Mount Vernon - Mount Vernon, VA
Posted by: 
Hikenutty
N 38° 42.584 W 077° 05.009
18S E 318843 N 4286626
This Georgian Plantation was home to George Washington, first president of the United States. The original house was built in 1741, however the house you now see had major additions to it in the late 1740's and later in 1757.
Waymark Code: WM4AX8
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 07/31/2008
Views: 51
Augustine Washington, father of George Washington, built a modest farmhouse on a bluff above the Potomac in 1741. His son, Lawrence, asked his father to name the house and plantation Mount Vernon in honor of his commanding officer, British Vice Admiral Edward Vernon.
Upon returning from war in 1742, Augustine passed away and Lawrence took up residence in MV. He undertook an expansion of the home in the late 1740's. Lawrence died young in 1752, leaving the estate to his widow and his younger half brother, George Washington. Lawrence's widow, Anne Fairfax, promptly remarried into the Lee family and moved out. When Lawrence and Anne's last surviving child died in 1754, George leased the estate from Anne, and later bought her interest in the property.
In 1757 George began the first of two major additions to the home, the latter addition starting just after the start of the Revolutionary War.
George lived in the estate and farmed the land until his death in 1799. The house was passed down through a number of descendents and was not maintained. It was purchased in 1858 by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union from Washington's great-grandnephew, John A. Washington, Jr., rescuing it from a state of disrepair and neglect.
During the Civil War the land was declared neutral and survived despite heavy fighting around the property.
The mansion was meticulously restored by the Laddie's Association without any state or Federal funds and is run by them to this day. Tours of the mansion, gardens and property run daily.
Earliest Recorded Date of Construction: 01/01/1741
Additional Dates of Construction:
Late 1740's - additions by Lawrence Washington
1757 - Major expansion and improvements by G. Washington
Mid 1770's - Additional expansion and improvements
Architectural Period/Style: Neo-Classical, Georgian
Landscape Designer (if known): George Washington
Type of Building e.g. Country House, Stately Home, Manor:
Plantation Home
Interesting Historical Facts or Connections:
Home of the first president of the U.S.
Listed Building Status (if applicable): National Register of Historic Places, National Historic Landmark
Main Material of Construction: Wood
Private/Public Access: Public
Admission Fee (if applicable): 13.00 (listed in local currency)
Opening Hours (if applicable): From: 10:00 AM To: 5:00 PM
Related Website: [Web Link]
Rating: 
Architect (if known): Not listed
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