home of america's first president: Mount Vernon

Happy 4th of July!  Happy "freedom from England" Anniversary America.  What better trip to write about, than my visit to Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington.  While living in DC, Mt Vernon was only a short drive, and one weekend in the Fall, I drove out to explore the old home of America's first President.  

Mount Vernon was built by George's father, but George began running the estate in 1754.  Over the years he expanded the home (now called the Mansion) and the grounds.  Take a tour of the home's exquisite décor and then explore the various gardens and outbuildings that make up the Mount Vernon estate.

Not surprising to anyone, my favorite corners of the estate were the four gardens.  The Upper Garden was used to entertain guests and showcased Washington's skills as a gardener.  The Lower Garden was specifically for Martha Washington and is where she grew fruits and vegetables to use for cooking.  The Botanical Garden was referred to as "the little garden by the salt house" and is where Washington experimented with various plants and observed their growth in the temperate Virginia soil and climate.  The final garden, The Fruit Garden, started off as a vineyard but quickly transformed into a garden for fruit trees such as apple, cherry, pear, and peach.    Washington also managed a farm on the property and reenactments now show the role enslaved people played in George Washington's quest be become a visionary farmer.  

Other buildings on the estate include a blacksmith shop, a smokehouse, and a spinning house.  There is also a working mill where Washington used to ground grain and a distillery where whiskey is still produced today.  

While there are museums and other historic areas on the property, our last stop was the tomb.  Washington requested to be buried at Mt Vernon and his wish was carried out after his 1799 death.  Years later, Martha was laid to rest beside him, along with other members of the family.  In unmarked graves just past the tombs, are the last resting place of many of the enslaved people that were forced to work at Mount Vernon.  The freed African American people who worked on the estate are also buried in this cemetery, although very little is known about the burial grounds.  Mount Vernon archaeologists have began to survey the land, hoping to help commemorate the lives of the people who lived and died at Mount Vernon.  

America has so much to admit, learn, and reconcile from her past. Thankfully Mount Vernon is not sugar coating the piece George Washington played in the dark parts of American history.