Mount Vernon
I had planned to write this long, sweeping manifesto of sorts related to my visit this weekend to the home/plantation of George Wa.shington. However, my thoughts can be relayed briefly.
My aunt came to visit from New York City and she wanted to go here. I live in Northern VA (DC metro area) and only 10 minutes away from Mt. Vernon. I have never really considered going here before. Driving along the GW Pakrway is breathtaking as you are driving parallel to the Potomac River. I live very near the river. Anyway, it never interested me because …well, it just never did.
I must say, Mt. Vernon is beautiful. Washington was definitely a visionary, a planner, shrewd businessman and all the rest. Mt. Vernon is captivating…this place is what comes to mind whenever I’ve envisioned a plantation in my mind. The mansion (big house) overlooking the river, the stables, forests, outbuildings, etc. The sheer beauty of the land….over 4 thousand acres is by far the most beautiful land I’ve ever seen. I took the tour of the whole place. There are still areas under the houses that I wasn’t privvy to. They had houses specifically for salting meat, one for smoking meat, one for shoe repair. Mt. Vernon was conceptualized by Washington and realized by the people who were under his “employ”. There was so much history there. Some of it I knew already-a lot I did not.
I would encourage everyone to visit this place if you ever have the opportunity. From a purely historical perspective, it is a must-see. Washington was ahead of his time in agricultural and horticultural practices.
I visited the slave memorial and slave quarters, overseer’s house etc. I was brought to tears. So much work went into building Mt. Vernon. As I walked along this magnificent land, marveling at it’s beauty and scope, something kept tugging at me. I mean, I was happy to be seeing this splendor - grateful even. I kicked myself for never having come before this. As the guides talked about the greatness that was Washington, I could see the truth of it around me. The guides at Mt. Vernon do not ignore the fact that he had slaves. In fact, many of the plaques state at the time of his death he owned 316 slaves. However, it is downplayed on the tour. You can take a separate slave tour….I may the next time I visit.
I can say a lot more about my experience while at Mt. Vernon, but you should go yourself. As I walked off the plantation, one thought came to mind and escaped my lips, “I want my 40 acres and a mule”. Seeing this place gives a whole new meaning to the idea of reparations.
My son and I were driving and came upon an overturned SUV. He was initially very excited to see the firetrucks and ambulances. He thought this was so “cool”. He talked my head off about how cool it was that the firemen were on the scene and again reminded me of how my husband had JUST taken him on an impromptu tour of the neighborhood firehouse after school. Finally, we settled into a nice quiet drive.
