Martha Washington and Mount Vernon

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1 Martha Washington and Mount Vernon How many different buildings comprise Mount Vernon? There are lots of buildings at Mount Vernon: kitchen, smoke house, store house, wash house, coach house, stable, dung repository, salt house, servants hall (to house visiting white servants), spinning house, blacksmith shop, greenhouse, slave quarters, slave cabins and probably other buildings. All of the other four farms had slave quarters, barns, overseer s houses and other buildings. How many rooms are in the Mansion? The Mansion has more than 20 rooms, plus closets and stair halls. There are no bathrooms (you had to go outside to a privy or use a chamber pot) and the kitchen is located in a separate building. Why was George Washington s uncommon chair so special? George Washington called his special chair the uncommon chair. It was very special because it had a unique swivel mechanism that allowed the circular seat to rotate on four rollers. Rolling chairs were very unusual and exciting in the 18 th century. Washington used this chair throughout his presidency and for the remainder of his life. When he returned to Mount Vernon after resigning the presidency he placed the uncommon chair in his private study. Why was George Washington s study special? George Washington needed to keep his study private so that he would be able to get some work done. The Washingtons entertained many visitors at Mount Vernon over 600 overnight visits in one year alone! Washington needed a private study so that he could read, manage his financial affairs and write all without being interrupted. When did George Washington meet Martha Washington? George Washington and Martha Washington were introduced by friends of Martha when the General was on leave from the French and Indian War in December of George only visited her home twice before proposing marriage to her three weeks after they met. Did George and Martha Washington have any children? George and Martha Washington did not have any children of their own. However they did raise Martha s two children from her first marriage: John Parke Custis (known as Jacky) and Martha Parke Custis (known as Patsy). When Jacky died shortly after the Battle of Yorktown in 1781, they raised his two youngest children, Eleanor Parke Custis (Nelly) and George Washington Parke Custis (known as Washy). There were also many nieces

2 and nephews who came to visit them at Mount Vernon, so there were often several children in the Mansion, Farm Manager Were the same crops grown at Mount Vernon year after year? Many of the same crops were grown at Mount Vernon year after year such as, corn, potatoes and wheat. However, Washington was an experimental farmer and was constantly testing out new crops. What vegetables were grown at Mount Vernon? Many different kinds of vegetables were grown in Mount Vernon s garden. Corn or potatoes might have been the most abundant. The Washington s also enjoyed artichokes, squash, rhubarb, horseradish and many other vegetables. What did they eat at Mount Vernon? The people of Mount Vernon enjoyed many of the same foods as we do now. They had fruit and nut trees, made bread, and grew many of the vegetables we enjoy today. Martha Washington was especially proud of the hams produced from the hogs raised at Mount Vernon, and was very pleased with the vegetables raised in the garden. Preserving vegetables for the winter was hard work. Most vegetables were pickled and kept in Mount Vernon s cellars to use over the winter. Some fruits were made into preserves (jams and jellies) so that they could be enjoyed year round. Martha Washington was in charge of supervising slaves who did the work of preserving and pickling. It was Mrs. Washington s job to make sure that the Washingtons had enough fruits and veggies to make it through the winter. What did George Washington like to eat? George Washington s favorite foods were hoecakes and fish. He liked to have plenty of vegetables at his dinner table but he didn t ever say that he had a favorite vegetable. Martha Washington though said that her favorite vegetable was the artichoke. What kinds of animals and how many animals were at Mount Vernon? There were lots of animals at Mount Vernon more than sheep; more pigs than could be counted, lots of cows, dogs, horses. Washington introduced the mule to American. They also kept a lot of pets lap dogs, song birds, gold fish. How much flour was made in a day during the 1700 s?

3 We are not sure how much flour was made in a day but we do know that in one year (1797) the mill ground over 275,000 pounds of wheat. How much flour that would make depended on factors such as the kind of flour being produced (for example, there would be more wastage from grinding fine white flour than from what we call whole wheat today). Did the Washingtons sell any of the flour or bread that they made? The Washington s sold more flour than they did bread. George Washington sold both wheat and flour, most often barrels of flour, sometimes to as far away as the West Indies and Philadelphia. What did Slammin Joe eat? The rations given to slaves at Mount Vernon included cornmeal and salted fish. Slaves also had their own gardens, where they grew fruits and vegetables and raised chickens. Joe probably ate the same thing for breakfast every morning because it was available and quick, much like many of us today often eat the same thing for breakfast. Did Washington himself ever do any physical labor on his farm? Yes! He enjoyed the challenge of cultivating crops and learning what techniques and tools worked best for growing things. The same calm determination he showed under fire was evident in his constant experimentation and efforts to improve the productivity of his four working farms. Washington studied agricultural books, corresponded with leading farmers in American and abroad and tested over 60 different crops and many different planting techniques on his 8,000 acre plantation. When he was home, his daily routine was unchanging. Each day at Mount Vernon he rose early, ate breakfast and rode out to oversee his farms. Throughout his adult life his interest in farming and his determination to make Mount Vernon a profitable venture never waned. By constant experimentation he was able to improve the quality of his soil through a crop rotation system, fertilizers and other land conservation techniques. He modified tools and methods to suit his needs and he transformed Mount Vernon into a diversified farm, where he grew wheat, corn, potatoes, buckwheat, oats, and rye. He also planted grasses in hopes that his soil would remain fertile year after year. Perhaps his most dramatic invention was a 16-sided treading barn for processing wheat and other grains, which he had built on his Dogue Run Farm. Blacksmith

4 What tools did the blacksmith make? Did he make anything to sell to others? The blacksmith made items used at Mount Vernon such as horseshoes, nails, plows, and axes. He could also mend items such as pots and pans. If there was any spare time, the blacksmith undertook small jobs for neighbors to increase cash flow to Mount Vernon. Did the blacksmith make guns or other weapons? The blacksmith did not make weapons but could repair rifles. Did George Washington ever work in the blacksmith shop? No, George Washington did not work in the Blacksmith shop directly, but he did hire a blacksmith and then choose certain slaves to learn the trade. George Washington Did George Washington regret not becoming a king of the new country? Many historians believe that there is no evidence that a true offer was ever made to Washington to become a King. It is inaccurate, therefore, to say that Washington turned down a chance to be king. What was the name of his horse? George Washington had many horses. Two of his favorites were Nelson (a chestnut) and Blueskin (a blue roan) who were his horses during the Revolutionary War (he liked Nelson better, because he was calmer under gunfire than Blueskin was). When he was president, the horses he rode were named Jackson and Prescott, both of whom were white. What did George Washington do for fun? There were a lot of things George Washington liked to do for fun reading, horseback riding, foxhunting, fishing and duck hunting. We know that dancing was something George Washington loved to do at one party he danced for 3 hours straight. Mrs. Washington s children and grandchildren were all taught to dance. One visitor to Mount Vernon, an artist named Charles Wilson Peale, wrote that the Washingtons and their guests often danced in the evenings, so that Mrs. Washington s daughter, Patsy, who was often sick, could get some exercise. How did George Washington die and how old was he when he died? George Washington died at the age of 67 of a several infection to his throat. The swelling cut off his breathing. George Washington passed away on December 14, 1799.

5 Did George Washington free his slaves? The short answer is yes, George Washington freed all his slaves after his death. The long answer is a bit more complicated. When he died in 1799, there were over 300 slaves at Mount Vernon. Of that number, 123 belonged to George Washington, 153 were dower slaves who belonged to the estate of Mrs. Washington s first husband and 40 were rented from a neighbor. George Washington s will freed the 123 people who belonged to him (they went free on January 1, 1801). The dower slaves could not be freed by George Washington and were divided among Mrs. Washington s 4 grandchildren. The rented slaves were returned to their owner. Was smallpox common in the 13 colonies and in the new United States? George Washington caught smallpox when he was on a trip to Barbados as a young man. The disease was very common in England and when thousands of British soldiers came to America during the American Revolution a smallpox epidemic broke out. George Washington ordered that all new soldiers in the American Army be inoculated with smallpox if they had not caught it before they enlisted.