Mount Vernon

 Sadly, our days in DC had to come to an end. It was a short stay.  On our way home we decided that stopping by Mt. Vernon would be a good idea!

We found some great parking ! It was not a huge walk to the entrance.

Mt. Vernon is not owned by the government. In the 1850s, a lady on a boat trip noticed the mansion was falling into ruin. She told her daughter and her daughter started the Mt. Vernon Ladies Association.  They were able to raise the money to buy the mansion and land in 1858. She said if the men in this country will not save it's history, the women will.   The Mt. Vernon Ladies Association still runs and cares for the house and grounds without any government money at all.

The ticket entrance

Inside the Visitor's Center. Lon enjoyed the model of the house.  It was very detailed.

Our tickets said 10:10 for our house tour.  Since we were early and there were not many people when we got to the line for the house, we could just go right in.

We were not allowed to take photos inside the home.

The Potomac looks so beautiful from the front portico

Because we were not allowed to take photos inside, I bought a few postcards to show what the inside of the house looks like.

This is the last room of the house to be completed.  It is the dining room.  They also used this room for dancing. This was the room that the Washingtons liked to show off.  The wall paper is painted paper, the green paint was made from crushed malachite.

The fire place in the dining room.  Our docent told us that the paintings were all original to the Washingtons.

This was the original part of the home. This was the house that George Washington inherited at age 23 when his father died.  If you look closely you can see a key, in a glassed in frame.   This is a key to the Basitille, in France. The Marquis de Lafayette saved and gave to George Washington.  I mention this because we were visiting on Basitlle Day.

The last postcard I bought was of the kitchen.  It was a much bigger space than I thought it would be. It is a great space, very well laid out.

Upkeep on the house. The roof is being fixed and the red reapplied.

 The house, with the scaffolding.

The carriage.  What a gorgeous vehicle!

There was a mule and a horse. The mule was much friendlier.

Sweet Girl.

The Washington's Tomb

The path to the pioneer farm and wharf.  George Washington made a good bit of his fortune fishing from the Potomac.  Shad and herring he had salted and sold

At the pioneer farm Lon learned a little bit about crop rotations.

Up close and personal with the ox

Not sure where they were going but they were on the move.

Lon took the pictures of the Oxen.

We took the shuttle back up to the visitor's center.  It was HOT! The shuttle was wonderfully air conditioned.

We got back on the road to head for home. It was a great time at Mt. Vernon.  We would love to go back

We stopped at this burger place in Wilson North Carolina.   I have tried to rotate the picture and it will just not save, as soon as I can figure it out I will fix it

The burgers were house made (not pre made patties and the fries were hand cut. We had fresh squeezed lemonade.  It was reasonable and quick.

 We pulled into the driveway about 9pm. Made some good time.

It was a fun trip to DC! Looking forward to doing it again!