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Statue of Washington Houdoiv Statue of Washmgton ; 4 X r K . . ,, 7 - vf lf? , , . if ! v X i? . , V , 01' NA In the Gardens at Mount Vernon The Tomb ot Was King toa 4 By ELMO SCOTT WATSON """" 4 URIKG the year just passed the varl- Dous ceremonies connected with the Washington bi-centennial celebration have revived in the memories of all Pp2S Americans our debt to "The Father ifflPrI'l' 0f HiS Country-" Monuments and ?lJW memorials of all kinds, names of E5a towns, cities, counties, a state and f'SnrSSi tne caP'tal of tlle nation all serve IT mII TP t0 remind us of Washington, the I I; il' 'If- soldier, the statesman, the President, JiliLllllldUiJ the first American, the world figure. But for all of these he remains in our minds something of a dim and legendary figure, the type of person who is just outside the realm of our experience. Perhaps the best way to get an adequate idea of Washington, the man, the human being, and to dispel some of the awe which surrounds an Immortal is to pay a visit to his beautiful estate, Mount Vernon on the Potomac river, Virginia. The history of Mount Vernon goes back to the middle of the Seventeenth century. In 1G57 or 1658 a certain John Washington, who had been a Cavalier in England during the Cromwellian period, with his brother Lawrence crossed the Atlantic to Virginia, the refuge of so many Royalists Roy-alists during the Puritan regime in England. John Washington made his home at Popes Creek in Westmoreland county and there married mar-ried Ann Pope. In 1G74 Lord Culpeper sold a grant of 5,000 acres on the west bank of the Potomac river, about 15 miles below what is now the District of Columbia, to Nicholas Spencer Spen-cer and John Washington and on that tract John Washington built his home (now known as Wakefield) at Bridges Creek, about a mile from the Pope home. He saw some military service against the Indians and held the rank of colonel. He lived the life of a gentleman-planter gentleman-planter for twenty years, death coming in 1677. His son Lawrence was the grandfather of the illustrious George. Augustine, son of Lawrence, married twice, and at his death, in 1743, left a .widow and seven children. There had been three other children, chil-dren, four by the first marriage and six by the second. Lawrence, first born of Augustine by his first wife, Jane Butler, inherited the estate soon to be known as Mount Vernon. George, first of the five surviving children born to Augustine by his second wife. Mary Ball, inherited an estate es-tate in Stafford county, Va., nearly opposite Fredericksburg, in which estnte, however, his mother had an administrative interest during his minority, as indeed she had in the estates of her other children. George was born on February 22, 1732 (according (ac-cording to the so-called new style of calendar), calen-dar), on his father's plantation at Bridges Creek, in the parish of Washington (now Wakefield), Westmoreland county, Va. In the next year his father built, a brick barn on his Hunting Creek (Mount Vernon) property, and in 17"5, or a little earlier, seems to have erected a dwelling house also, for the record shows that George Washington lived a few of his childhood child-hood years there. He was about eight years old when the family took up residence on the Stafford Staf-ford county estate which George inherited in 1743. His father was a man of landed wealth, and evidently enterprising. He made several trading voyages to England, sent his two eldest sons, Lawrence and Augustine (Austine), to school in England, profited by the sale of iron ore deposits on his Stafford county estate to a smelting company and the carrying of cargoes of pig iron to England. All of the children of Augustine Washington received a good inheritance, but inasmuch as the Hunting Creek estate was bequeathed to the eldest son Lawrence, It seems likely that their father looked upon it as his principal estate, though he lived on the Fredericksburg plantation. Lawrence Washington served as a captain under Admiral Vernon In the expedition expedi-tion against Cartagena, in 1740, and never recovered re-covered from the effects of that brief campaign, though death did not come to him until another twelve years had passed. Lord Fairfax, whose estate adjoined that of the Washingtons, was also at Cartagena, and this war-time friendship between the two families was to grow closer in . later years through the marriage of Lawrence Washington inte the Fairfax family and the fondness of Lord Fairfax for George. In 1743, after Inheriting the Hunting Creek estate, Lawrence Washington built a house that was In keeping with his station, and renamed the estate Mount Vernon, in honor of the British Brit-ish admiral under whom he had served. Wealthy and of good family, Capt. Lawrence Washington-lived in gentlemanly state at Mount Vernon. Lawrence was fond of his half-brother George, this fondness developing almost into guardianship. guardian-ship. George loved his brother, and was fond of Mount Vernon, too; so, much of his time in adolescent years was spent at Mount Vernon. In 1751 he accompanied his half-brother Lawrence to Barbados, whither the latter had been ordered by the family physician. But Lawrence did not regain his health, and George himself contracted smallpox. This slightly pitted his face for life. Lawrence died In 1752, and at his death George became responsible for the administration of Mount Vernon and also for the care of his niece, Lawrence's only child. The daughter did not long survive her father, and at her death George Washington, by the terms of her father's will, Inherited Mount Vernon. During the period of peace the calm before the storm Colonel Washington saw much of Mount Vernon. In 1759, he married the richest woman In the Potomac region, .Martha, the widow of Llaniel Parke Custis. Of the next few years in Washington's life one historian has written : "His style of life as the lord of Mount Vernon was almost baronial. He had a chariot and four, with black postilions in livery, for the use of his wife, while he himself always appeared on horseback, horse-back, the fiiii' i rider in Virginia. His house was filled with aristocratic visitors. He had his stud of the highest breed, his fox hounds, and all the luxuries of a prosperous country gentleman. His kitchens, his smoke houses, his stables, his stewards, his tobacco sheds, his fields of wheat and corn, his hundred cows, his vast poultry yards, his barges, all indicated great wealth, and that generous hospitality which is now a tradition. tradi-tion. His time was passed in overseeing his large estate and in out-of-door sports, following the hounds or fishing, exchanging visits with prominent Virginia families, amusing himself with card playing, dancing and the social frivolities fri-volities of the day." It was this luxury which Washington was willing to give up in response to the call of duty when the fight for American liberties began. be-gan. After he had successfully led that fight, he retired to Mount Vernon, only to be called upon again in 17S9 to exchange his role of Virginia Vir-ginia planter for that of President of a new nation. When he was ready to lay down the cares of state in 1797 and retire once more to Mount Vernon, only two more years of life remained re-mained for him, for he died on December 14, 1790. At his death Mount Vernon passed as a life interest to his widow, Martha Washington. Under Un-der the terms of Washington's will some of his effects had been disposed of and by his widow's will most of the household belongings passed to her four grandchildren. Thus the original furniture of Mount Vernon became scattered. Mount Vernon, itself, passed, In succession, to Bushrod Washington, John Augustine Washington Washing-ton and John A. Washington, Jr., changes taking place in the furnishings and interior decorations of the house, as convenience or Inclination prompted the respective owners. The Washington family, in the generation of John A. Washington, Jr., were desirous that the historic estate should, for better preservation, pass Into the possession of the nation. He offered of-fered to sell Mount Vernon to the United States, and later to the commonwealth of Virginia. Both projects failed. But what legislatures could not accomplish private patriotic agencies could achieve. Miss Pamela Cunningham of South Carolina appealed to American women, and in 1S56 she was able to organize the . Mount Vernon Ladies' Association Asso-ciation of the Union. One great American, Edward Ed-ward Everett, took up the cause, toured the country, and gathered 90S.294.59 for the Mount Vernon fund. In 1S5S. therefore, the ladies' association was able to buy from John A. Washington. Wash-ington. Jr., 202 acres of the Mount Vernon estate. es-tate. Including the residence and attendant buildings, the gardens, etc., and also the tomb of our revered first President. The price paid was $2tlO,OtlO and interest. Subsequently, through the generosity of Ja.V Gould, in 1SS7; Christian lleurich of Washington, D. C, in 1S93, and Hugh McK. Landon, in 1925, the total area owned by the association has been Increased to approximately 2C0 acres. ( by Western Newspaper Union.) |