Yesterday, the folks visited Mount Vernon. That is the home of George Washington. President Washington inherited the home from his father in 1754 and lived there until his death in 1799. President Washington took it from a one story home and turned it into a mansion.
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| Mount Vernon Inn - Restaurant |
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| George Washington's Home |
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| Tree that was probably around when George lived here. |
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| Gardens at Mount Vernon |
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| More Gardens |
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| Yes, More Gardens |
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| Outhouse |
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| President Washington used rustication on his house to make it look like stone instead of wood. Fine sand is thrown on the wet paint. |
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| Actor playing Washington's Doctor |
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| Waiting in line to see the inside of the house. |
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| The wood really does look like stone. |
Pictures were not allowed to be taken inside of the house. The ceiling was elaborate as was the fireplace mantle in the dining room. They really liked dark colors and that is said to demonstrate their wealth. The dining room was a green.
President Washington become ill on a Thursday and died on Saturday. He is thought to have died of Epiglottis which basically caused his windpipe to close off. They tried to "bled him" which was a common medical practice at that time. It is opening the veins to release the infection. He died at the age of 67. Mrs. Washington died two and half years later.
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| He had quite the view. |
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| Kitchen - photos were allowed. It was not part of the main house. |
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| Pecan tree |
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| Another view from the mansion. |
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| Original burial vault of President Washington |
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| Pioneer Farm - shows how the grounds looked when President Washington was alive. |
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| Tombs of George and Martha |
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| Vault that holds the tombs - flag raising is held each day here. |
Besides the mansion, gardens and pioneer farm, there was a museum.
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| Jewelry owned by Martha |
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| Wax sculpture of George. |
There was second museum that had items that were not allowed to be photographed. A set of President Washington's dentures were on display.
There were several gift shops as well as a food court. The folks chose to eat in the food court instead of the Mount Vernon Inn. Mama was not impressed with the menu at the restaurant. It served duck, ham and turkey among other things. She regretted not trying it though since they spent $18 at the food court. She said the food was good, but she hates spending that much on two sandwiches, one order of fries and one drink.
They were there for five an half hours and did not see everything. They had tickets to see the distillery, but chose not to see it because they did not want to get stuck in rush hour traffic.
Mama said the estate is huge and her feet really hurt from walking all around it. She learned a lot. She did not know what he died from until yesterday. She also did not know that Martha was a widow with two children when she married George. George was very prompt and if guests were five minutes late for dinner, dinner was served without them. When he was home, everyone was on his schedule. I guess that was the commander in him.
Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Still Exploring New Places At This Campground
