| Show 0 31 r fl L it an 4 A EORGE col G T lonial home mount vernon has not been a residence for many years nor has it been bacri owned by a member of the washington family for or three quarters of a century says the washington star mrs eleanor washington howard daughter of john augustine washington the illustrious washington Washingto nF great grandnephew was the th last private owner of the estate she first firs saw raw the world from the most his loric home in america in 1 53 though general slaves numbering more than were freed by his will his nephew bushrod washington who inherited mount vernon john augustine washington Bush rods nephew and his son john augustine washington jr who in turn fell heirs to tc the estate were slave owners today survivors of the last generation of nc ro folk born in the slave quarters of the old manor are proud that their slave parents served ir i tile the ancestral home of the somehow they give realism to the farm which george washington ownard and which they helped to care tor for es as young men these white haired men declare there never was any depression at the old farm where the nights were festivals with the singing of roll jordan roll swing low sweet chariot and steal away to jesus george gedrge washington Vas hington who is said to have been worth several hundred thousand dollars in values had a salary of a year dur ing arg his presidency and added resources brought to him by his mar biage with the rich martha custis with such wealth he was able to keep his estate of acres in fine condition this was despite the fact that he was constantly enter visitors by the time the property was inherited by john augustine washing lon ion his nephew in 1829 the plant nation had been reduced to 1225 acres only about acres of which were suitable for farming when hs son john augustine jr came into possession of the estate in 1860 after his mothers death he realized that such wealth we alth as his great uncle george had possessed was required to restore mount vernon and maintain it in its former splendor according to tradition a at miss i s s ann pamela cunningham of south carolina who was a potomac beat pas passenger about the time when john A washington wished to sell mount vernon became so impressed with the tolling of the bell and the historical importance of george wae wa ing tons home that she became active in working tor for the purchase of cf the estate in 1858 1853 the organization she had formed as the mount vernon ladies association of the union con to buy the mansion and the patriotic appeal of the women and the efforts of senator edward everett of massachusetts who toured the country and raised mount vernon was actually purchased in 1860 for a st starine irine then the washington family left the state estate with breaking out of the civil war miss cunningham appealed to the commanders of both armies to preserve mount vernon As both general scott and general lee gave orders that no armed man s should hould enter tile the estate the shrine was self protected the only neutral spot in the united state for several years members of at least four families of the mt vernon slaves remained to care for the place in the employ of the association some of the children grew up there and a few of the adults stayed long enough to gain the title of 4 aulty aunty or uncle which was a typical southern respect tor for an aged negro for a while after the war visitors to mount vernon are said to have practiced such vandalism that they wrote their name its walls and ceilings plaster was removed by those who cut pieces of laths baths as souvenirs and even glass was broken in the cupola by those who wished to take away pieces of the famous home today mount vernon a national shrine is a perfectly preserved plantation with mansion green ap 1 w NJ y lons colonial home now a national shrine house kitchen servants quarters coach house smoke house dairy spinning house carpenters house gardeners house and plantation office perhaps the estates closest touch with washington are the beautiful ul trees in the grounds near the mansion which were planted either by general washington or by his direction if the ancient ashes beeches beaches bee ches buckeyes buc keyes hemlocks coffee beans elms fill lin lindena lindens dens mulberry and t the h e many venerable holly trees could speak they would tell much about george life as a country gentleman americas most famous home mount vernon underwent not one but two maor enlargements during the ownership of the first american who believed apparently that the first duty of an american citizen to his family was to provide a comfortable for table home according to a writer in the washington post when first built about 1743 the virginia home was an unpretentious plantation house of one and one half stories comprising the central section of the present mansion just before his marriage ii martha custis in 1759 washington ren the dwelling inan int a house of two and one half storie by adding one complete story but did not increase the floor arev are |
