Mister and Lady: Washington D.C. 2022 w/Jen and Josh

Day 2 and we are up and moving bright and early. Showers, breakfast, loading busses and by 7:45 we are on our way to Mount Vernon. Some are not quite ready to start the day.

This is my third trip to Mount Vernon and it is always fun and fascinating adventure. The two previous visits have blog post bits and I try to use different information each time. Here is the Trip 1 LINK and Trip 2 LINK so that you share in more fun of spots I highlighted before. I will be more detailed this time as it may be my last time visiting here. This trip, we start with the visitor center in which there is a model to scale of the home. I took a few pictures of individual rooms and will share them with the rooms themselves, just so you can see how large they actually are.

First up is the New Room. From the Mount Vernon website: "Washington called this room - the last addition to the Mansion and the grandest space in the house - his "New Room." With its two story-high ceiling, detailed architectural ornament, and stylish furnishing, the New Room was intended to emphasize unpretentious beauty and fine craftsmanship, qualities he believed communicated the new nation's values. Opting for vivid paint and wallpaper throughout much of the house, Washington made choices that expressed the tastes of his era, when the use of bold colors was a sign of wealth. The stunning green of the wallpaper in this room was one of his favorites. The furnishing include carious original Washington pieces as well as period pieces similar to those the Washington's would have owned. Washington ordered the Federal-style sideboard (on the river side of the room) and several of the side chairs from Philadelphia cabinet maker John Aitken, near the end of his presidency. Like the grand 'salons' of fashionable 18th century English manor homes, this room was meant to serve several functions. As a receiving area for visitors, its high ceiling, large volume, and symmetrical decoration made the space truly impressive as the room along was larger than most houses in colonial Virginia. As well as its scale, the New Room's large north-facing window made it an ideal picture gallery. Washington hung 21 works of art in the room; the six large landscape paintings currently on display are the original canvases that Washington acquired. Finally, the room was used occasionally for dining, likely for guests of high rank or large parties that could not be accommodated in the smaller dining room. The New Room's high ceilings and two exterior doors also provided much-needed cross-ventilation when the Washington's entertained during the warm summer months."

From the model -

Next is the Little Parlor. I was surprised just how small it was and then I realized how much of the room was lost due to allowing us to walk through. The model shows how it all fits much better when there isn't a walkway. (Bottom room in picture)

Now for the Front Parlor - "Before the New Room was completed, Washington considered the front parlor to be the 'best place in my House.' This elegant room was a public space where visitors enjoyed the Washington family's company. Tea and coffee were customarily served here during the winter and on rainy days, and the household gathered here in the evenings to read, discuss the latest political news, and play games. The architectural elements include the mantel, two Palladian door frames, and paneled walls. These features make the front parlor one of the finest surviving examples of colonial Virginia architecture. Reminders of the Washington's are evident throughout the room, from the family portraits adorning the walls to the family coat-of-arms above the carved mantel and the crest on the decorative cast-iron fireback."

The Central Passage boasts a couple of very interesting items. One is the Key to the Bastille, given to Washington by the Marquis de Lafayette in 1790 after the destruction of the infamous prison in Paris.

Additionally, the staircase that Washington added when he first enlarged the house in 1758-1759 still stands. It is made of native black walnut.

Up to the second floor and the first room is The Blue Room, which overlooks the front entrance and the view to the west.

The Lafayette Bedchamber, so named because it is believed that the Marquis stayed here while visiting the Washington's. There is always a likeness of him in this room.

The Chintz Room - "During George and Martha Washington's lifetimes, the Chintz Room was one of the most richly furnished bedchambers in the house. This room was used by Martha Washington's granddaughter Nelly Custis, who lived at Mount Vernon from early childhood. The room dates to the 1758-59 enlargement of the house. Mount Vernon's curatorial staff discovered that the bedhangings were most likely those purchased by Washington in Philadelphia in 1774, made by non other than Betsy Ross!"

The Hall Bedchamber -

The Yellow Room -

Washington's Bedchamber - "Located directly above the study in the private south wing was George and Marth Washington's spacious bedroom. Designed according to Mrs. Washington's suggestion that it be simple and functional, the room was also her sanctuary, where she planned her schedule and wrote letters to friends and family members. According to her grandson, she also spent an hour there each day reading the Bible and praying. Washington died of a severe throat infection in this room on December 14, 1799. Upon his death, Martha closed the room and, for the remaining several years of her life, spent much of her time in a bedchamber on the third floor. Purchased in the early 1790's, the bed was described by Mrs. Washington as 'the new bedstead which I caused to be made in Philadelphia.' Its design is in keeping with the Washington's preference for elegant simplicity. At just over six feet, six inches long, it was large enough to accommodate the General, who stood about six feet, two inches tall. In this room is also a mantel clock from Washington's presidency and a fine French writing desk crafted of mahogany with a marble top and brass fittings."

Back down the stairs to the Downstairs Bedchamber, which was used for the many, frequent visitors to Mount Vernon.

The Study - "After George Washington's return to Mount Vernon at the end of the Revolutionary War in 1783, the study became his retreat from ever-present family and visitors; a place where he could quietly and privately tend to business. Reportedly, no one was allowed in this room without his invitation. From here, he directed the management of his estate, receiving reports from overseers, making daily diary entries, and posting his accounts. The study was also where Washington bathed, dressed, and kept his clothes. Each morning, he rose between 4 and 5 a.m. and went to the study, using the private staircase that led down from the bedchamber. According to the recollections of his step-grandson George Washington (Washy) Parke Custis, he lit his own fire and dressed himself. Washington used this quiet time to write letters or review reports until breakfast at 7 a.m., after which he usually rode out to his farms. In the evening, unless he had a social obligation or lingered talking to visitors after dinner, he returned here to read or confer with his secretary until around 9 p.m., when he went to bed. In this room is a fan chair similar to Washington's, which helped him to stay cool on hot summer's days; Washington's chair that he used as President, a portrait of Lawrence Washington, bookcases, a secretary and other artifacts from Washington's life."

The Dining Room - "One of the most striking spaces in the Mansion, the dining room is part of the original house, built in 1734. Over the years, the room underwent a series of renovations. While Washington was away commanding the Continental Army in 1775, it was updated under the supervision of his cousin Lund Washington. In 1785 striking verdigris-green paint was added. Washington believed the color to be 'grateful to the eye' and less likely than other colors to fade; an overcoat of glaze further intensified the color. In 1775 Washington decided to install an elaborately decorated plaster ceiling and add plaster ornaments above the fireplace. He hired an expert plasterer, identified simply as the 'Stucco Man,' who spent five months completing the hand-tooled ceiling. A renovation in 2001 uncovered come of his original pencil drawings on the ceiling laying out the design.

The Kitchen is in in unattached building, connected by a covered walkway. According to the website: "The first kitchen at Mount Vernon was one of four outbuildings (along with the dairy, storehouse, and washhouse) that were positioned in two pairs, each running in a line at an angle to a corner of the Mansion's west façade. The buildings formed an open forecourt that framed the house and faced the circle where the formal carriage driveway led to the Mansion. The placement of the kitchen at Mount Vernon was dictated by a series of functional, social, and environmental factors. The concern for safety from potential fires, the desire to avoid kitchen heat, and the need to avoid the smell of food cooking in the household were of significant importance. In addition, there was the desire to separate domestic functions from the dwelling in order to reinforce the segregation of enslaved workers' activities from those of the planter family. A kitchen based on these guidelines was constructed at Mount Vernon some time before 1753 and was replaced in 1775, the year George Washington undertook a significant enlargement of the Mansion, while simultaneously altering the layout of a variety of outbuildings as well as of the surrounding gardens and grounds. The expansion and redesign at Mount Vernon began just before Washington left to command American forces outside of Boston in May 1775. The plan called for the construction of new outbuildings to match the enlarged Mansion. The outmoded structures were demolished and two new buildings - the kitchen and the servants' hall - were erected in their place."

The servants' hall is now used as a queuing area for tours to the house and is passed through on the way inside.

"The new kitchen was larger and more architecturally detailed than the original, matching the Mansion in many aspects. Most notably, the siding boards on the façade facing the circle were beveled and sanded to create the appearance of stone blocks. covered walkways called colonnades were built to connect each of the new structures to the Mansion. Workers carrying food back and forth between the kitchen and the Mansion did so along this protected passageway."

"The updated kitchen included three workrooms on the firsts floor and a loft above, which served as the residence of the cook or housekeeper. The largest of the three workrooms included a fireplace and an attached oven. The other workrooms were a scullery where food was prepared and dishes were washed, and a larder with a subterranean cooling floor to store food.

A view of the many spits and the Larder.

The Scullery -

With that, our tour of the house is complete and we are free to explore the grounds. The Carriage House and the Salt House. According to the placard, "Although it is called the salt house in Washington's records, many items were kept here - bellows from the blacksmith shop, plow parts, weighted fishing nets, tools, even sand. Salt was an expensive item, imported to Virginia from England, Portugal, or the Caribbean Islands. Washington purchases hundreds of pounds of salt each year, mainly for food preservation. In an age before refrigeration, salting kept fresh meant, fish, and vegetables from spoiling. Washington distributed salted fish to enslaved workers, fed salt to livestock, and even brined wheat seed to prevent rotting and help sprouting. Finer quality table salt, used by the Washington's and their guests at meals, was stored in the Mansion cellar."

The Spinning House - "George Washington practiced selective breeding of sheep to produce better quality wool, grew flax for making linen cloth, cultivated hemp for rope, and experimented with cotton and silk. While enslaved laborers and hire weavers produced basic textiles for plantation use, finer materials from England were imported for the Washington's household and clothing."

Male Slave Quarters -

Stove Room - "The stove room provided heat that palms, orange trees, lemon trees, and other tropical plants in George Washington's greenhouse needed to survive Virginia winters. Hot air from the stove flowed through a series of flues into the greenhouse floor next door. Fueling this fire consumed extensive quantities of wood, cut and split by Mount Vernon slaves. Keeping the fire going day and night required an enslaved man or boy to sleep in this room from late fall to early spring. The stove room and sleeping quarters on either side also helped to insulate the greenhouse from cold outside air."

The Shoemaker's Shop - "Mount Vernon shoemakers were kept busy making and repairing shoes for the nearly 100 adult slaves who labored on George Washington's farms. Every field hand received one pair of shoes each fall. In 1799, the enslaved shoemaker was William "Billy" Lee, the personal attendant who accompanied Washington during the Revolutionary War. Lee learned the trade of shoemaking after seriously injuring both knees. He and several assistants also fixed saddles and the Washington family's shoes. They did not make shoes for the Washington's, who ordered finer footwear from local merchants or London manufacturers."

Female Slave Quarters - "Life in the Women's Bunk Room - Had you entered this room one evening in 1799, you might have encountered ten to fifteen female slaves and perhaps their children. The women's lives were defined by work. They lived close to the Mansion, where a few were house slaves, and to the outbuildings, where others sewed clothing, cooked, or did laundry for the Washingtons. some of these women were single, while others had husbands living elsewhere."

"The residents of this room did not leave written descriptions (few knew how to write). The little we know about these enslaved people comes from documents written by George Washington, his family, his white employees, and other plantation owners. Artifacts unearthed by archaeologists provide clues to what Mount Vernon's slaves ate, how they cooked, and what they wore. Many questions remain unanswered, so we use logic and imagination to suggest what life in this room may have been like."

At this point, Jen and I remembered a bakery tent when we first came in and are off to check it out. I've gone into better details on other parts of the grounds (including the tomb) in previous posts, so check out the links at the top of this page.

We pop into the tent to discover that the baker is currently making Middling Bread. This is new to me so I am full of questions.

Middling bread is made from a middling grain. Hmmmn - well the explanation is that wheat middlings are the product of the wheat milling process that is not flour. The middling is mixed in with the flour to extend and provide protein and fiber.

I also notice the large wooden box that he is mixing the bread in. Goodness, my mother has one of these in her house that was made by my grandfather. How cool is that?

Jen gets in line for the bread that is coming from the oven as we stand there. Oh my --- it smells diving.

Doesn't this just look amazing?

As I'm standing at the back of the tent, I notice a smaller building. It is the Well House. "Well Houses like this one, built by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association in the 1870s and originally located behind the Mansion's kitchen, kept debris out of wells and protected the mechanisms used to draw water. Unfortunately, researchers did not find evidence that George Washington constructed a well house in that location. So, Mount Vernon preservation staff carefully removed iti n 2000 in order to return the kitchen well to its 18th-century appearance. The restored well house moved to this location in 2015."

With out fresh bread and some homemade cheese in hand, we are off for a delightful and perfectly timely lunch. Keeping with the 1700s all the way through.

A stop in the gift shop has a Mount Vernon Virginia Porter brewed here in Virginia. There is also a distillery still operating here at the farms and using the same recipe that George Washington used. If I get a chance to return, I'd love a visit there.

Mount Vernon is done and we are loaded back into the busses for the next stop of our amazing day. Scenes along the way as we head right back into D.C.

The Canadian Embassy -

The White House is next. The large fence around the property is a construction fence as the fountain is being worked on.

Lafayette Square - across from the White House.

The oldest running protest in D.C. is the White House Peace Vigil. Look it up as it's got a cool history and has been here since 1981.

Police riding in circles --- I think they are bored to death.

In Lafayette Square - The Marquis de Lafayette and the Andrew Jackson Equestrian statues.

We walk around to get to the other side of the White House (technically, there is not a front and back) and wind up at the back side of the Treasury Department along the way.

General Sherman Monument in a park along the way.

And - The National Christmas Tree has been located here since 1973. Calvin Coolidge was the first president to light the National Christmas Tree on Christmas Eve, 1923. Since that time presidents have continued the tradition in various ways. In 1926, a signal flare announce the lightning to the city. In 1932, holiday carols played over loudspeakers hidden in the branches. The ceremony today includes live music and dance performances broadcast to the nation.

The closest and best (hahahaha) view we can have of the White House. The 12' Iron fence is new within the last couple of months. It used to be a 4' fence and once could actually see the building.

We are standing at the point for the measurement of distances from Washington on highways of the United States.

The kids pose for a group picture, but the White House cannot be seen behind them. Drat.

Two blocks away from the White House is the Willard Hotel and there are many great stories associated with this play. The one I remember most is that President Grant would walk the two blocks to get away from the many people wishing for his time at the White House. He would get a drink in the bar and enjoy the calm and peace. When the townspeople figured it out, they would start gathering in the lobby of the hotel, waiting to make their requests when he left. This is where the term, "lobbyists" came from.

A nice shot of the Washington Monument.

We are back on the National Mall and stopping to visit a few memorials. First up is the Korean War Veterans Memorial.

A stop at the Lincoln Memorial - "The Federal Union of the United States, at the heart of Lincoln/s purpose is symbolized in his memorial by 36 columns beneath the names of the 36 states composing the union in his lifetime. When the memorial was designed, the union included the 48 states named on the Attic Frieze. A generation later - in 1959 - Alaska and Hawaii attained statehood fully joining their destinies with The United States of America. E Pluribus Unum."

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Looking for family names.

Once finished at the memorials (which I have gone into greater depth on previous trips), we are off to the river for a dinner cruise.

I was hoping for a ride out of the general vicinity and kept watching to see if we were going under the bridge as we did 5 years ago, but it wasn't meant to be. Just up and down the river a few times.

The dancing inside is kicking up and will go for a few hours now.

Well after sunset by the time we arrive back at the dock.

We are heading back to the memorials for a bit.

The World War II Memorial is up next and since I've gone over this before, I'll just share some new stuff for me. The Texas wreath and then hidden in a nook behind the memorial, is a small remembrance of "Kilroy Was Here." Do you see it? You may need to enlarge the photo.

Night views are just the best -

From the WWII Memorial, one can see the Lincoln Memorial in the distance.

WWII Memorial after dark.

We are making a second stop at the Lincoln Memorial and I LOVE it. What a cool chance to see these all lit up.

See President Lincoln?

Taking advantage of the second trip, I make the journey below to see some of the museum items. There is a ton of information about the memorial and what it is based on.