George Washington

Mount Vernon

One of the most anticipated events of our vacation was a visit to the home of America’s first First Family, Mount Vernon!

It’s a huge place, with lots of things to see. You start out at the Visitors’ Center, where stained glass depicting major events from George Washington’s life immediately caught my eye:

You can also find a lot of quotes from Washington himself:

And there’s a dollhouse-style replica of the house…as it turns out, this was the only chance we had to see the Lafayette Bedroom, because the actual room was under renovation.

After we left the Visitors’ Center, we took a winding path that finally allowed us a glimpse of the house…it’s quite impressive!

We were a little early for our tour, so we admired some of the landscaping and formal gardens. Washington worked on the grounds himself, and was involved in planning the landscaping, as well.

We also took a look at the slave quarters. I appreciate the honest look at the history of the estate.

On the way to the tour, we admired the outside of the house. I especially liked the covered walkways connecting the different parts of the mansion.

We passed through the first building, which was the Servants’ Hall…not much is actually known about what this space looked like at the time of the Washingtons, and its plain decor reflects that fact.

The home was built in parts, so the first room of the main building (the “New Room” as Washington called it) wasn’t original to the home, but it was a gorgeous addition!

I love all the little details in old homes, like the color and pattern of the carpets and the artwork on display:

The closet under the stairs amused me!

They encouraged us to use the railing on the staircase…the actual, original railing that George Washington himself used!

We also saw the actual key to the Bastille, which was sent to George Washington by Marquis de Lafayette:

I am often astounded by the use of color when I visited historic homes. No matter how often I see how bright things really were (this green is the original color of the room), I always imagine historic locations to be dim and washed-out for some reason. Also, the ceiling is original…isn’t it beautiful?!?

There are several beautiful bedrooms in the home. Pictured here are the good guest bedrooms…I assume the previously-mentioned Lafayette bedroom is lovely, as well.

We saw the place where George Washington spent his last moments on earth. Following his death, Martha moved to an upstairs bedroom because she couldn’t bear to stay in the room where he died.

I really enjoyed seeing Washington’s personal office!

Of particular interest were the fan chair, and the desk with his eyeglasses:

The kitchen was in part of the house complex, and not simply an outbuilding, but it was, as was common at the time, in a separate building from the living spaces.

After we toured the inside of the house, we continued to walk the grounds. We looked into a few outbuildings:

And we came across the ice house:

And the beautiful Potomac views:

We even got to see a musical demonstration, which was really cool!

There is also a museum on the grounds. Here’s just a small look at some of the things we saw, including the original weathervane that graced the roof of the house (there is a replica on top today):

It’s amazing how you can see the layers of history!

We could have spent so much more time at Mount Vernon, because there’s just so much to see there, but I think we got a good overview with the time we had!

Quote of the Day

Though in reviewing the incidents of my administration I am unconscious of intentional error, I am nevertheless too sensible of my defects not to think it probable that I may have committed many errors. Whatever they may be, I fervently beseech the Almighty to avert or mitigate the evils to which they may tend. I shall also carry with me the hope that my country will never cease to view them with indulgence and that, after forty-five years of my life dedicated to its service with an upright zeal, the faults of incompetent abilities will be con- signed to oblivion, as myself must soon be to the mansions of rest.

Relying on its kindness in this as in other things, and actuated by that fervent love towards it which is so natural to a man who views in it the native soil of himself and his progenitors for several genera- tions, I anticipate with pleasing expectation that re- treat, in which I promise myself to realize without alloy the sweet enjoyment of partaking in the midst of my fellow citizens the benign influence of good laws under a free government—the ever favorite object of my heart, and the happy reward, as I trust, of our mutual cares, labors and dangers. George Washington and Alexander Hamilton, Washington’s Farewell Address

Lafayette Square

I already shared a few photos of our trip to the Lafayette Square neighborhood of St. Louis on my birthday; now I’m going to take a closer look at some of my favorite features of the area.

There are a few historic sites in the park, including a trio of cannons from a British warship which was sunk in the harbor of Charleston during the Revolutionary War. There is a also a bronze casting of a famous statue of George Washington…the only one for which he posed!

The park itself is beautiful…our favorite location was this little area by the Grotto Bridge:

We saw many beautiful flowers in the park, including one of my favorites, the hydrangea:

The park house, which was originally a police station, is also lovely:

The streets surrounding the park are filled with gorgeous homes, some of which still have mounting blocks out front!

And the Lafayette Square Fountain is just down the street!

This is definitely one of my favorite neighborhoods in St. Louis, and I’m looking forward to going back as the seasons change so I can capture more beautiful moments!

Celebrating the Pride of Mount Vernon

“Ladies and gentlemen!…The moment you’ve been waiting for!…The pride of Mount Vernon!…George Washington!” (From Hamilton)

I decided that, since we’ve enjoyed Christopher Jackson’s portrayal of George Washington in Hamilton so much, and since I knew we’d be watching Hamilton again for Washington’s Birthday today, I should also make the whole day a celebration. Actually, this was just the kind of festivity we needed at the end of February in the time of COVID-19! We started with coffee cake for breakfast…cherry, of course!

I got into the spirit of the Day in Animal Crossing:

The highlight of our celebration (other than watching Hamilton, of course), was dinner. I found four new recipes on the Mount Vernon website, all based on recipes from Martha Washington’s collection…chicken chasseur, popovers, carrot fritters, and stewed parsnips. Everything was delicious, but even I was surprised by how popular the fritters were!

Not too bad for a Monday night!

For dessert, I made pie. Cherry pie (of course!):

I threw in some ice cream for fun:

George Washington was a flawed man, as we all are, but he was a great leader for our young country, and I think these words from his farewell address to the nation sum up his character well:

“Though, in reviewing the incidents of my administration, I am unconscious of intentional error, I am nevertheless too sensible of my defects not to think it probable that I may have committed many errors. Whatever they may be, I fervently beseech the Almighty to avert or mitigate the evils to which they may tend. I shall also carry with me the hope that my country will never cease to view them with indulgence; and that, after forty five years of my life dedicated to its service with an upright zeal, the faults of incompetent abilities will be consigned to oblivion, as myself must soon be to the mansions of rest.”