For Immediate Release
March 31, 2008
Digital images available
Media Contact:
Melissa Wood (703) 799-5203
mwood@mountvernon.org
MOUNT VERNON, Va. – Springtime is here and Mount Vernon’s newest additions have arrived! Catch adorable lambs and newly-hatched chicks throughout the estate. The 25 lambs, on display at Mount Vernon’s paddock and stable area, are Hog Island sheep - a rare heritage breed that dates back to the 1600s. In addition to the lambs, newly hatched chicks are at the barn and the slave cabin chicken coop, both located at the George Washington: Pioneer Farm site. Mount Vernon staff is on hand at the farm site to educate visitors about the role sheep played on Washington’s farm. Included in Estate admission: $13 adults; $12 seniors; $6 children (6-11); free for children 5 & under.
Washington always considered himself a farmer and owned around 1,000 sheep during his lifetime. Hog Island sheep were originally from the eastern shore of Virginia and are believed to be of British origin. Mount Vernon has one of the largest flocks of these rare sheep.
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Events, programs, and activities are subject to change.
Public Information: 703-780-2000; 703-799-8697 (TDD); www.mountvernon.org
Since 1860, over 80 million visitors have made George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens the most popular historic home in America. Through thought-provoking tours, entertaining events, and stimulating educational programs on the Estate and in classrooms across the nation, Mount Vernon strives to preserve George Washington’s place in history as “First in War, First in Peace, and First in the Hearts of His Countrymen.” Mount Vernon is owned and operated by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, America’s oldest national preservation organization, founded in 1853. A picturesque drive to the southern end of the scenic George Washington Memorial Parkway, Mount Vernon is located just 16 miles from the nation’s capital.
Hours of operation: April-August, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; March, September, October, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; November – February, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Regular admission rates: adults, $13.00; senior citizens, $12.00; children age 6-11, when accompanied by an adult, $6.00; and children under age 5, FREE. Admission fees, restaurant and retail proceeds, along with private donations, support the operation and restoration of Mount Vernon.
