DEL.ICIO.USFirst president had dreams for his estate, which included a whiskey distillery
For the Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/22/06
George Washington would have been 274 years old today, and despite his place in distant history, he continues to exert a powerful appeal over present-day imaginations.
 Mount Vernon Ladies' Association | |||
| A 16-sided barn is one of the more unusual structures on George Washington's estate. The circular second floor was built with a platform where horses and mules could tread wheat. | |||
 Mount Vernon Ladies' Association | |||
| Mount Vernon has extensive gardens, including these elaborate boxwoods. | |||
 Mount Vernon Ladies' Association | |||
| Perhaps the place that draws the most attention at Mount Vernon is the courtyard where George and Martha Washington are entombed. Designed by the president himself, his tomb didn't house his remains until 1832, when they were removed from the U.S. Capitol. | |||
 Mount Vernon Ladies' Association | |||
| Visitors can see Washington's bed chamber and the books he left on his desk. | |||
 Mount Vernon Ladies' Association | |||
| Mount Vernon, George Washington's 21-room estate, began as a 1ü-story home that grew to a stately three stories. During the expansion, Washington added innovations such as closets and a piazza overlooking the Potomac. | |||
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MOST POPULARHe's the topic of two recent bestsellers: David McCullough's "1776" and Joseph Ellis' "His Excellency: George Washington." And experts at Mount Vernon have also been digging into the president's physical past, revealing that their scientific inquiries into his physique uncovered a Washington who was quite a looker — an 18th-century giant at 6 feet 2 inches who towered over the heads of ladies who clamored to be his dance partner.
Nowhere is the presence of Washington as pervasive as it is at Mount Vernon, his hillside home overlooking the Potomac River. Between battling the British and building a new country, Washington savored the quiet life at his Virginia plantation. His letters show that even through years of geographic separation, he never lost sight of the dreams he had for his estate.
Today, an easy 16-mile drive south of the nation's capital takes visitors to a Mount Vernon that has been excavated, investigated and restored. Docents lead guests through almost every room of the mansion and its 45 acres of gardens. A 40-minute boat cruise offers picture-postcard views of the home with its white columns and red roof.
While visitors can peer into the bedroom where Washington died in 1799, check out the books he left on his desk and imagine him planning the Battle of Yorktown in the stately dining room, it's the image of Washington as a visionary that most captures their imagination. It's evident not only in his farming methods but in other areas as well — such as whiskey-making.
Washington is said to be the only Founding Father to operate a whiskey distillery, one of the first in North America. After six years of excavating, archaeologists at Mount Vernon are reconstructing the distillery that will open to the public this fall. The facility will reproduce Washington's five stills and boiler that turned out 11,000 gallons of whiskey during its peak year, 1799.
Not far from the distillery stands a water-powered gristmill. On the site, three miles from the house, Washington processed his own grain. Today, millers in period costumes show how the grain was made into flour and corn into meal.
One of the more unusual structures on the plantation is the 16-sided barn. The circular second floor was covered with wheat, and Washington used horses and donkeys to crush it — the animals walked around and around in circles over the wheat. The crushed flakes would fall through the floor to the barn below. Oxen, mules, roosters and chickens still thrive around the barn.
The plantation's extensive gardens were Washington's outdoor laboratory. The fruit and nursery garden was where he experimented with growing grapes as well as new varieties of seeds before transplanting them throughout the property. Other plots show Washington's plans for soil conservation, erosion control and fertilizer treatments. From April through October, guides share Washington's secrets with guests, who can also get a feel for plantation life by sampling hoecakes and cracked corn, feeding the animals, building a fence, hoeing the fields and harvesting the crops.
Those less interested in working up a sweat while exploring the past will find plenty to entertain their curiosity inside the 21-room mansion. The first stop of the tour offers a digitized drawing showing how the home mushroomed from a 1 1/2-story building to the three-story stately edifice that Washington created. During the expansion, he added innovations such as closets; exterior pine boards treated to have a rough stonelike finish; and a wide 100-foot-long piazza with stunning views of the Potomac River. Work on the house was ongoing from 1757 to 1784.
Throughout the home, curators have documented and re-created colors, period drapery and accents. Paintings, vases, silver, china and furniture acquired by Washington throughout his lifetime are on display, along with a few surprises: Don't miss the key to the Bastille, a present from Gen. Lafayette in 1790; Washington's English liquor chest; the rocking chair with an overhead fan; or the yellowed copy of poems by Robert Burns, with Washington's autograph on the cover page.
More memorabilia from Washington's life have been unearthed from the grounds and displayed in a separate museum a short walk from the house. Silver cups engraved with the family crest; pieces of tea sets; Washington's silver spurs; necklaces and earrings worn by Martha Washington; and some of the most accurate likenesses of the man are on display.
Various outbuildings reconstructed over the original footprints around the mansion give a glimpse of life in the late 1700s. Among the structures are a stable, salt house, wash house, larder, clerk's office and mule shed.
Perhaps the one site near the house that draws the most attention is Washington's tomb. Though designed by the president himself, the tomb didn't house his remains until 1832 when they were removed from the U.S. Capitol. His marble sarcophagus, and a second for his wife, Martha, stand just inside a brick wall and wrought-iron gates built into the side of a hill.
By the end of this year, visitors will have even more Mount Vernon to explore. The Ford Orientation Center will feature a 15-minute film and a miniature version of the mansion with working doorknobs and real candles. The Reynolds Museum and Education Center will house 23 galleries devoted to Washington's military and presidential careers and a presidential library. And those curious about those mythical Washington dentures will get a close-up look at the famous hinged teeth — made not of wood, but human teeth, cow teeth and elephant ivory.
IF YOU GO
Getting there
Flying: Most major carriers from Hartsfield-Jackson International have flights to Reagan National Airport, just a short drive from Mount Vernon. Expect to pay $160-$200 round trip.
Driving: Mount Vernon is about 630 miles from Atlanta, slightly more than a 10-hour drive. Take I-85 north to Charlotte and Richmond. I-85 merges with I-95; take Exit 161, Route 1 north, Fort Belvoir/Mount Vernon. Turn right on Route 235 north; Mount Vernon is three miles ahead on the traffic circle.
Where to stay
Best Western Mount Vernon, 8751 Richmond Highway, Alexandria, VA 22309. www.bestwestern.com; 1-800-780-7234
Comfort Inn Gunston Corner, 8180 Silverbrook Road, Lorton, VA 22079. www.choicehotels.com; 1-877-424-6423
Holiday Inn Select Alexandria, 480 King St., Alexandria, VA 22314. www.holiday-inn.com; 1-800-315-2621
Morrison House, 116 S. Alfred St., Alexandria, VA 22314; www.morrisonhouse.com; 1-866-834-6628
Where to eat
In a hurry? Find just about any cuisine you crave at Mount Vernon's food court. Breakfast, lunch and snacks run the gamut from pizza, burgers and deli sandwiches to ice cream.
The Mount Vernon Inn restaurant, attached to the gift shop, serves lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday. Six dining rooms, decorated in an Early American motif, are attended by servers in Colonial garb. The theme extends to the menu, with items such as Virginia peanut and chestnut soup; Colonial turkey pye; salmon corncakes; and, of course, cherry pie. Salads, sandwiches and desserts are available at lunch. Dinner entrees include a range of chicken, beef, pork and seafood dishes from $13.50 to $21.
Information
Mount Vernon is open daily except Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is $13 for adults; $12 seniors; $6, ages 6-11. Children 5 and younger, free. Hours, activities and Potomac River cruises vary by season; check www.mountvernon.org.
