This was not our first visit to the mansion. We had the mansion walkthrough visit few years back, but we thought of signing up for another same tour, but this time, more locations to visit included in our itinerary.
We started the mansion tour at 10:50AM and it was a fast paced tour because of a growing crowd! Most of the tour inside wasn't guided but just a quick-paced glimpse of the various rooms and kitchen.
This mansion became the beloved home of George and Martha Washington after they got married in 1759 until George Washington's death in 1799.
Did you know that in 1799, there were at least more than 300 men and women and children enslaved at Mt. Vernon? They were the ones who worked mostly within the estate including farmers, carpenters, cooks, and cleaners for the Washington family.
George Washington wasn't happy about the institution of slavery, so after the Revolutionary War, he had questioned it. Ultimately, he freed 123 slaves he owned outright! The rest still remained slaves including Martha Washington's descendants!
The tour is also a visit to more than a dozen outbuildings that includes slave quarters, kitchen, blacksmith shop and stables.
Also, the tomb of both George & Martha lies within the property near other family members in the tomb. It was completed in 1831. There is also an original burial vault located nearby (no photo, sorry).
Another place worth visiting is the distillery & gristmill close by, located 3 miles from the estate. You need transportation to visit the site if you are strictly on a scheduled trip.
The gristmill was built of a large stone built in 1771. It produced flour & cornmeal and was exported as high-quality products. In 1797, a distillery was built adjacent to the gristmill which became a successful producer of rye whiskey and other distilled products in 1799. Both buildings used technologies that were cutting edge in the late 1700's, and still fully functional and reconstructed.
