Roaming Times > Travel > George Washington's House - Mount Vernon, Virginia

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George Washington's House
 Mount Vernon, Virginia

George Washington's house in Mount Vernon is a wooden structure built in 1743 by his half brother Lawrence Washington..  The house is named after Admiral Vernon - a British naval officer - who was Lawrence's commanding officer.  

George Washington's House, Mount Vernon, VA
George inherited the house upon the death of Lawrence in 1754 and lived in it until his death in 1799.

My wife and I visited the house in the heat of the summer.  We had to stand in line to get into the house - it was very uncomfortable with the high summer temperatures and the vacation crowds.  (You might like to visit outside the summer season.)

The tour of the house was wonderful.  One thing that was really surprising was the colors that were used to paint the walls.  The house was bought and restored by the Mount Vernon Ladies Association after Washington's death, but we were assured they used the same colors to repaint every room.  The dining room - where many famous people were entertained - was a weird and very bright green color.  But this was not seen by the famous guests the way we saw it, they saw it by candle light and the colors were more subdued.

The back of the house overlooks the Potomac River in Alexandria (Fairfax County) south of Washington DC.  The house and estate is set in 40 acres.  It's really worth visiting - it's not only interesting, it's also very beautiful.  The portico at the back of the house looks out at this view and you can sit there and just imagine George and Martha Washington enjoying it all.

View from the back of George Washington's House, Mount Vernon, VA - overlooking the Potomac River
George Washington was born into a world where slavery was a normal part of life.  He owned slaves and when he married Martha she owned slaves who she brought to Mount Vernon. When George Washington died in 1799, it is estimated that more than 300 slaves lived on the Mount Vernon estate. You can still see a part of the slave quarters at Mount Vernon today - as shown in the picture to the right.  

Slave quarters, George Washington house, Mount Vernon VA
We make no moral judgment of course - times and attitudes change - many things we treat as the norm will surely be judged by history as wrong.  What do you think?  

In any case, we enjoyed our visit to the house and recommend it to you.

What do you think? - add your comments here

Adding to the story ... Readers comments:
(Latest first)

Alyssa :  I went there this past spring and it was beautiful, but we did have to wait like 2.5 hours to go in. I think it was well worth it!

James :  I'd like to know how and where the research was done to come up with that green for the small dining room. I realize that times change, but in all the stories and history telling of George and Martha Washington one would never get the idea that they would have lived with such a color. Was it really used at Mount Vernon or are we being shown this color because it is indicative of its use by some people of the time of Washington? It is a very disturbing color and distracts from the beauty that is Mount Vernon. As much as I love Mount Vernon, and as many times as I have toured the house and grounds, I wish I had never seen that room that color. I have since seen it used as trim in some Chinese restaurants and it always brings back bad memories of seeing it at Mount Vernon.

Debbie :  I had always wanted to see Mt. Vernon and it was a dream come true. One thing of interest to me was that although the slaves had humble circumstances, the gardens were right outside of their quarters and it was at least beautiful for them there. I hope that beauty gave them some happiness.

Maille :  My family and I loved the visit and the house and the feeling of history was everywhere. I agree with Paige I hope to visit again before my life is over. I think this house is so important to us that my grandchildrens children will visit it. Its not just the feeling of the past its also the feeling of the future.

Paige :  I have been there before it is so beautiful.....just all of the history.... I was just standing there and like I was thinking to myself " I am standing where George Washington stood at one moment" I hope to go and visit it another time before my life is over....

Zulema Rodriguez :  The house is too horrible for me. I mean that's the ugliest thing that I have seen in my whole life!!!!!

Carrie Lourekas :  We had to wait in line for about two hours for the mansion tour. When you get in you move from one guide to the next as the tour goes room by room. People were crammed in and the tour guides were a bit cranky. During our visit there was a lot of construction going on throughout the estate. Despite all this we enjoyed tht tour. I would recommend people to not go on a really hot day and not take really young kids with them.

What do you think? - add your comments here

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