Mount Vernon

Stock photo

Mount Vernon, George Washington's home was a bit of a disappointment in some ways.  The picture above is what I expected to see.  The pictures below are the reality.

Front of Mt Vernon

Rear of Mt Vernon

The home is built of wood made to look like stone,"rusticated."  Long pine boards are grooved and beveled to create the appearance of masonry, then stained, painted and fine sand is thrown on the wet boards.  And it's more of a yellow than the white it appears to be in pictures. 

On the other hand, the estate is 500 acres and mostly restored to its original condition of the time that Washington resided here.  Multiple out buildings, gardens, both flower and vegetable, his and Martha's tomb and a museum.  We were not allowed to take pictures inside the home, but here are some interesting things from around the grounds.

A chair carriage

I'd never seen one of these, but according to the guide, this was a common mode of transportation in Washington's time.

Statue of George Washington

This was in the museum and is much more conventional than the one at the Smithsonian.

Slave quarters sleeping area

Slave quarters living area

The Necessary

This was built into a brick wall that surrounded a garden area and is quite fancy.

Interior of the Necessary

In addition to being able to take care of business while having a meeting, the "business" was contained in drawers under the seats that were removed and emptied by slaves.  Pretty interesting, if you ask me.

The Tomb

George is on the right and Martha is on the left.

Here's Sid, resting in the shade after touring the grounds.  It was extremely hot and humid the day we went.

In the museum, are George Washington's false teeth and I cannot find the picture I took of them!  So mad at myself right now!  Anyway, they were not made of wood, as commonly thought, but of metal and ivory among other things.  You can see a picture of them and explanation here.  They looked pretty miserable and uncomfortable to wear, but I guess they were better than the alternative!

Definitely worth seeing, just for the historical value.  I do wish you could take pictures inside some of these old, historical places, but I guess then there would be no reason for people to visit.

Until next time...