Mount Vernon was home to George Washington for more than 45 years. First known as Little Hunting Creek Plantation, the Estate was originally granted to Washington's great grandfather John Washington in 1674. It eventually passed to Washington's older half-brother, Lawrence, who renamed the property Mount Vernon after his commanding officer, Admiral Edward Vernon of the British navy. George Washington inherited the property upon the death of his brother Lawrence's widow in 1761.

Original map of Washington's five farms. Click image for larger view

Over the years, Washington enlarged the residence and built up the property from 2,000 to nearly 8,000 acres. He divided the acreage into five working farms, including the Mansion House Farm, where he lived with his family. At the Mansion House Farm, Washington sought to create a landscape combining beauty and functionality in a serenely harmonious setting.

When Washington inherited the estate, the farmhouse that we now call "the Mansion" consisted of four rooms and a central passage on the first floor and three bedrooms on the second. The process of enlarging and improving the house began in the years before Washington's marriage in 1759, when he raised the structure from one-and-a-half  to two-and-a-half stories and extensively redecorated the interior. The north and south wings of the house were begun just before the start of the Revolutionary War. The very last room, the Large Dining Room, was completed after the war's end.

In the meantime, Washington also transformed the Mansion's modest frame exterior, using a process called "rustication." This meant replacing the original plain wooden siding with bevel-edged pine blocks that had been coated with a mixture of paint and sand to give the appearance of stone.

Washington on the piazza, with his family and the Marquis de Lafayette

Further, Washington added a stunning two-story porch, or "piazza," overlooking the Potomac.  Here family and guests would gather in warm weather to enjoy the breeze off the river. (For more on the piazza, see "Related Links," top right.)

Cupola with weathervane

Another Washington addition to the house was a cupola -- which served as both a decorative rooftop element and a practical device. With windows open, the cupola helped to cool the house on sultry summer days.  After the war, Washington added to the Mansion its final crowning touch -- a dove of peace weathervane atop the cupola.

In designing his estate, Washington organized the outbuildings, lanes, and gardens in a way that reflects both the practical and aesthetic sides of his nature. From the north to the south are situated the outbuildings, or "dependencies," where the work of the plantation took place. Along the east-west axis are the gardens and pleasure grounds. The work area, although located very near the Mansion, was designed so it would not intrude upon the property's scenic beauty.

Today the Mansion has been restored to its appearance in 1799, the last year of Washington's life.