As promised, a few pictures follow of President George Washington's home in Mount Vernon. The house is located about 13 miles South-West of Washington, DC. So, the plan is to take in Mount Vernon today, then head up to Alexandria, VA, park at the Elks Lodge there, and then go into DC each day for 3 full days of touring.
But first, a few pix of the Mount Vernon estate. The original home was built in 1734, then slowly expanded over the next 45 years to include the current two-stories and 21 rooms. Washington oversaw each renovation, advising on design, construction, and decoration, despite being away much of the time. Conscious that the world was watching, he selected architectural features that expressed his growing status as a Virginia gentleman and ultimately as the leader of a new nation.
The estate is located on the bank of the Potomac River and has many out-buildings including structures for carriages, horse stable, ice storage, blacksmith, spinning, cooking, washing, overseer's quarters, both men's and woman's slaves quarters, shoemakers shop, smokehouse and, of course, the "necessary" ... aka, the outhouse (a 2-hole'r). Both George and Martha (and other family members) are all entombed here.
It was a very hot, 90+ degree day, but we managed to get around to most of the estate, pausing for a half hour to listen to a Martha Washington actress talk about life on the estate ... fascinating! And, air conditioned!
Tomorrow's adventure is a trip into DC to start 3 days of touring the Nation's capital.
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