Show pry IN ift af hie i ne home am of t A IV 7 p V am to JL 1 11 4 n W 4 A loog z 04 4 geo a ma a dix ia 2 to 4 n 4 ai r ipa of moil statue of ju 7 A p in the th e gardens garden s at moun mount t verrlon vernon of 0 wa 4 by ELMO SCOTT WATSON the year just passed the various V ah ceremonies connected with the washington niton centennial bicentennial bi bl cele celebration brition have revived in the memories of all al americans americana our debt to the fattier father of 11 ills I 1 s country monuments and anc memorials of all kinds names of towns cities counties a state and anc the capital of the nation all serve to remind us as of washington the so soldier t dier the statesman the president 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 s just outside the realm of bur experience perhaps tho the best way to get an adequate idea of washington the man the human being and to dispel some of the nwe awe which surrounds an immortal Is to pay a visit to ta his beautiful estate 31 mount aunt vernon on the potomac river virginia T the lie history of mount vernon goes back to the middle of the seventeenth century in 1057 1657 or 1658 a certain john washington who had been a cavalier in england during the Cromwel llan period with his brother lawrence crossed the atlantic to virginia the refuge of so many royalists during the lie puritan regime in england john washington made his homo home at popes creel creek in westmoreland county and there married ann pope in lord culpeper sold a grant of acres on the west bank of the potomac river about 15 miles below what Is now tire the district of columbia to nicholas spencer and john washington and on an that tract john washington built his home now known as wakefield at bridges creek about a mile from the pope home tie ile saw some military service against the indians and held the rank of colonel ile he lived the life of a gentleman planter for twenty years death coming in 1677 nia ills son lawrence was the grandfather of the illustrious george augustine son of lawrence married twice and at his death in 1743 1742 left a widow and seven children there had bad been three other children four by the first marriage and six by the second lawrence first born of augustine by his first wife jane butter butler inherited the estate soon to be known as aa mount blount vernon george first of the five surviving children born to augustine by his second wife mary alary nail ball inherited an estate in stafford county va nearly opposite fredericksburg in which estate however his mother had nn administrative interest during hla his minority as indeed she had bad in the estates of her other children was born on february 22 1732 according to the so called new style of calendar 1 I ar on his in fathers plantation at bridges croak in the parish of washington now westmorland westmoreland county va in the next nest year his fattier father built a brick barn on his limiting hunting creek mount blount vernon property and in 1715 IT vi or a little earlier seems seema to have erected a dwelling house also for the record shows that george washington lived a few ot of his childhood years there he was about eight years sears old when the family took up residence on the stafford county estate which george inherited in 1741 1743 his 1115 fattier 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 Aust lne to school in england profited by the sale of iron ore deposits on ills his stafford county estate to a smelting smelling sm elting 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 pon lawrence it seems likely that their father looked upon it as hla his principal estate tate though he lived on the fredericksburg plantation lawrence washington served seed as a captain under admiral vernon in the expedition against cartagena in 1740 and never recovered front from the effects of that brief campaign though death did not conic come to him until another twelve years had passed lord fairfax whose estate adjoined that of the was also at cartagena and this wartime war time friendship between the two families was to grow closer in later years through the marriage of lawrence washington into the fairfax family and the fondness of lord fairfax for george in 1713 1743 after inheriting the hunting creek es estate tate lawrence washington built a house that was in keeping with his station and renamed the estate mount vernon in lionor honor of the british admiral under whom he had served wealthy and of good family capt lawrence washing ton lived in gentlemanly state at mount vernon lawrence was fond of his half brother george this fondness developing almost into guardian ship george loved his brother and was fond 0 of f mount vernon too so much of his time in adolescent dole scent years was spent at mount blount vernon in 1 1751 51 he accompanied his half brother lawrene to barbados whither the latter had been ordered by the family physician hut but lawrence did not regain hla his health and george himself contracted smallpox this slightly pitted his face for life lawrence died in 1752 and at bla death george became responsible for the administration of mount blount vernon and atso also for the care of hla his niece lawrences laurences Lawren ces only c hild child the daughter did not long survive her father and at her death george washington by the terms of her fathers will inherited mount blount vernon during the period of peace the calm before the storm colonel washington saw much of mount blount vernon in HOT 1739 he married the richest woman in the potomac region tarten the widow of daniel parke custas cestla of the next few years yeara in life one historian has written ills style of life as the lord of mount blount vernon was almost baronial ile he had a chariot and four with blick black postil lons in livery for the use of his wife while he himself always appeared on horseback the finest rider in virginia ills his house was filled with aristocratic visitors ne ile had hla his at stud u d of the highest breed hla his to fox hounds and all the luxuries of a prosperous country gentleman ills kitchens his smoke houses his stab stables I 1 es his bis stewards his tobacco sheds his fields of wheat and corn hla his hundred cows hla his vast poultry yards his barges all indicated great wealth and that generous generous hospitality which la Is now a tradition ills ilia 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 tri fri polities voli ties of the day it was this luxury which washington was waa willing to give up in response to the call of duty when the light for american liberties began after he hail had successfully led that fight he be retired to mount vernon only to be called upon again in 1780 to exchange his role of virginia planter for that of president of a new nation cation when he was waa ready to lay down the cares of state in 1707 and retire once more to mount vernon only two more years of life remained for him for he died on december 14 1709 1700 at his death mount blount vernon passed as a life interest to his widow martha washington under coder the terms of will some of his effects had been disposed of and by hla his widows will most of the household belongings passed to her tour four grandchildren thus the original furniture frn iture of mount blount vernon became scattered mount vernon itself passed in succession to bushrod washington john augustine washington and john A Wast ington jr changes taking place in the furnishings and interior decorato decor decorations 0 n 9 of the house as convenience or inclination lo 10 n 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 rio ne offered to sell mount blount 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 1850 1851 she was able to organize the mount blount vernon ladles ladies As association so of the union one great american ed ward everett took up the cause toured the country anti and gathered for the mount blount vornon vernon fund in 1858 therefore the ladles association was able to buy from john A washington jr acres of the mount vernon estate including the residence and attendant buildings the gardens etc and also the tomb 0 of f our revered first president the price paid was and interest subsequently through the generosity of jay gould in 1887 christian fl eurich of WaR washington hIngton D a in 1803 1893 and hugh mck landon andon I in 1025 the total area owned by the association has been In increase to ta approximately acres a 0 by W tr uin |