George Washington had a long resume:
- Colonel in the French and Indian War
- seat in the Virginia House of Burgesses in Williamsburg
- General during the American Revolution
- President of the Constitutional Convention
- President of the United States of America
Returning Home
Imagine his feelings of anticipation and excitement, when at long last, he arrived at this gate, nostalgically on Christmas Eve.
Sadly Washington faced this recurring scene of his life, like Cincinattus, putting aside the plow to serve his country, then returning home.
Since we arrived so early, we got a private tour!
The kids surprised the docent with how much they knew.
Ha-Ha Wall
Separating the grand lawn of the estate from the more common area where the animals graze, Ha-Ha walls were popular in English and colonial mansions.
This cleverly hidden means of keeping the animals off the lawn, apparently derived from the French, causes visitors to laugh when they see them.
Lafayette
When they took us to see the Lafayette room upstairs where he stayed in 1784, we exclaimed: Oh, we know him!
One of the items I couldn’t wait to show the kids was one of the keys to the Bastille, the notorious political prison in France.
During the French Revolution, Lafayette led the National Guard, who stormed the prison on July 12, 1789.
Sending a sketch of the Bastille and a key to George Washington, Lafayette wrote: Give me leave, my dear general, to present you with a picture of the Bastille, just as it looked a few days after I ordered its demolition, with the main key of the fortress of despotism. It is a tribute which I owe as a son to my adoptive father-as an aide-de-camp to my general-as a missionary of liberty to its patriarch.
When the Marquis made his grand tour of America in 1824, he visited the Old Vault where George and Martha Washington were interred.
New Tomb of George and Martha Washington
The path leading out takes one to the newer tomb where the Washingtons were laid to rest in 1831.
The words of John 11:25-26 are inscribed on the plaque on the wall above his sarcophagus.
Boat Ride on the Potomac River
Then we took a gorgeous boat tour of the Potomac River from the Mount Vernon dock.
Passing Fort Washington on the Maryland side, we approached the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, past which a view of the Washington Monument came into view.
16-sided Barn
George Washington cleverly designed this 16-sided barn, for the threshing of wheat by horsepower instead of by slaves.
Because the floor is a type of grate, heads of grain fell through, leaving the straw behind.
Although horses sometimes reenact this scene, on this day my kids joined other children pretending to be horses.
Gristmill
After lunch we toured the gristmill which is about a mile away at the site of Washington’s Dogue Run Farm.
Applying the very principles Leonardo da Vinci designed, the fascinating cogs and wheels moved to a steady beat, transporting water arriving from nearby Dogue Run, into the mill, to turn the lever that activated the gears.
Impressed, my son spent a week with his gears kit when we came home from vacation.
Houdon of George Washington
Then we returned to Mount Vernon to explore the recently built museums.
Our favorite display, the Houdon of Washington, featured a cute movie told from the perspective of Washington’s step-granddaughter, explaining the shocking lifemask Houdon created of Washington.
Squeezing in all the fun in the last bits of time, my son experienced an interactive movie while my daughter and I visited all the life-size wax figures of George Washington based on the Houdon.
Many vignettes brought Washington’s story to life, from his wedding to Martha with a display of our gown, including the chapel they attended.
Blown away to see the Gilbert painting of Washington rescued by Dolly Madison during the British invasion in the War of 1812, we couldn’t believe the huge size.
As we left for the day, one final memorial met us at the entrance to the parking lot. The sign signified how General Washington started the Purple Heart.
For more photos of our day, click any of the pictures or click here to be taken to my Flickr set.
