John and Kylee: Washington DC Day 5

Georgetown Day! Loved going on the architecture tour. It was somewhat ridiculous because it included a lot of neighborhood gossip. But I guess that was part of the title of the tour. I don't know why I didn't expect it as much.

I loved learning about colonial architecture. I think I took a video reiterating what I learned, but now I can't remember. One noteworthy moment was when the guide told us about the wall with it's own address. The owner is trying to gauge his neighbors because he won't repair the wall and won't sell it for cheap.

My girls' favorite moment was when we saw the likely garden gate that Taylor Swift talks about in her song "Cruel Summer." Apparently she was dating a guy whose family lived there, but by that point she had become too famous to attend any normal college party, so she'd sneak it to his college parties at that house. The kids were so great during this tour. The guide even mentioned how respectful and polite they were.

One highlight was seeing the Old Stone House. This is the Old Stone House which is the oldest house in DC. Old Stone House sits on a plot of land that on early maps was marked as Lot #3, a property facing Bridge Street (now named M Street NW). It was first purchased by John Claggett in 1752 for one pound and ten shillings and then by John Boone in 1762 for the same amount. Both men forfeited Lot #3 due to a lack of "improvement" on the lot. A person wanting to keep the land they purchased had to “erect, build, and finish, thereon, one good and substantial house, that shall cover four hundred square feet of ground at least, “ with one brick or stone chimney."

In 1764, Christopher and Rachael Layman traveled from Pennsylvania with their two sons to begin a new life in the growing port of George Town along the Potomac River. For one pound, ten shillings, they bought Lot #3, and soon began to improve the land. Unfortunately Christopher died in 1765, leaving the widowed Rachael to continue with construction on Lot #3.

Not much is known of what exactly was constructed on Lot #3 by Rachael Layman. For example, we do not know if the house had multiple stories or just a loft. We do know that the house is constructed of local blue fieldstone, quarried about two miles upriver, and solid oak boards, hewn with a pit saw. The backbreaking labor and skill of the builders is evident in the well-placed stones and evenly-laid ceiling beams. The marks left by the massive saw used to cut the ceiling beams can be seen in the room that may have housed the Layman family (the bookstore).The Laymans' simple house was functional: stone walls two to three feet thick and packed dirt floors protected the family from harsh weather, while low ceilings conserved heat from the hearth fire.

Georgetown's architecture is dominated by 18th and 19th-century styles, featuring predominantly brick Federal-style row houses, elegant Georgian homes, and Victorian mansions. Founded in 1751, the area boasts a historic, refined aesthetic with narrow, ornate row homes, prominent brick facades, and charming, compact wood-frame houses, along with stunning Romanesque Revival at Georgetown University.

After the architecture tour we had lunch at Georgetown University's green. It was delightful to sit down with some yummy food. It was hard to get a seats, but we got some eventually under some cool trees that were fun to explore. The kids were adorable playing together--climbing trees and laughing together.

We headed to Tudor Place next which had a lot of artifacts from the Washington Family. I am glad we didn't miss that stop because Mt. Vernon was mostly under refurbishment, so we didn't get to see as much as we would have liked there.

Tudor Place Historic House & Garden is a museum unlike any other in Washington, DC. A model of Federal-period architecture in the nation’s capital, Tudor Place was home to five generations of the Peter family, descendants of Martha Washington. Armistead Peter 3rd, the last and final owner, envisioned a gift to the nation—one that would celebrate the site’s association with George Washington and the founding family while honoring the fact that Tudor Place “was lived in and loved by generations of our family and in which they found great happiness.” Thomas and Martha Custis Peter (grand-daughter of Martha Washington) purchased Tudor Place in 1805. Completed in 1816, it was designed by William Thornton, architect of the first U.S. Capitol. The six generations of Peters who lived here were witnesses to a ceaseless parade of events that shaped the nation, including the burning of Washington in 1814, slavery, the Civil War, both World Wars and the Cold War. Tudor Place opened to the public in 1988.

The garden and the collections are as rich and interesting as the home itself. A focal point is the collection of numerous objects that belonged to George and Martha Washington, making Tudor Place the largest public depository of objects belonging to the first Presidential family outside of Mount Vernon. The decorations included four chair-cushions embroidered by Martha Washington in 1801 "executed upon coarse canvas in a design of shells, done in brown and yellow wools, the highlights being flecked in gold-colored silk" as well as a decorative cover for a bed whose trimmings also were embroidered by Martha Washington.

After Tudor Place, we walked down to the Georgetown Waterfront. We had planned on renting kayaks and paddling around the Potomac, but like a lot of planned activities for this trip, it didn't work out. It was too windy that day, so the company contacted us and told us they couldn't allow any kayaks out that afternoon.

We still enjoyed going down to the waterfront and walking along the path there. There were sites to be seen including the Kennedy Center for the Art and the Frances Scott Key Bridge. On the way back home we ran into some missionaries. It was fun to see so many missionaries in DC.

Our Georgetown guide was a fun one. She talked a lot about the old money and new money of Georgetown. We even ran into a grumpy woman who the guide later told us was clearly old money. She wanted to know what company the guide was from, and she told the woman some generic name. It was kind of funny.

Chesapeake And Ohio Canal or the C&O Canal follows the Potomac

Love the colors, but definitely not 'old money' approved

Our family and the guide

Old Stone House

I just loved the architecture of this house

Taylor Swift's gate

A decorated stoop - the guide made a joke that people who didn't do it very well did a Trader Joe's decorating job. This made me laugh--in my tax bracket Trader Joe's is nice.

This is where JFK lived when he got elected to the presidency.

The Kennedys leaving to go to the presidential inauguration.

This alley house wasn't a true spite house because it led to a basement, but I still thought it was interesting.

This is the largest manicured tree. It really begs the question why, but I guess people can spend their money how they'd like.

The Georgetown people hate this dumpster. Something we really heard a lot about was how much pride the historic Georgetown people took in things looking perfect.

Georgetown University campus is anchored by the historic, Victorian Gothic-style Healy Hall (1879)

The biggest offense to Georgetown's perfect image are these life sized Transformers. It is quite the stoop statement.

This tulip poplar at Tudor Place is a Millennium Landmark Tree and is over 200 years old. The beehives at the bottom were buzzing.

We loved the Tudor Place's Gardens.

1919 Pierce-Arrow Roadster Model 48-B5 During the early 1900s, the Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company manufactured some of the most luxurious and powerful cars on the American market. The Peter family owned at least five, including this six-cylinder roadster that could carry four passengers. Pierce-Arrow built the engine and chassis, but Armistead Peter 3rd commissioned Brewster & Company of New York to manufacture the body according to his specifications. Brewster incorporated bell-shaped headlights and a new seat and steering wheel design from Rolls Royce to accommodate Peter's height. The total cost was $8,482.70, a fortune for a car in 1919 when the Ford Model-T sold for $300. Armistead Peter 3rd kept this roadster running or in storage from the time of its purchase in 1919 until his death in 1983, driving it a total of 37,000-miles.