Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Washington's Farm


No winter photos today, folks. It's too cold in Washington, DC today to even glance at a snowy scene. Instead let's look at photo taken in a warmer month, shall we?

Did you know that George Washington was a farmer? Well like most of our founding fathers, Washington owned and managed a farm on his Mount Vernon estate. Most likely, he didn't do much manual labor himself -- an extended community of slaves and servants that numbered about 315 people at its peak, lived and worked on Mount Vernon plantation. According to the Mount Vernon Ladies Association, Washington's plantation was divided into five farms, each of which had a separate overseer who was responsible for that farm, and managed an active fishery. Many dirt roads and wooden fences like this one appeared throughout the estate and helped those that worked Mount Vernon take care of Washington's farms and livelihood.

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