Washington DC Day 6

Day 6 was our trip to Mt Vernon. This was no easy feat without a car. It took about 1.5 hours to get there by public transport which wasn’t so bad. Audiobooks and shows on IPads are perfect for these situations. We rode the metro as far as we could, and then took a bus the rest of the way. It worked out!

We had heard that Mt Vernon was under renovation to get ready for the big 250 year anniversary the next year, but we didn’t realize how much would be closed. The grounds and outbuildings were there, but in the main house only one room was available to go in and view. The other areas of the house literally had the floors missing. 

When we arrived at the visitor’s center, they directed us to an auditorium where we viewed a digital tour of the huge mansion. The only redeeming quality of this was that there was a docent who gave commentary as we went through, which was interesting to listen to. 

After the video we headed up through the grounds to walk to the mansion. The grounds are so large and lovely. It was fascinating to hear about the way of life back then, but of course that includes facing the fact that all of that was possible because of the work of enslaved people. 

Seeing quarters where the enslaved people lived was disturbing at best. I hate how people say that “well at least George Washington was better than most to his enslaved people.” That’s terrible. The only redeeming thing I heard about this was that it was very difficult to free the enslaved people legally except for on the death of the owner, which was what the Washingtons did. 

Beyond that I enjoyed learning about the hot house for the tropical plants. I also loved hearing about the engineering of the farming and the ice houses. Apparently more than politics and military leading, George Washington real love was in the advancement of farming. 

The vegetable gardens are still sort of maintained by the organization that takes care of the property. Thankfully for our trip that isn’t the federal government. 

Multi-seater outhouse. Awkward…

The view to the Potomac was magnificent.

The hot house was so cool. Unfortunately it was flanked by slave quarters.

The current plan of the upper garden resulted from a combination of documentary research and extensive archaeological excavations carried out between 2005 and 2010. Mount Vernon archaeologists found evidence for many garden features spanning more than 200 years, which were covered over by later gardening activities. The original pathways were found to be fewer in number and much wider than first believed, ranging from 5 to 10 feet in width, and paved with a mixture of red clay and gravel. Other features included planting holes relating to the nut and fruit tree garden installed in the 1760s, linear vegetable beds from 1780s, and remnants of the ornate rose bush plantings installed by Mount Vernon in the 1870s.

Waiting in line to go to the main house room was quite windy and chilly. 

The only room in Mt Vernon that we could go see. The colors and style were so interesting. 

The facade was wood that was painted and sanded to look like stone.

Unfortunately this was the view from the back patio. 

Except this one corner. 

Oh, actually we were able to see this office too. Love the built ins.

Missing floors in the rest of the house. 

The kitchen is close to the main house but not connected so as to not heat up the house. 

Where the enslaved people lived.

Still some animals on the property.

The Washingtons’ graves

The markers for the enslaved people’s graves. This was only marked relatively recently.

Slavery at Mount Vernon
"every labourer (male or female) does as much in the 24 hours as their strength, without endangering their health... will allow of"
George Washington to to John Fairfax, 1 January 1789

Most of the 318 enslaved people at Mount Vernon in 1799 lived and worked on the four outlying farms. About one in every four enslaved persons held a trade, such as blacksmith, carpenter, or shoemaker. Most enslaved women worked in the fields, but some filled the positions of spinner, weaver, cook, house servant, and seamstress. Washington required an enslaved person to live on the farm where they worked. Families often lived several miles from each other on separate farms.

The white strings outline the graves that have been found.

Lunch time in age order. We love the salad kits. 

From the signs:

Visionary Farmer

"I hope someday or another, we shall become a store house and granary for the world."

George Washington to the Marquis de Lafayette, June 19, 1788

While the world remembers him as a great military and political leader, George Washington would have told you he was first and foremost a farmer.

Throughout the 1750s and 1760s, Washington read and studied a number of texts on innovative farming methods, known as "the New Husbandry," describing a variety of methods to maintain and operate a farm in a proper and sustainable manner. These studies and the realities of his land's conditions led Washington to make a large scale change in the mid-1760s.

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In 1766. Washington switched his main cash crop from tobacco to wheat. He knew that wheat did not deplete the soil as quickly as tobacco, and also provided an economic advantage, since the British did not regulate the sale of wheat as closely as tobacco.

Washington also introduced an innovative seven-year crop rotation plan, experimented with soil enhancers to increase productivity of his fields, acquired modern farm implements, and began a progressive system of livestock management.

In 1771, Washington opened a merchant mill, where he transported his wheat and corn to grind into flour and cornmeal. Superfine flour and fine flour were sold in overseas markets in the West Indies and Europe. Cornmeal was used for rations for enslaved workers, paid staff, and the Washington household. In 1797, Washington expanded and diversified his entrepreneurial endeavors by constructing a distillery next to his mill.

More than satisfying his love of farming, Washington's agricultural pursuits followed his belief that American economic success lay in the nation's ability to produce agricultural products that could be sold around the world.

The Pioneer Farm you see today was developed in 1990 to demonstrate George Washington's important contribution to American agriculture and life on his outlying farms. During Washington's ownership, this tract of land, was swampy and frequently flooded by the Potomac River

Innovative Barn

"I am now erecting a building for the express purpose of treading. I have sanguine expectations of the utility of it..."

George Washington to Henry Lee, October 16, 1793

George Washington was always looking for ways to improve his farming operations at Mount Vernon. To this end, he designed a novel way to improve the processing and storage of grain at his Dogue Run Farm.

A two-story, 16-sided structure was built in 1792-1795 with a circular treading floor on the second level and a granary or storehouse on the ground level. Wheat was laid across the treading floor, and horses or mules were led up an earthen ramp and immediately set into a trot. The friction and weight of the animals' hooves knocked the wheat seeds from the stalk, causing them to fall through the gaps in the floorboards to the granary below. After experimenting with different gap dimensions, Washington determined a gap of 1-1/2 inches between boards was most effective. This innovative design improved the efficiency of the treading process and simultaneously kept Washington's grain safe and protected from the elements until it was transported to the gristmill.

This 1996 reconstruction is based on the original barn located at Dogue Run Farm.

Coolest barn.

Of course the Lego Mt Vernon was a hit.

This ingeniously-engineered "Uncommon Chair" (as Washington called it) contains a swivel mechanism that allows the circular seat to rotate-similar to a modern office chair. The apparatus sits within the sleek contemporary design of a French bergère en gondole (barrel-back armchair) upholstered in leather. Washington must have found the chair pleasing to sit in, as he used it throughout his presidency and brought it back to Mount Vernon upon his retirement.

This tent was what the revolutionary soldiers would have used. They slept like six people in there. 

Historic Apothecary 

After Mt Vernon we decided to pay a little more but be much more time efficient and take an Uber to Historic Alexandria. They had a the cutest little Visitor’s Bureau and a darling little center street to walk down. 

We ate a late lunch at a sidewalk restaurant. We all loved the delicious pizza. Then we headed down further to the Torpedo Museum which is a factory turned art space. Artists rent “Office Space” in there to create and sell art. 

From the sign about the Torpedo Factory:

The Torpedo Factory has undergone many transformations, from a Torpedo Assembly plant in 1920 to an Art Center in 1974. The location of a Torpedo Assembly plant on Alexandria's water-front was approved by the Secretary of the Navy on August 5, 1918. Ironically, when construction of the two buildings began on November 12th, Armistice had just been declared. By the time the plant opened for operation, early in 1920, it had received its first order for 1008 torpedoes. Building 1, a four story structure but between Union and Lee Streets, contained mechanic shops, the dispensary, a cafeteria and offices, while Building 2 was a storehouse. The first torpedoes were completed by the end of the year, and production continued for four years. Torpedoes manufactured in Alexandria were sent to Piney Point, Maryland, where they were shot down river from a torpedo test barge, to test distance and course.

Peacetime usage of torpedoes included clearance of icebergs from North Atlantic shipping lanes, but this limited need was met by the Newport, Rhode Island plant. The work force was reduced from 500 to 30 men. Between the two World Wars over 900 torpedoes were stored in this building, and various government offices rented space in other portions of the plant.

"... YOU FELT THAT YOU WERE HELPING"

Over 5000 employees worked at the Alexandria Naval Torpedo Station during the Second World War. Three full shifts were in operation seven days per week. One worker recalls that during the war, "We were only given one holiday a year except for Christmas. Mine was February 22 and we left before that." A secretary remembers her hours as 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with Sunday afternoon off and unpaid overtime. Security was tight, with a "roof garden detachment" of Marine sentries, identification badges, and handbag inspections. Pay was considered good, and new housing was built a. Chinquapin (a park today) for the influx of factory workers. A Wave detachment was quar-tered at the Loyd House.

The Employee Recreation Association spon-sored events and published a newspaper. On Navy Day there was a parade on King Street, tor-pedoes were shot from the test barge and "lassoed", and the townspeople were invited for tours of the factory's non-secure areas. After the first women came to work in 1938, the factory was the site of many romances. Morale was excellent, spawned by the employees' pride in participating in the war effort. An employee remembers, "I was very proud that I worked there and had a part in it. I know this sounds strange now, but when you knew that one you worked on had made a hit, you felt that you were helping."

We had to check out the world’s tiniest spite house, only 7 feet across. A spite house is a building constructed or modified specifically to annoy, inconvenience, or offend neighbors, family members, or local authorities. These homes are often designed with strange, impractical, or tiny layouts to intentionally block light, views, or access to neighboring property.

We walked down to the waterfront take is lined with paths and parks. We walked along it until we took this cool tunnel back to a main road. We walked along that road until we found the free trolley at King Street that we took to the Metro station to head back to DC and our rental. We definitely wouldn’t have done any of these things in Alexandria if it weren’t for the government shut down, so silver linings. 

I love that it is blue!