We stopped by Mount Vernon over Christmas week. It's been many, many years since we've been to Mount Vernon. While the house itself is timeless, some things have changed!
Mount Vernon has been undergoing some desperately needed restoration work over the past couple of years. They are currently working on upgrades to the foundation. While our visit was quite chilly, it was enjoyable!
View towards the front of the house. I think this is the view that we all think of when we picture Mount Vernon in our heads. You can see the construction fencing, marking the spots on the front of the house where foundational work is happening. The largest part of the work seems to be happening in the back, towards the river.
One fascinating fact that the guides mentioned. The house is wood. However, when you get close to the building itself, it looks like a brick front. The "bricks" are sand that has been painted. The sand was thrown up onto the wood while the paint was still wet. The purpose of this was to protect the wood. And indeed it did. Much of the exterior wood on the house is still original. If you'd like to know more about the siding on the mansion, you can find it here: https://www.mountvernon.org/the-estate-gardens/the-mansion/siding
The view from the back of the house, down the Potomac River. I love the Potomac River in all her stages and phases. This is a lovely (but very cold) view!
This key is in the front hallway of Mount Vernon. It is the key to the Bastille. I am certain that many of you are familiar with the role that the Marquis de Lafayette played in the American Revolution. I don't know how many of you are familiar with what happened to him when he went back to France after the war was over. Spoiler Alert: It wasn't good. He ended up in prison. Anyway, Lafayette sent the key to the Bastille to George Washington. And here it is. If you want to know more about Lafayette, and his role in the American Revolution, you can find it here: https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/marquis-de-lafayette
One last picture. The "family" sitting room. When you arrived as a guest, you were placed in a sitting room according to your stature. This room was for family. The guide told us that the sofas in the room folded out to become beds. If you were placed in here for a nights sleep, they considered you to be an overnight guest. You were directly by the front door, and the location was in a spot where you would constantly hear noise from the rooms around you and from people moving around to get their day started - which began as early at 4 am.
I think the part of this tour that I appreciated the most was the attention paid to the lives and stories of the enslaved people of Mount Vernon. If you would like to find out more about the lives of the people who made this plantation work, you can find it here: https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/slavery/slavery-at-mount-vernon.
The Mount Vernon Website: https://www.mountvernon.org/
