Mount Vernon News Update
Keeping Readers Informed About George Washington!
George Washington as an Entrepreneur
Lawrence Washington's widow acquired Mount Vernon when George's half-brother Lawrence died. When Lawrence's widow died a few years later, Mount Vernon and a few other properties were passed to George. Later George married the Widow Custis, arguably one of the wealthiest women in Virginia after her husband Daniel died and left his properties to her. Laws in Virginia (and the other colonies) were such that the husband took control of his wife's assets upon marriage.
Washington managed his and his wife's properties in a meticulous manner, considering the best ways to maximize profits and still provide for his family members as well as the enslaved population on the farms. George, like other Virginia planters, focused on tobacco cultivation in his early years.
Increasingly Washington saw that tobacco was not necessarily the most profitable crop to grow long-term, so he began experimenting with growing grains like wheat, rye and barley.
16-Sided Barn at Mount Vernon
George Washington was innovative and designed the barn to maximize the grain harvested on his farms.
The Whiskey Distillery
Washington ventured into distilling whiskey in his later years at Mount Vernon. The surrounding neighbors bought a lot of whiskey from Washington, making the distillery a very lucrative enterprise. (People drank a lot of whiskey in those days!)
Martha's Kitchen Garden
Martha Washington's kitchen garden was designed to maximize the yield of the vegetables grown there. The brick wall in the distance served to help the plants that needed added warmth to grow healthier.
Dung Repository
Washington experimented with different types of dung as fertilizers for his crops. He experimented with sheep and cow dung as well as horse dung. This image of his dung repository is where the enslaved population would have put the animal dung to give it time to "cure" to prevent it from burning his plants. (Washington learned that all dung had to be cured except for sheep dung. It could be used immediately.)
The Spinning House
Washington decided to have some of his enslaved women weave the fabric for the clothing for the enslaved people to save money and increase his profits rather than buying the cloth for their clothes from England. The women wove linen for the summer clothes and wool for the winter clothing. (Each enslaved person had one set of clothing for the winter and one for the summer.)
The Blacksmith Shop
There was a blacksmith shop at Mount Vernon and enslaved artisans made the tools that were used on the estate and in the fields here.
Dung Repository
Washington experimented with different types of dung as fertilizers for his crops. He experimented with sheep and cow dung as well as horse dung. This image of his dung repository is where the enslaved population would have put the animal dung to give it time to "cure" to prevent it from burning his plants. (Washington learned that all dung had to be cured except for sheep dung. It could be used immediately.)
The Spinning House
Washington decided to have some of his enslaved women weave the fabric for the clothing for the enslaved people to save money and increase his profits rather than buying the cloth for their clothes from England. The women wove linen for the summer clothes and wool for the winter clothing. (Each enslaved person had one set of clothing for the winter and one for the summer.)
The Blacksmith Shop
There was a blacksmith shop at Mount Vernon and enslaved artisans made the tools that were used on the estate and in the fields here.