Identifier: picturesquewas00moor (find matches)
Title: Picturesque Washington: pen and pencil sketches of its scenery, history, traditions, public and social life, with graphic descriptions of the Capitol and Congress, the White House, and the government departments ..
Year: 1884 (1880s)
Authors: Moore, Joseph West
Subjects: Washington (D.C.)
Publisher: Providence : J.A. & R.A. Reid
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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than one-half of it was w^ood land, and the remainderwas divided into five farms tilled by several hundred negroes. Eachfarm was devoted to special crops, the principal ones being wheat,Indian corn, and tobacco, and was in charge of an overseer who madeweekly report to a general superintendent, who in turn reported toWashington. After the death of Washington the lands were sold byhis heirs, from time to time, nothing being retained except the home-stead or mansion-house farm, which now consists of two hundredacres. Around the mansion is a lawn of ten acres, laid out in the oldenstyle of English landscape gardening, and on one side is an orchardof about twenty acres, filled with peach, nectarine, apricot, plum,cherry, and apple trees. Twenty acres are devoted to grains andvegetables, and the remainder are wood and pasture lands. Thefarm is considered one of the best in that section of Virginia, and isvery skillfully managed by its superintendent. Adjacent to it quite MOUNT VERNON. 281
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THE MANSION HOUSE AT MOUNT VERNON. a village has grown up, and a post-office for the residents is locatedon the Mount Vernon grounds. The main portion of the wharf at the river-landing was con-structed by Washington, but within a few years additions have beenmade. Here vessels were laden with great quantities of tobacco,and also with flour ground in the Mount Vernon mill, each barrelbearing the widely-known brand, George Washington, MountVernon. The old flour-mill is located about three miles from thelanding, but it is now only a heap of ruins. A short distance abovethe wharf, on the path to the mansion, is the decaying stump ofthe once magnificent and famous Washington Oak, in the grate-ful shade of which the illustrious farmer was accustomed to rest 18 B 282 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON. when returning from directing his shipments. The tree was twelvefeet in circumference, and was supposed to be more than two hun-dred years old. It was blown down during a severe storm on the8th of August,

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