Washington DC Trip August 2008 - Part 1

Welcome to the first entry in our blog. I travelled to Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia with my family and we had a wonderful trip. My wife Julie, Mom and Step-Dad Chris drove to D.C. from Newport, Rhode Island, Julie and I having started from the Boston area in Medford, MA. Driving down Interstate 95 0ur first destination was Mount Vernon, home of the great George Washington, first President of the United States.



Mount Vernon was a wonderful site to visit. It is located about an hour south of Washington in Virginia. The mansion is a large, white Georgian, Southern plantation-style house overlooking the magnificent Potomac River. Mount Vernon is situated on rolling, green hillsides that constituted the property of George Washington which was a plantation farm. One got a good idea of Washington's many abilities, including statesman, leader, and being able to acquire much land and house items for Mount Vernon and the White House, giving both places a sophisticated look.





The site has many buildings to see. First of all, you can tour the mansion itself. There are also many slave quarters still standing. Third, one can visit the houses of the gardener and overseer. A house for a secretary who kept records for the President was also on the grounds. When at the site you will learn about when the Washingtons first lived at Mont Vernon. George Washington's great grandfather was given a land grant and emigrated from England to live on the land in the late 1600's. One can learn a little bit about Washington's genealogy there, viewing the names of his immediate American ancestors on a chart and in a pamphlet. I have learned before that Washington also had some Belgian ancestry and possibly French ancestry. These ancestors of George may have gone to England before America.