Jay took this picture of Kirsti last week near the same spot at Mount Vernon. The house and grounds don't look appreciably different, do they?
This Historic Home, which once belonged to our first president, George Washington, has gone through quite a few changes since I visited here as a child. Jay says they've made a lot of changes to the place, all in the name of historical accuracy, and they have built a large museum on the grounds.
The society that runs the site started out with a handful of original artifacts many years ago, and now has over 50,000. New things are coming in all the time.
For example, a family in Oklahoma just discovered they had a sugar bowl that was part of an original Washington set from the late 1700s. It was acquired somehow and handed down by this family as a heirloom. It has the GW initials on it set in a cloud, which fits perfectly in with a set of the Washington's china. That acquisition by the society completed a china set that once belonged to the President.
Jay and Kirsti found their tour fascinating. The house is air conditioned now and there are tour guides in each room constantly explaining things out loud to the visitors.
George Washington is one of my heroes. There are few men who could have done what he did. He served humbly and ably and set the example for all the presidents who would follow him. A great war hero, he had the command of an army and could easily have become a dictator or a despot. There were many at the time who wanted George Washington to be not just president, but King. He had the strength of character to turn that honor down. I bless him for it.
Even though necessity forced him often to leave it, George Washington preferred the life of a country squire and loved his Mount Vernon home. I don't blame him. Even more than two hundred years later, it's a beautiful place.
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