The early history of the land on which Mount Vernon is situated is separate from that of the home, which was not erected until 1741-1742 and occupied for the first time in 1743. Washington had serious misgivings about slavery at the time of the Revolutionary War and, upon his death, had all of his slaves freed at Mount Vernon, a number of whom remained on the estate through the 1830s, at the behest of Washington. Along the north-south line were the outbuildings, where much of the varied work was done by the slaves. Thus, as was the manner at the time, service lanes use by slaves were designed not to impinge upon the places reserved for the use of Washington, his family, and their many guests.įrom the Potomac River on the east to the estate's west-gate entrance ran the pleasure grounds with its wide-open vistas where Washington entertained. To meet these needs, there was a large slave population at the Mansion House Farm, consisting of 316 people at the time of Washington’s death. Indeed, Washington instructed that nothing should be purchased that could be made on the farm. With its varied trades-carpentry, masonry, blacksmithing, planting, even whiskey distillation-Mount Vernon was, as mush as possible, a self-sufficient community. Of special note was a large park located between the mansion and the Potomac River. His carefully designed grounds had lush rolling meadows, winding walkways, a pleasure garden, a kitchen garden, groves of trees, and very deep woods.
Washington and his family referred to their farm as "Mansion House Farm." A skilled surveyor and horticulturist, Washington created a fine setting for a country gentleman out of five hundred acres.
Built of wood in a neoclassical Georgian architectural style, the estate is located near Mount Vernon, Virginia in Fairfax County, on the banks of the Potomac River.
Mount Vernon, Virginia, was the plantation home of the first president of the United States, George Washington.
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