Mount Vernon in Virginia (Photo by Fred Michmershuizen)

A visit to Mount Vernon

Also during my visit to the nation’s capital I made a day trip to George Washington’s Mount Vernon. I spent the whole day there and took several tours, including a boat ride on the Potomac. It was VERY crowded, almost like Disneyland. I got there via public transportation. It was Memorial Day.

If you click on any of the pictures below, you can make them open bigger:

Mount Vernon photos by Fred Michmershuizen
Approaching the mansion. (Photo by Fred Michmershuizen)

 

A view of the house from the drive. (Photo by Fred Michmershuizen)

 

This is the view of the Potomac from the back of the house. (Photo by Fred Michmershuizen)

 

Some of the gardens. (Photo by Fred Michmershuizen)

 

There was no indoor plumbing at Mount Vernon. Martha would have used bedpans, but George would have come to the outbuilding. (Photo by Fred Michmershuizen)

 

The property is quite extensive. The mansion itself is toward the center bottom of this map. (Photo by Fred Michmershuizen)

 

George Washington’s grave. He and Martha are entombed in marble sarcophagi inside the brick structure. (Photo by Fred Michmershuizen)

 

A view of the mansion from the back. (Photo by Fred Michmershuizen)

 

Before Washington’s permanent grave was built, he was buried here. (Photo by Fred Michmershuizen)

 

Across from Washington’s grave is the burial ground for Mount Vernon’s enslaved population. There is more than one marker, and the site was undergoing archaeological study at the time of my visit. (Photo by Fred Michmershuizen)

 

One of the markers dedicated to the enslaved population at Mount Vernon. (Photo by Fred Michmershuizen)

 

A more permanent monument to the enslaved people who lived and worked at Mount Vernon, and who are buried at the location. (Photo by Fred Michmershuizen)

 

Another view of the mansion at Mount Vernon. (Photo by Fred Michmershuizen)