the slope of the land, the garden
is terraced to create two flat planting areas, which benefit from the southern exposure.
Q. Name some of the plants that might have been grown in George Washington’s lower garden.
A. Vegetables: beets, cabbage, green beans, lettuce, peas, and turnips. Fruits: apples, apricots,
cherries, nectarines, peaches, and pears. Herbs: rosemary, thyme, lavender, mint, lemon
balm, sage, and parsley.

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13. STOREHOUSE
Within sight of the Mansion, the storehouse was under the watchful eye of George Washington
and his farm manager. From here, valuable supplies were dispersed: blankets, clothes, and tools
to the slaves; nails and copper to the carpenters; leather and thread to the shoemaker; powder
and shot to the huntsmen. The items stored here – more than 500 were listed in the inventory
taken at Washington’s death – were kept under lock and key. They were registered in a ledger,
as was each distribution to the workers, so Washington could track the use of his goods.
Q. What are some of the items in the storehouse that you recognize?
A. Items in the storehouse include farm tools, nails, gunpowder horns, candle molds, beehives,
and a gun.
14. CLERK’S QUARTERS/PAINT CELLAR
General Washington employed secretaries and clerks to help with his plantation businesses. In
1799, Albin Rawlins, a clerk at the Mansion House Farm, lived in these quarters. In 1798, George
Washington described the clerk as someone “to copy and record letters and other Papers, to keep
Books…and an account of articles received from and delivered to the Farms…”
The clerk’s quarters were convenient to the Mansion’s study, from which Washington could
quickly summon his clerk.
The paint cellar was beneath the clerk’s quarters. Maintaining the Mansion outbuildings with
fresh coats of paint was a continual, labor-intensive process. Tom Davis was one slave called
upon by George Washington to maintain the red roofs and white siding of Mount Vernon’s
many buildings. Paint was an expensive commodity in 18th-century America and was imported
in powder form, which was then hand-mixed with linseed oil just before use. When not in use,
the oils and leftover mixed paints were stored here for safekeeping.
Q. What fluids were mixed with the pigments to make paint?
A. Linseed oil and occasionally water. Whitewash was made by mixing lime and water.
Sometimes a small amount of salt, sugar, or “Spanish whiting” was added.
Q. What sort of items did Washington purchase abroad?
A. Fine goods such as elegant clothing, clear glass, fine china, furniture, and art are just a few of
the items purchased since they could not be made at Mount Vernon.
15. SMOKEHOUSE
A large supply of meat was necessary to feed the Washington family, their many guests, and the
large number of slaves and servants at Mount Vernon. Small animals such as fowl and fish
could be eaten before they spoiled, but larger animals, including hogs and cattle, had to be
preserved to last through the winter months. After slaves salted or pickled the meat, they hung
it on the rails inside the smokehouse above a smoldering fire set into the pit in the center of the
building. After smoking, the meats remained hanging or were packed in barrels filled with
ashes for long-term storage. Mrs. Washington was proud of the hams produced at Mount
Vernon and often sent them as gifts to special friends. The smokehouse was another outbuilding
kept locked for security.

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Q. What types of meat were preserved by smoking over the pit?
A. Pork and beef were smoked for preservation.
16. WASH HOUSE
The clothing of Washington family members, guests, and indentured servants was laundered
in the wash house. This was a difficult job for the slaves who worked there: They hauled 25 to
30 buckets of water each day, made soap of lye and animal fat, and cleaned the laundry in
cauldrons of boiling water, which they stirred with heavy wooden poles. After the clothing
dried, the washerwomen would starch and iron the clothes; the irons were heated in the fire or
they used a large wooden mangle board to press the clothing.
The laundry yard is behind the wash house. Whites and linens were laid out on the grass to dry
and/or get bleached by the sun.
Q. How did Vinny, Caroline, and other slaves who worked in the wash house identify the
clothing? How did they know which clothes belonged to whom?
A. Each item of clothing was identified with hand-sewn initials – this was called a “laundry
mark.”
Q. How was a mangle board used?
A. A mangle board was a machine used for pressing and smoothing fabric between two rollers.
17. STABLE AND COACH HOUSE
In 1781, George Washington’s wooden stable burned down. He designed a new stable and it
was built the following year in brick. Today in the center section of the stable there is a coach
similar to one owned by George Washington. This coach was owned by the Powels of
Philadelphia who were friends of the Washingtons.
Many horses were kept in George Washington’s stable including Magnolia, an Arabian racehorse,
and Nelson and Blueskin, the horses George Washington rode during the Revolutionary War. Of
the two horses, Nelson was Washington’s favorite because he remained calmer in battles. Peter
Hardiman, a slave, oversaw the stable and the care of General Washington’s horses.
Q. How many horses did it take to pull a coach the size of the one in Washington’s stable?
A. This coach would use four to six horses.
Across from the stable is a light-weight riding chair which was a popular vehicle in
Washington’s time. As a young man, George Washington acquired a riding chair similar to the
one on display today. Popular in America and England, the riding chair was pulled by only one
horse and could travel country lanes and back roads more easily than bulkier four-wheeled
coaches. Riding chairs were relatively inexpensive in comparison with other wheeled vehicles
and were used by members of all social classes as an easy way to travel the rough Virginia
terrain. Also, in the 18th century, taxes were based on the number of wheels a vehicle had,
adding to the popularity of this two-wheeled vehicle.
18. DUNG REPOSITORY
The “repository for dung” was designed to compost animal manure and a variety of organic
materials to cure into fertilizer for use in the nearby gardens and orchards. This building

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illustrates George Washington’s dedication to finding ways to improve the fertility of his soils
and to converting Mount Vernon into a model of progressive farming. The original 31-by-12-foot
open-walled structure was built in 1787 and was reconstructed in 2001. Archaeologists revealed
remnants of the brick foundation walls along with the virtually intact cobblestone floor and they
have been incorporated into the reconstructed building. Washington’s dung repository is the
first known structure in the United States devoted to composting.
Q. Why did George Washington spend so much time and energy to produce compost for the
gardens?
A. As a scientific farmer, Washington tested several methods of improving and maintaining the
productivity of his farm land. Compost proved to be an effective tool.
19. PADDOCK
George Washington was a respected livestock breeder and in 1786 started a special breeding
project that he hoped would change farming in America - he began breeding mules. Washington
noted that mules, which are the offspring of male donkeys and female horses, worked harder
and longer than most draft animals. From the King of Spain, he received a male donkey named
Royal Gift, which he bred with his mares. The project was successful, and by 1799 there were
over 50 mules working at Mount Vernon. Word of Washington’s success spread to farmers
across the country, and by the late 1800s, more than 2,000,000 mules and donkeys had
revolutionized American agriculture.
“I hope to secure a race of extraordinary goodness which will stock the Country.” – George Washington
on his mule-breeding program, 1788.
Q. What animal did George Washington sell to other farmers?
A. Washington sold mules to other farmers; he said that mules worked harder and longer than
most draft animals.
20. FRUIT GARDEN AND NURSERY
George Washington spent much of his life experimenting with plants and crops. In 1771, he first
used this four-acre garden to experiment with grapes. Washington planted more than 2,000
grape cuttings, but they were neglected and became overgrown in his absence during the
Revolutionary War. After the war, he used the garden as a nursery and planted a variety of
grasses, wheat, grains, and vegetables to produce seeds for his farming operation. In 1786, he
designed an orchard, which covered two-thirds of the garden’s area, and included dozens of
saplings that had been sent to him by family and friends. He also transplanted mature trees
from his own gardens.
The orchard supplied the Washingtons with fresh fruit for nearly six months of the year.
Washington kept detailed information on the trees planted, and records include 11 varieties of
pears, four of apples, three of peaches, two of cherries, and a number of plums. He also
experimented with honey locust, a thorny plant, as a living hedge to fence his gardens and
nursery.
Q. Why did George Washington develop a nursery area to produce seeds?
A. George Washington wanted his farming operation to be self-sufficient. He believed it was
“disreputable” for a farmer to continue to buy seeds year after year.

Q. What were the benefits of using a living hedge as fencing?
A. Using a living hedge, or dense thorny shrubs, was a way to conserve timber and to keep
animals from destroying plants.
NOTE: Please allow 15 minutes in your group’s itinerary to visit
Washington’s Tomb and the slave memorial.
21. WASHINGTON’S TOMB
George Washington died at Mount Vernon on December 14, 1799. His funeral and burial in the
family vault took place on December 18, 1799. Although Congress immediately resolved to
build a monument in his honor in the new Capitol with a tomb for Washington, his will
stipulated that a new tomb be built at Mount Vernon. According to General Washington’s wish,
his heirs built this tomb and General and Mrs. Washington, who died in 1802, were interred here
in 1831.
Q. How many family members are buried in the Washington Tomb?
A. George and Martha Washington are buried in the two sarcophagi located at the tomb
entrance. Twenty-five family members are interred behind the black vault door. Two family
members are buried in the site next to the tomb.
22. SLAVE BURIAL GROUND AND MEMORIAL
Although Washington was a slaveholder, he came to believe that slavery was wrong. In his will,
Washington freed his slaves and provided for their care and education. Many of the slaves are
buried at Mount Vernon but their grave markers have long since disappeared, so individual
sites are unknown.
Mount Vernon records indicate that this burial ground was a cemetery used by slaves and free
blacks in the 18thand 19th centuries. In 1799 there were 316 slaves living and working at Mount
Vernon. While no markers exist on this hillside, ground-penetrating radar indicates that as
many as 75 graves exist here. In 1929, the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association placed a stone
marker to commemorate the site. In 1983, a slave memorial, which was designed by students
from Howard University honoring the men, women, and children who toiled in slavery at
Mount Vernon, was constructed at the burial ground.
Records show that William “Billy” Lee, General Washington’s personal servant during the
Revolutionary War and the only slave granted freedom immediately upon the death of
Washington, is buried here.
Q. What three words are written on the steps of the slave memorial erected in 1983?
A. Love, Hope, and Faith were specifically selected by the monument’s designers.
NOTE: Please allow 15 to 30 minutes in your group’s itinerary to explore
the Pioneer Farm, the 16-sided treading barn, and the slave cabin.
23. GEORGE WASHINGTON: PIONEER FARMER SITE
George Washington was an innovative farmer. Over a period of some 40 years he expanded
Mount Vernon from a 2,000-acre plantation to an estate of 8,000 acres. Washington divided the
estate into five working farms by the time of his death in 1799. He was a leader in the practice of
“new husbandry,” an agricultural reform movement of the 18th century. New husbandry
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methods sought to renew the soil and improve its fertility and productivity. In the mid-1760s, he
switched from tobacco to wheat as his main cash crop largely because of the depleting effect
tobacco has on soil. He also began a seven-year crop rotation system to assist in the
improvement of the soil. He instituted deep plowing to conserve soil and experimented with
various fertilizers such as creek mud, marl, manure, and plaster of Paris to help improve the
soils on his farms. Washington experimented with planting his crops in straight rows rather
than scattering seeds; he planted grasses, clover, and buckwheat to restore nutrients to the soil.
Over the years, Washington grew more than 60 different crops at Mount Vernon. Many were used
to feed his family, slaves, and livestock. However, Washington also sold his crops for profit.
In the early 1790s Washington designed and constructed a unique 16-sided treading barn to
process wheat, his main cash crop. The floor on the upper level of the barn had gaps between
the floor boards. Wheat from his fields was laid on the floor and then horses would gallop on
it – causing the grain to fall below. George Washington firmly believed that through careful
experimentation and innovation, American farming could be improved and the United States
would one day become a “granary for the world.”
Q. In 1799, there were five working farms on the 8,000-acre Mount Vernon plantation. What are
their names?
A. (1) Mansion Farm; (2) River Farm; (3) Dogue Run Farm; (4) Muddy Hole Farm; (5) Union Farm.
Q. Why did George Washington design a 16-sided treading barn?
A. Washington believed that treading wheat and other grains inside would reduce the loss of
grains and keep the crop clean and safe from weather. Also, using horses instead of manual
labor was much more efficient.
Q. What was George Washington’s cash crop before he switched to wheat?
A. Tobacco was the cash crop before Washington switched to wheat. Although tobacco remained
the primary cash crop of many farmers in the 18th century, it was very hard on the soil,
therefore it was not unusual for a farmer to farm land until the soil was depleted and then
move west. Washington believed this practice was wasteful. In addition, Britain controlled
the tobacco markets and this created difficulty for planters in Virginia and other colonies. All
tobacco had to be shipped to England first for inspection and sale. Often times this reduced
the profit for the colonial planter. George Washington wanted a cash crop that he could sell
both locally and in Europe. He believed that planting wheat was the answer.
Q. Why did George Washington use different types of fencing at Mount Vernon? Can you find
different kinds of fences and how they were used?
A. George Washington was advanced in his use of enclosed areas; fences were used to keep
animals both on and off pasture lands. There were also fences to keep wild animals off
cropland. Examples of fencing at Mount Vernon are hurdle fencing, post and rail fencing,
wattle fencing, and split rail fencing.
24. SLAVE CABIN
In 1799, Mount Vernon was home to 316 enslaved workers. Approximately 226 enslaved men,
women, and children lived in clusters of cabins. As fieldworkers, they worked from sun-up to
sun-down, planting, cultivating, and harvesting Washington’s cash crop, wheat, as well as the
other crops grown at Mount Vernon. Almost two-thirds of the fieldworkers were women.

Children joined the workforce around the age of 12; until then, they were responsible for chores
around their home.
This reconstructed slave cabin is typical of structures that would have been found on one of
Washington’s farms. It has an earthen floor, a chinked wooden chimney covered with clay, and a
wooden shutter rather than glass in the window. In the 18thcentury, a slave cabin of this size
would have been home to one family. Mount Vernon interprets the area as home to Silla, who
lived on Dogue Run farm with her six children. Her husband, Slammin’ Joe, lived and worked
at the Mansion House farm and most likely would have spent Saturday evenings and Sundays
with his family.
Q. Where do you think the family members slept at night?
A. The bed in the corner most likely would have been used by adult members of the family.
The children would have slept on blankets on the floor.
Q. Where would the slaves store their food?
A. In the root cellar in the floor.
Q. What is the source of light and heat for the slaves?
A. In addition to being used for preparing meals, the fireplace provided light and heat while the
small window and doorway also allowed natural light into the cabin.
NOTE: The forest trail includes several steep hills.
Please allow 15 minutes in your group’s itinerary to walk the trail.
25. FOREST TRAIL
Of the 8,000 total acres Washington owned at Mount Vernon, about 3,200 acres were cultivated
farm land. Much of the remaining land, more than 4,000 acres, remained uncultivated. The
forest supplied firewood for the Estate’s entire population, lumber for construction, and wood
and timber for fencing. The animals in the forest provided food for the family and the slaves.
Washington believed it was important to conserve land and protect wildlife – he prohibited
over-hunting deer on his land. Today, the forest trail provides the opportunity to explore the
natural landscape of Mount Vernon. There are signs along the trail that tell how vegetation and
wildlife have changed since George Washington’s time.
Q. Who were the first inhabitants of this area?
A. For thousands of years before the Washington family acquired the land in 1674, Native
Americans resided in the area. Three separate tribes lived along this stretch of the Potomac
River – the Dogue, Patawomeke, and Piscataway Indians. George Washington named one of
his farms Dogue Run farm.
Q. What animals that we rarely see today lived in the forests of Mount Vernon during
George Washington’s lifetime?
A. The American bison, the timber wolf, the black bear, and the passenger pigeon would have
inhibited the forests of Mount Vernon. Although black bears and timber wolves still live in
American forests, they are generally found in more isolated locations.
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III.. EXPLORING THE DONALD W. REYNOLDS EDUCATION CENTER
The Education Center offers a memorable experience that spans George Washington’s lifetime.
Specifically designed for students, the Education Center features 23 interactive galleries and theaters
including a 4-D immersion movie, dynamic graphic displays, surround-sound audio programs, and
the most lifelike models of Washington ever created.
NOTE: Please allow a minimum of 60 minutes in your groups’ itinerary to explore the Education Center.
26. DISCOVER THE REAL GEORGE WASHINGTON
Among the top attractions in the Education Center are three lifelike figures of George
Washington at ages 19, 45, and 57. In this recreated laboratory setting, students will learn how
forensic scientists, artists, technology specialists, historians, and art historians worked together
to create the three nearly flesh-and-blood George Washingtons.
Q. What types of evidence did the scientific team draw on to create the three lifelike George
Washington figures?
A. Scientific evidence was used by scanning the Houdon bust, measuring artifacts such as
George Washington’s clothing, and using documentation which provided the eye color, skin
tone, and hair type. These items served as the primary evidence for constructing the three
lifelike figures.
27. THE YOUNG VIRGINIAN
Washington was born in 1732 on a small Virginia plantation. When young George was 11, his
father died, leaving the family with little money. Washington’s formal education ended and
soon thereafter he entered his first profession - land surveyor.
Exhibited here in a rustic woodland setting is the first lifelike figure of George Washington at
age 19 with red hair and blue eyes. An exhibit case contains Washington’s very own surveying
instruments and one of his surveys.
Q. Why did the Washington family move so often?
A. Augustine Washington, George Washington’s father, was very ambitious and bought several
plantations. He moved his family to establish new farms. The family experienced a setback in
1740 when their home burned, forcing them to temporarily move back to another plantation.
Q. Which family member was an important mentor to George Washington?
A. George Washington’s half brother Lawrence Washington was a mentor after their father
died.
Q. What were the “Rules of Civility,” and how did they help to build George Washington’s
character?
A. “The Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour In Company and Conversation” is the name of a list
best-known as a school writing exercise for George Washington. Most of the rules have been
traced to a French etiquette manual, dating from the late 16th century. Although it is
impossible to know how deeply Washington took these to heart, there are many occasions
when he put them into action.
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Q. What was Rule 82 and how would George Washington have used this rule in his life?
A. Rule 82 states:“Undertake not what you cannot Perform but be Careful to keep your Promise.”
After successfully winning America’s quest for independence in 1783, General Washington
kept his promise to serve only for the length of the war. That December, with the war over,
he submitted his resignation to Congress.
28. UPSTART COLONIAL OFFICER
In the 1750s, all of the settlers living in the original 13 American colonies, including George
Washington’s native Virginia, were ruled by Great Britain. By the mid-1700s, some of the British
settlers had begun to move west to settle in an area called the Ohio Territory, which was claimed
by both France and Britain. The French built forts in the Ohio Territory and made friends with
many of the Indian tribes, who resented the encroachment by British settlers on their land. In
1753, the King of England ordered Governor Robert Dinwiddie of Virginia to pressure the
French and any hostile Indians to leave the territory. George Washington was only 21 years old
at this time.
Bursting with ambition and eager to build a career in the British army, Washington approached
Governor Dinwiddie and volunteered to travel on horseback into the Ohio Country to scope out
the situation. Upon returning from this dangerous mission, Washington was hailed a hero and
appointed lieutenant colonel of the Virginia Regiment. This was the beginning of George
Washington’s time as a British colonial officer in the French & Indian War from 1753 until 1758.
Q. Who started the French & Indian War?
A. George Washington and a company of soldiers under his command attacked and killed a
French adjutant, which led to the first battle of the French & Indian War.
Q. Who won the French & Indian War?
A. The British. The 1763 Treaty of Paris awarded Britain all of France’s North American
territories and land claims east of the Mississippi except for New Orleans.
Q. How did Washington’s experiences in the French & Indian War help to build his character?
A. Washington began his military career as a major in the service of Virginia. Young, ambitious,
fearless, and thoroughly inexperienced, the young colonial officer soon found himself at the
center of controversy and world war. Despite several major blunders, he emerged a few
years later as one of the colony’s first war heroes with a reputation as a natural born leader.
NOTE: Consider viewing “A Very Private Romance” – this 10-minute video reveals the
trials and tribulations behind George and Martha Washington’s inspiring 40-year marriage.
29. GENTLEMAN PLANTER
In 1758, Washington decided to leave his military ambitions behind because as a colonial officer,
he could not enter the ranks of the regular British Army. He resigned from the Virginia
Regiment and came to live at Mount Vernon, which he had recently inherited from his elder half
brother Lawrence. That same year he was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses.
Determined to rise to the top tier of the Virginia planter class, George Washington began to

enlarge his house, and in 1759, he married the widow Martha Dandridge Custis, who along
with her two children, Jacky and Patsy, took up residence at Mount Vernon. For the next 16
years, Washington lived in domestic tranquility while building his landholdings and wealth. He
also continued to sit in the House of Burgesses, joined the Free Masons, and served as a
vestryman in the Anglican Church.
Q. Why do you think George Washington wanted to rise in Virginia society?
A. Although Washington had accumulated some wealth and land from his days as a surveyor
and colonial officer, he was far from being one of the leading planters in Virginia. That
changed when he married one of Virginia’s wealthiest widows. Backed by Martha
Washington’s fortune, Washington enlarged his plantation. This combined with his multiple
roles as a Burgess, church vestryman, and active Freemason, allowed him to achieve new
standing in Virginia society.
Q. How did Washington win his first election to the Virginia House of Burgesses?
A. Following the practice of the day, George Washington campaigned at local taverns, buying
drinks for potential voters. In 1758, he picked up the tab on more than 150 gallons of rum,
punch, wine, brandy, beer, and hard cider. His largesse won him 3,307 votes and a seat in the
House of Burgesses.
30. BECOMING A REVOLUTIONARY
As Washington worked to realize his ambitions, he became extremely frustrated with British
trade policies. Throughout the colonies during the 1760s and into the mid-1770s, resentment
against Great Britain mounted, especially as Parliament levied taxes on goods like sugar,
textiles, and tea. Since the colonists had no representation in Parliament, “taxation without
representation” became a repeated cry throughout the land. Angry colonists took the law into
their own hands, running tax collectors out of town, burning a British revenue ship, and
dumping tea into Boston Harbor, among other acts of defiance. In retaliation, the British military
cracked down with force – and the situation escalated.
When the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia in May 1775, fighting between the
British and the Colonists had already broken out at Lexington and Concord with the “shot heard
round the world.” Before adjourning in June, the Continental Congress voted to go to war against
Great Britain and chose George Washington as commander in chief of the Continental Army.
Q. Why didn’t George Washington sign the Declaration of Independence?
A. George Washington was in New York with the Continental Army preparing troops to face the
British.
NOTE: Consider viewing “George Washington Commander In Chief” – this 14-minute
action-packed theater experience immerses viewers in the strategies behind
George Washington’s campaigns in Boston, Trenton, and Yorktown.
31. FIRST IN WAR
When Washington took over as commander in chief of the Continental Army, all odds were
against him. With no navy, a meager budget, and a small untrained force of citizen-soldiers, his
challenge was to defeat the largest and most powerful nation in the entire world. But he and his
generals were determined to win – and eventually, after eight long years of hardship and
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struggle, the American forces, with help from Britain’s old enemy France, prevailed. The second
lifelike figure of George Washington, a 45-year old commander in chief, is exhibited here on his
horse, Blueskin, at Valley Forge.
Q. What was the leading cause of death for the American forces in the Revolutionary War?
A. Diseases such as dysentery, typhoid, small pox, and other “camp fevers” plagued the
Continental Army.
32. CITIZEN SOLDIER
When the war was finally over, George Washington resigned his commission and came home to
Mount Vernon to resume the life of a farmer. He did so at the height of his power when, if he
had chosen to do so, he could probably have been crowned king. But because he believed so
strongly in the cause of freedom for which he had fought, he handed the reins of power back to
the American people.
Q. How did George Washington differ from Napoleon, Cromwell, and Julius Caesar?
A. Unlike other leaders of successful revolutions throughout world history, Washington truly
placed power in the hands of the people; he gave up his power and retired from public life.
33. VISIONARY ENTREPRENEUR
When George Washington came home to Mount Vernon after the war, he returned
enthusiastically to his favorite occupation - farming. Among other innovations, he introduced
the mule to American agriculture, developed a seven-year crop rotation system, experimented
with a variety of fertilizers, continued his major fishing operation along the Potomac River,
added the “high-tech,” labor-saving Oliver Evans milling system to his gristmill, and built the
largest whiskey distillery of its time in the United States. He did all of these things – and more –
not only for his own personal gain, but to promote the future of American agriculture and
industry.
Q. What three products are in the barrels on display?
A. Flour, fish, and whiskey are in the barrels, which were all major Washington exports.
Q. Why did George Washington build a gristmill and a distillery?
A. After Mount Vernon grew to 8,000 acres, Washington sought new ways to fund the
expanding operation. In 1770, Washington constructed the gristmill to grind his new cash
crop, wheat, into flour. The mill also ground corn, the second largest crop at Mount Vernon,
which was used for rations for paid staff, indentured servants, and the enslaved population.
In 1797, he began making whiskey on the advice he received from his farm manager, James
Anderson, a trained distiller from Scotland. Both flour and whiskey brought in good profits
for Washington.
34. THE DILEMMA OF SLAVERY
Having grown up in a society where slavery was an accepted practice, George Washington was
a slave owner nearly all of his life. At age 11, he inherited 10 slaves from his father’s estate, and
by the time of his own death at age 67 in 1799, he and his wife, Martha, together owned more
than 300 slaves. However, over the years, and especially during and after the Revolutionary
War, Washington’s attitude towards slavery began to change. He decided not to buy and sell
slaves and refused to separate families. By the time of his death, he believed strongly that

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slavery was morally wrong, and in his will, he freed his own slaves, although he had no power
to free Martha’s “dower slaves,” who were part of the estate that she had inherited from her first
husband, Daniel Parke Custis.
Because George Washington kept such good records, Mount Vernon has more information about
the slaves who lived and worked here than most other historic sites. We know their names and
the names of their spouses and children – and we also know their occupations. In addition to
field workers, George Washington had other slaves who were skilled. These were housekeepers,
cooks, laundry women, spinners, weavers, bricklayers, blacksmiths, carpenters, shoemakers,
ditchers, coopers, millers, and distillers.
Q. What are some of the tasks completed by Mount Vernon slaves?
A. Slave occupations included field hands, carpenters, weavers, blacksmiths, house servants,
cooks, bricklayers, and overseers.
Q. Who was Hercules, and why was he in Philadelphia during George Washington’s
presidency?
A. Hercules was the master chef for the Washingtons at Mount Vernon. When they moved to the
presidential house in Philadelphia, the Washingtons brought Hercules to cook for them.
35. A LEADER’S SMILE
George Washington suffered from poor teeth nearly all of his adult life. He lost his first two
teeth in his twenties, and by the time of his death, he had none left at all. Throughout his service
to his country, he suffered the extreme pain and discomfort of abscessed teeth and ill-fitting
dentures. Although he owned several sets of dentures during his lifetime, only one complete set
remains.
Q. Were George Washington’s dentures made of wood?
A. No, George Washington’s dentures were made of human and animal teeth, ivory, and lead.
The dentures had springs to help them open and bolts to hold them together.
36. INDISPENSABLE AMERICAN
After the Revolutionary War, the new country consisted of a loose alliance of 13 independent
states. Without a strong central government to establish unity, each state steered its own course,
raised its own money, and paid little attention to Congress. This fragile state of the country left it
vulnerable to rising debt, internal strife, and foreign invasion. It soon became clear to George
Washington and others that corrective measures must be taken if the nation were to survive.
In May 1787, with the country in danger of failing, the Constitutional Convention was convened
in Philadelphia with delegates from 12 of the 13 states attending and George Washington
presiding. The delegates’ task was to craft a document that would support a new, unified, yet
democratic form of government. Throughout the convention, Washington stood above conflicts
between individual states to encourage the compromises necessary to produce one of the
world’s greatest political documents: the United States Constitution.
After structuring the new government, the delegates debated how to divide power between the
executive, legislative, and judiciary branch. They also argued over how much power the
president should have, what his term of office should be, and whether he should command the
armed forces. In the end, the founders placed enormous power in the president, in large part

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because they knew that as the nation’s first president, George Washington would not abuse that
power.
Q. Why did the delegates place so much trust in Washington?
A. The delegates knew he would fill the role of chief executive with great skill and would set
precedents for all future presidents.
Q. What key issues were debated at the Constitutional Convention?
A. The key issues were states’ rights, slavery, representation, executive power, and commerce.
Q. Why was the Constitutional Convention important?
A. It created a new and lasting system of government for the United States.
Q. What made the Constitution so unique?
A. Its system of checks and balances, which are intended to make sure that no one branch of
government becomes too powerful.
37. THE PEOPLE’S PRESIDENT
In 1789, after the new Constitution had been ratified by the states, the country unanimously
elected George Washington as America’s first president. In April of 1789, Washington journeyed
by horse and carriage from Mount Vernon to New York City, the nation’s temporary capital,
where he would be sworn in as president. As he passed through each village and town, church
bells rang and crowds cheered him. During the last leg of the trip, he boarded a decorated barge
to cross the Hudson River where the entire city turned out.
On April 30, 1789, Washington took the presidential oath of office from the second floor balcony
of New York City’s Federal Hall. Humbled by the responsibilities that lay before him, he
delivered a short inaugural speech that touched the hearts of the thousands of citizens
thronging the street below.
As the first president, Washington knew that the success or failure of the new government
depended on his actions. He also knew that he would be setting an example for all future
presidents to follow. He carefully oversaw every aspect of his office from selecting his first
cabinet to deciding on the title people should call him – Mr. President. He sought diverse points
of view before steering a course that he believed would serve the nation’s best interests.
The third lifelike figure of Washington, at age 57, shows him being sworn in as the first
president of the United States.
Q. What are some of the major concerns that George Washington had to deal with during his
two terms as president?
A. George Washington dealt with a large war debt, no banking system, no presidential home,
and constant criticism from the press.
Q. Who were the members of George Washington’s original cabinet and what offices did they
hold?
A. The original cabinet members were Thomas Jefferson, secretary of state; Alexander Hamilton,
secretary of treasury; Henry Knox, secretary of war; and, Edmund Randolph, attorney general.

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Q. What was an important precedent Washington set as the nation’s first president?
A. Washington refused to secure a third term as president allowing for the peaceful transfer of
power to the second president, John Adams.
38. PRIVATE CITIZEN
In 1797, George Washington left the presidency at the end of his second term in office and
returned home to Mount Vernon. He was 65 years old. Two-and-a-half years later, on December
14, 1799, he died suddenly of a severe throat infection called quinsy. Although his death was
hard and painful, he bore his final hours with quiet dignity.
Q. How old was George Washington when he died?
A. George Washington was 67 when he died.
Q. What were his final words?
A. “Tis well.”
Q. What did Martha Washington do after her husband’s death?
A. After 40 years of marriage, Martha Washington followed custom and closed their bedroom,
moving to the Mansion’s third floor. There, she quietly mourned. Lady Washington died in
1802 shortly before her 71st birthday.
NOTE: Consider viewing “A Leader of Character” – this 5-minute theater-in-the-round
experience is a moving celebration of George Washington’s continuing Legacy.

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IV. EXPLORING THE DONALD W. REYNOLDS MUSEUM
The museum tells the story of the personal taste and style of George and Martha Washington. Teachers
and students will see more than 500 original objects on display – the very things George and Martha
Washington wore, read, and used.
NOTE: Please allow a minimum of 30 minutes in your group’s itinerary to explore the Museum.
39. HOUDON BUST
The Houdon Bust is a sculpture that was modeled in clay, from life, right here at Mount Vernon
in 1785 by French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon. Houdon arrived at Mount Vernon to take
George Washington’s likeness in preparation for a statue to be placed in the Virginia State
Capitol. The artist created a clay bust capturing this expression, as well as a life mask of
Washington that Houdon took back to France to make the life-size marble sculpture. Houdon
left the original clay bust with Washington who placed it in his study at Mount Vernon.
The bust is considered to be the most accurate likeness of George Washington and it has
remained at Mount Vernon since its creation. Washington’s family members said it was the best
likeness of him they had ever seen.
Q. How did the sculptor, Jean-Antoine Houdon, capture George Washington’s likeness in
preparation for a statue to be placed in the Virginia State Capitol?
A. Houdon followed Washington around Mount Vernon for two weeks before he captured the
image he wanted. It was Washington’s indignant reaction to the high price of horses that
gave Houdon the look he desired for the sculpture.
Q. What other pieces did Houdon create in preparation of the statue?
A. Houdon created a life mask and a clay bust of George Washington. The bust you see today
remained at Mount Vernon when Houdon returned to France.
40. THE WORLD OF WASHINGTON
George Washington was not born into Virginia aristocracy, but his taste for refined goods
developed early and like his qualities of character and leadership, remained constant
throughout his life. The world of Washington was shaped by the fine and decorative arts he
selected for Mount Vernon and his executive residences. The furniture, glass, silver, and
decorative elements seen here reflect Washington’s concern over properly portraying his
position as a military leader, Virginia gentleman, and the nation’s first president.
Q. Did George Washington live in the White House?
A. No, the White House had not been built. He served his presidency in New York City and
Philadelphia.
Q. Where is the most recognizable image of George Washington seen today?
A. Gilbert Stuart painted George Washington (ca. 1800). Today it is the most recognizable image
because an engraving of the painting appears on the U.S. one dollar bill.

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41. FROM SOLDIER TO STATESMAN
George Washington followed the 18th-century gentleman’s tradition of public service by
protecting British colonists from the French and their Indian allies, as a member of the Virginia
House of Burgesses, commander in chief of the Continental Army, and as first President of the
United States. He demonstrated qualities of leadership and character that became known
worldwide and the objects around him conveyed his role and position as a general and a
statesman.
The Society of the Cincinnati, the oldest hereditary military society in America, was founded at
the end of the Revolutionary War. The function of the organization was to provide continued
fellowship between the French and American officers who served together in the Continental
Army as well as to raise funds to support the veterans’ families. The society was named for the
fifth-century B.C. Roman military leader Cincinnatus, who returned to his farm after serving
Rome so valiantly.
Q. Why was George Washington compared to the fifth-century B.C. Roman military leader
Cincinnatus?
A. Cincinnatus returned to his farm after serving Rome just as George Washington gave up his
power after successfully serving as commander of the American Revolution.
Q. What personal item did George Washington give to a soldier at Valley Forge in 1778?
A. The unforgiving conditions and scarce supplies weakened the American forces at Valley
Forge. George Washington removed the spurs from his boots, ordering First Lieutenant
Thomas Lamb to take them and ride to Boston for much needed provisions.
42. AT HOME WITH THE WASHINGTONS
Wherever George Washington made his home, whether at Mount Vernon, a military camp
during the Revolutionary War, or the presidential mansion, the routines of daily life remained
the same. The entire household – family, guests, slaves, hired servants - built their days around
Washington’s schedule.
George Washington once said of Mount Vernon, “No estate in United America is more pleasantly
situated than this.” The plantation – never far from his thoughts – had come into the family through
a land grant to his great-grandfather. Washington read books and consulted experts to learn ways
of improving both the house and the grounds, and he expressed his personality through objects
commissioned from European and American artisans to beautify his home. During the 16 years he
was away for the Revolutionary War and the presidency, he relaxed by reading weekly reports
about the work being done and the welfare of those living at Mount Vernon.
Martha Washington was the mistress of Mount Vernon from 1759, when she married George
Washington, until her death in 1802. She oversaw the housekeeping, cooking, and other servant
and house slave activities at the Mansion House farm. Martha Washington was also busy
entertaining guests who visited Mount Vernon, providing them with her famous Virginia hams
and great cake.
Q. After the construction of the cupola was completed in 1787, what design did George
Washington request for his weathervane?
A. George Washington determined the design of the weathervane – a dove of peace.

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Q. What item is in the mouth of the dove?
A. George Washington requested “I should like to have a bird (in the place of the Vain) with an
olive branch in its Mouth…”
43. THE WASHINGTONS’ PERSONAL STYLE
George Washington understood the role his personal appearance played in conveying his social,
economic and political standing. Throughout his life, Washington paid close attention to the
articles he wore and carried, selecting those that he felt best defined his position as a Virginia
planter, commander in chief, and president. He kept up with fashion, but did not succumb to
every changing style, preferring good quality and well-made items that were stylish yet
understood.
Martha Washington shared her husband’s preference for fashionable personal articles that
suggested sophistication without ostentation. Mrs. Washington had the means and connections
to secure the finest goods available, yet chose those that maintained an elegant and conservative
appearance, in keeping with her roles as plantation mistress, general’s wife, first lady, mother,
and grandmother.
The clothing worn by George and Martha Washington is one of the best means by which to
understand their personal style and physical appearance. The Mount Vernon collection contains
examples of the Washingtons’ garments that range from utilitarian to formal attire. Martha
Washington’s silk gowns or George Washington’s waistcoats provide a concrete example of the
styles and fabrics worn by the nation’s leading couple.
Q. Where did George and Martha Washington purchase their clothing?
A. The Washingtons ordered their clothing from England before the American Revolution. After
the war, items of clothing were made and purchased in America.
44. BOOKS AND MANUSCRIPT GALLERY
George Washington was a man of ideas. This part of Washington’s life does not get much
attention - he always considered his education “deficient,” but he read voraciously and had
more than 800 books when he died. The titles reflect a broad diversity of interest, from
landscape architecture and agriculture to poetry and drama, history, mathematics, and
geography – to name but a few. He was what we today would call a “life-long learner.”
Washington was an entrepreneur, a gentleman architect and a scientific farmer. He was
innovative, always improving Mount Vernon.
Q. What item did Washington order for his library from London?
A. Due to his inquisitive nature and love of learning he purchased a terrestrial globe – “the most
accurate and approved kind.”
Q. How many times did Washington travel out of the country?
A. He traveled to Barbados with his half brother, Lawrence. It was Washington’s only journey
out of the country.

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V. TIMELINE OF GEORGE WASHINGTON’S LIFE AND MOUNT VERNON
1657 John Washington, great-grandfather of George Washington, sails from England to settle in Virginia.
1674 John Washington is granted the Mount Vernon home site, originally known as Little Hunting Creek plantation.
1726 Augustine Washington, father of George Washington, acquires Little Hunting Creek Plantation from his sister
Mildred.
1732 George Washington, first child of Augustine and Mary Ball Washington, is born (February 22) at Popes Creek
Plantation in Westmoreland County, Virginia. He has two elder half brothers from his father’s first marriage.
1735-39 The Washington family lives at Little Hunting Creek. In 1739 the family moves about 40 miles south to Ferry Farm,
near Fredericksburg, Virginia.
1743 Augustine Washington dies, leaving George Washington fatherless at age 11. His elder half brother, Lawrence,
inherits Little Huntington Creek and renames it Mount Vernon.
1752 George Washington receives a commission as a major in the Virginia Regiment. The following year he travels to
French outposts on the Ohio River on a diplomatic mission for Virginia Governor Dinwiddie.
1754 After the death of his half brother, Lawrence, George Washington leases Mount Vernon from Lawrence’s widow.
He becomes the owner of the estate after her death seven years later.
1755 George Washington becomes a volunteer aide on the staff of General Edward Braddock, British commander in the
French & Indian War. Later, Washington is promoted to colonel and commands the Virginia Regiment in the
Shenandoah Valley for three years.
1759 George Washington marries the widowed Martha Dandridge Custis. They settle at Mount Vernon with her two
young children, John (Jacky) Parke Custis and Martha (Patsy) Parke Custis.
1759-75 Active in Virginia politics, Washington serves as a member of the House of Burgesses, which meets in
Williamsburg.
1774 George Washington is a delegate to the Virginia Convention where he is named one of the state’s delegates to the
First Continental Congress, which meets in Philadelphia.
1775-83 George Washington attends the Second Continental Convention where he is appointed General and Commander in
Chief of the Continental Army, a position he holds throughout the American Revolution.
1787 George Washington is a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, representing Virginia, and is
chosen as the presiding officer of the convention.
1789-97 Unanimously elected, George Washington serves as president of the United States. The seat of government is in
New York for the first year and then in Philadelphia for the remainder of his two terms.
1799 General Washington dies from a throat infection called quinsy at Mount Vernon on December 14 at the age of 67.
1802 Martha Washington dies and is entombed beside her husband in the old family vault (old tomb). Mount Vernon
passes to George Washington’s nephew, Bushrod Washington.
1829 Bushrod dies, leaving Mount Vernon to his nephew, John Augustine Washington.
1831 Honoring George Washington’s Last Will and Testament, the new tomb is constructed. Washington, his wife
Martha, and other relatives buried in the old tomb are reinterred in the new tomb.
1858 The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association receives its charter from Virginia and purchases Mount Vernon from John
A. Washington, Jr., for $200,000.
1860 The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association opens Mount Vernon to the public.

26
VI. INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT GEORGE WASHINGTON
• As a boy, George Washington studied reading, arithmetic, geography, astronomy, and surveying.
Spelling and handwriting were practiced by writing in a copybook.
• George Washington’s immediate family included a younger sister and three younger brothers. He
also had two older half brothers.
• George Washington did not attend college. When he was 11, his formal education ended with the
death of his father. He believed strongly in formal education and left money and/or stocks in his
will to support three educational institutions.
• At the age of 16, George Washington went on a surveying trip across the Blue Ridge Mountains to
the Virginia frontier. He became a life-long surveyor.
• George Washington had reddish-brown hair, blue eyes, and stood approximately 6 feet 2½ inches
tall.
• Although they had no children together, George Washington helped raise Martha’s two surviving
children from her previous marriage, Martha Parke and John Parke Custis, and two of her four
grandchildren, Nelly (Eleanor Parke Custis) and Washy (George Washington Parke Custis).
• George Washington was a vestryman at two churches – Pohick Church (Truro Parish) and Christ
Church in Alexandria.
• George Washington did not have wooden false teeth. He did have dentures, but they were made
of lead, animal teeth, ivory, and some of his own teeth.
• George Washington did not wear a wig. Wigs were popular in the 18th century and were worn by
many men, but he simply powdered his own hair and tied it in the back - military style.
• George Washington did not chop down a cherry tree as a boy. After the General’s death, Parson
Mason Weems wrote this story, which concludes with Washington confessing to his father because
he “cannot tell a lie.” This story illustrated Washington’s honesty.
• George Washington trained his own horses and was described by Thomas Jefferson as the best
horseman of his time.
• When George Washington was commander in chief of the Continental Army (1775-1783), he spent
only ten days at Mount Vernon – stopping on the way both to and from the final battle of the war
in Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781.
• George Washington was the only U.S. president who did not live in the White House, which was
not completed until after his death.
• George Washington inherited ten slaves from his father when he was just eleven years old, but his
attitude toward slavery gradually changed as he grew older and as he fought for liberty in the
American Revolution. In his will, he freed those slaves belonging to him, and his estate paid for
the care of former Mount Vernon slaves for decades after his death.

27
• Nelson was George Washington’s favorite horse during the Revolutionary War. Nelson remained
calm and obedient despite the gunfire and confusion of the worst battles. In recognition of
Nelson’s wartime service, he was never ridden or required to work after the war and lived for
many years at Mount Vernon.
• By 1799, the year of his death, Washington expanded Mount Vernon to 8,000 acres, with over 3,000
acres under cultivation. African-American slaves planted and harvested Washington’s extensive
farmlands.
• George Washington was called the “American Cincinnatus.” Just as Cincinnatus left his farmland
to command the Roman legions against an invading army, Washington also left his plantation to
answer the call of his country. Both men voluntarily returned to private life as farmers after their
military service.
• A number of army officers said America should have a king or emperor at the end of the
Revolutionary War and wanted to give the job to George Washington. He opposed the idea, and
later that year Washington and his officers voluntarily resigned their military positions.
• George Washington was described as the “foremost farmer” by an Englishman after visiting
Mount Vernon. Washington was a pioneer in improving many aspects of farming and believed
that America should become a “granary to the world.” His advanced crop rotations, use of
fertilizers, experimentation with seedlings, and innovative farm equipment made him one of the
pioneers of modern agriculture.
• George Washington changed farming in America when he began breeding mules in 1786. He
believed that mules, which are the offspring of male donkeys and female horses, would work
harder and longer than most draft or pulling animals. This innovative idea revolutionized
American agriculture.
• George Washington designed a 16-sided barn that allowed horse treading to take place inside,
protecting the wheat from dirt and weather. Horses trampled the harvested wheat, trotting on a
lane inside the nearly circular barn, where the impact of their hooves broke the grain free. The
grain fell through a slatted floor to the level below where it was cleaned and stored.
• George Washington was the only president in history to have been unanimously elected. At that
time, there was no popular vote for president, only the votes of the electorial college, which was
made up of representatives from each state.
• George Washington died at age 67 at Mount Vernon on December 14, 1799, of a throat infection
called quinsy.
• During the Civil War, Mount Vernon was declared neutral ground by both the Union and
Confederacy. Soldiers of both sides could not enter the property while carrying weapons.
• Mount Vernon is not owned by the U.S. government, but is owned by the Mount Vernon Ladies’
Association. The Association was formed in 1853 to purchase and preserve George Washington’s
home and is the oldest national preservation organization in America.

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VII. RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS
FIELD TRIP ENRICHMENT MATIERALS
Go to www.MountVernon.org/Fieldtrips and download activity worksheets, lessons plans,
research papers, and our popular biography lesson, George Washington: Lessons in Leadership.
TEACHER RESOURCE CENTER AT MOUNT VERNON
Located in the Phoebe Apperson Hearst Learning Center, the Teacher Resource Center is filled
with books, curriculum kits, lesson plans, and other materials for teaching about George
Washington and his time. Teachers, curriculum specialists, and other educators are welcome to
spend as much time as they wish here, exploring the materials available and accessing the
complete scholarly edition of the Papers of George Washington, which are available online from
the center.
SPECIAL STUDENT PROGRAMS
Enhance your visit to Mount Vernon by participating in one of our specially-designed student
programs. Ranging from guided walking tours to immersive learning programs at the George
Washington: Pioneer Farmer site, Mount Vernon offers a variety of special activities which will
help you meet your state’s Standards of Learning and provide a particularly memorable
experience for your students. Go to www.MountVernon.org/Fieldtrips for more information.
DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMS
Mount Vernon’s “Face to Face” videoconferencing program allows students to engage person-to-
person with the people who were a part of George Washington’s daily life at Mount Vernon. Each
30-minute program will give students a different view of Washington, from the perspective of
either Martha Washington, the family housekeeper, Washington’s personal physician, or a colonial
storyteller. For more information, contact our Educational Outreach staff by calling 703-780-2000
or emailing education@mountvernon.org.
The Mount Vernon/Fairfax Network Partnership provides schools with engaging and free
satellite-delivered distance learning broadcasts. Go to www.fcps.edu/fairfaxnetwork for
broadcast schedules and to request free DVDs of previously broadcast programs.
GEORGE WASHINGTON PORTRAIT PROGRAM
George Washington set a timeless example of leadership, character, and civic responsibility that
deserves a place of honor in schools throughout the country. Through Mount Vernon’s George
Washington Portrait Program, portraits of the first president are available to schools free of charge!
A beautifully-framed 30” x 36” replica of Rembrandt Peale’s Porthole Portrait of George
Washington comes with a Celebration Kit, which includes a flag flown over Mount Vernon and
suggestions on how to dedicate your portrait upon arrival. Help us put George Washington back
in the classroom and in the hearts and minds of young learners everywhere! Go to
www.MountVernon.org/GWPortrait for more information.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR EDUCATORS
Mount Vernon provides special teacher training opportunities throughout the year, including our
very popular and competitive week-long Teachers’ Institutes, our annual two-day immersion
program that’s free and open to all teachers, and An Evening with Educators, our annual holiday
celebration for teachers. Each year, we also honor a creative and passionate educator with the
Mount Vernon Teacher of the Year Award. The winner receives $5,000 and an all-expenses-paid
trip for his or her students to visit Mount Vernon. For more information, contact our Educational
Outreach staff by calling 703-780-2000 or emailing education@mountvernon.org.

RECOMMENDED WEBSITES
www.mountvernon.org www.georgewashingtonwired.org
http://www.washingtonsworld.org/ www.discovergeorgewashington.org
http://marthawashington.us/ www.youtube.com/HistoricMountVernon
RECOMMENDED BOOKS
ELEMENTARY/MIDDLE SCHOOL
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2008.
Come All You Brave Soldiers: Blacks in the Revolutionary War by Clinton Cox. New York: Scholastic, 1999.
Farmer George Plants a Nation by Peggy Thomas. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press, 2008.
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2002.
Fight for Freedom: The American Revolutionary War by Benson Bobrick. New York: Atheneum Books for
Young Readers, 2004.
George Washington by Cheryl Harness. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 2000.
George Washington: A Timeless Hero by Laura Gore and Camelia Sims. Los Angeles: ZANA International,
2000.
George Washington: Leader of a New Nation by Daniel C. Gedacht. New York: Rosen Publishing Group,
2004.
George Washington, Spymaster; How the Americans Outspied the British and Won the Revolutionary War
by Thomas B. Allen. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 2004.
George vs. George: The American Revolution as Seen from Both Sides by Rosalyn Schanzer. Washington,
D.C. National Geographic, 2004.
Liberty! How the Revolutionary War Began by Lucille Recht Penner. New York: Random House, 2002.
Spy! by Anna Myers. New York: Walker Publishing Company, 2008.
The Many Faces of George Washington: Remaking a Presidential Icon by Carla Killough McClafferty.
Minneapolis, MN., 2011
The Scarlet Stockings Spy by Trinka Hakes Noble. Chelsea, MI: Sleeping Bear Press, 2004.
When Washington Crossed the Delaware by Lynne Cheney. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2004.
MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL
Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation by R. Cokie Roberts. New York: Harper Collins,
2004.
George Washington and the Founding of a Nation by Albert Marrin. New York: Dutton Children’s Books,
2001.
George Washington’s Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation. New York:
Cico Books, 2007.
George Washington and Slavery: A Documentary Portrayal by Fritz Hirschfeld. University of Missouri
Press, 1997.
Martha Washington: An American Life by Patricia Brady. New York: Penguin Group, 2005.
Martha Washington: A Brief Biography by Ellen McCallister Clark. Mount Vernon, VA: The Mount Vernon
Ladies’ Association, 2002.
Maxims of George Washington: Political, Military, Social, Moral, and Religious by John Frederick
Schroeder. Mount Vernon, VA: The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, 1989.
My Brother Sam is Dead by Christopher Collier and James Lincoln Collier. New York: Scholastic, 1974.
Realistic Visionary: A Portrait of George Washington by Peter R. Henriques. Charlottes, VA: University of
Virginia Press, 2006.
The Many Faces of George Washington: Remaking a Presidential Icon by Carla Killough McClafferty.
Minneapolis, MN., 2011.
We the People: The Story of Our Constitution by Lynne Cheney. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2008.
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IX.. MAP:DONALD W. REYNOLDS MUSEUM AND EDUCATION CENTER
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MountVernon.org • 703.780.2000
Knowledge is in every country
the surest basis of public happiness.
– GEORGE WASHINGTON, JANUARY 8, 1790

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