George’s Birthplace

Saturday, 7 January

We were enjoying a quiet breakfast at home, chatting about our plans for the day, when the words “…reaching 65 degrees (18C) in most places” caught our attention.  Hmmm, how could we not take advantage of such unseasonal temps — there was also something said about it being 20 degrees above the norm.  So, we scrapped our plans to take the Phaeton out for me to practice driving it on the road near the storage lot (a good thing in hindsight; the drive-thru Christmas light displays were still up at Bull Run Regional Park and blocking my turn-around access).  Instead, we came up with a new plan that took us 90 miles (145 km) south to the George Washington Birthplace National Monument.

The beauty of being early risers … we were able to switch gears and still be on the road shortly after 9:00a.  The temp was already up to 54F (12C) and showing every indication of rising to the forecasted high for the day.  Traffic cooperated as we made our way down I-95 S.  That alone was something to be grateful for, but when combined with the beautiful day … well, it was just fantastic.  It was also reminiscent of the on-the-spur day trips we made when we lived in Tacoma, Washington back in 1982.  At the time, we thought nothing of driving a couple hundred miles — each way — just to explore someplace new.  Fun but tiring.  Aaah … the energy of youth!!!

We didn’t dally along the way, making one pit stop at the rest area near Fredericksburg since we didn’t have our ‘own facilities’ with us.  We did notice several signs for places of interest en route, however, and made note of them.  Who knows, a bit of research may send us back down the same way on future outings.

“Virginia is for Lovers” —  at this rest area, visitors are encouraged to take a photograph
with the ‘Love’ sign and upload it to Twitter and Facebook.

Arriving at the site, we were greeted by the 50-foot (~15 m) tall granite Memorial Obelisk, a 1/10th replica of the Washington Monument in DC.  At first we thought that was it.  But no, there was plenty more to see.

The friendly NPS ranger who greeted us when we went into the Visitor Center a few minutes later explained that the obelisk was erected in 1896 by the War Department on the presumed site of the birth house.  It was moved to its current position at the end of Popes Creek Road in 1930.  A nice way to greet visitors, but perhaps a bit misleading as to what all there is to see here.  (It’s apparently not unknown for some visitors to just drive around the obelisk and leave without seeing everything else.)

(By the way, we offered up our America the Beautiful Pass to the ranger, but it wasn’t necessary as the site is now free to visitors.)

It was such a beautiful day that we were surprised at how few visitors there were, but we didn’t question our luck.  After checking out the small exhibit, which provides a bit of history about the forebears of George Washington (GW from now on), we watched the short, on-demand documentary video.  The quality of the film wasn’t the greatest.  And there was one very fidgety girl that was very distracting — all of five people in the audience, and the family of three had to come and sit in front of us in the otherwise empty auditorium!  Nonetheless, the information presented helped us gain insight into what we were about to see, so I’m glad we took the time to see it. 

I did say that there is more to the National Monument grounds than just the obelisk.
[Scanned from the NPS brochure; click for a larger version]

When we exited the theater, the ranger on duty told us that a few more people had arrived and so she’d arranged for her partner to give a tour of the Memorial House at noon.  With 45 minutes to spare, we headed in that direction, exploring the grounds along the way.

View of Popes Creek looking towards Burnt House Point — from the Visitor Center deck.
[the lack of an apostrophe in ‘popes’ is not a mistake.]

the Memorial House
What we would consider the back of the house today was the front back in the day.
It faced the creek and provided easy access to the house for visitors and delivery of goods.

John Washington, GW’s great-grandfather, was the founder of the family in Virginia.  He emigrated from England to the Virginia Colony in 1657.  He married Anne Pope, the daughter of a wealthy plantation owner.  They had three children — one of whom was Lawrence (GW’s grandfather).  He married Mildred Warner, with whom he had three children — one of whom was Augustine (GW’s father).

Unlike his father, who was more politician and lawyer, Augustine was a farmer.  It was during his time that Popes Creek Plantation was purchased and the house in which GW was born in 1732 was built.  When little George was just 3½ years old, Augustine moved his family — first a short ways upriver; then to Ferry Farm on the Rappahannock River.  Thus it was that by the time the mansion burned down on Christmas Day 1779, GW was no longer living there.  In fact, the plantation had been inherited by his cousin William and renamed Wakefield by then.

The Memorial House and the Colonial Kitchen
At my feet is the crushed oyster shell outline of the house  where George Washington was born.
The intent had been to build the memorial house on the footprint of the birth house.  It wasn't until
more than 30 years after the memorial house was built, however, that excavations unearthed
the actual site and brought the mistake to light.

At noon, we met up with Ranger Alan and three other couples — one of which was the parents of the fidgety girl, but luckily she was better behaved this time.  NPS ranger talks and tours are always informative, and this one didn’t disappoint either.  We started off at the oyster shell outline of the birth house, then continued on with the kitchen (unlocked for anyone to visit), and eventually moved on into the Memorial House (locked except for ranger-accompanied tours).

My virtual tour is going to be in reverse order.  (To limit the photos I post here, I’m going to make use of some collages.  If you’d like to see full-size images, visit my online gallery.)

As there were no drawings or images available of the house that burned down, this one was built in
the colonial revival style that would have been typical of an upper-class home of the period.
There is a strong resemblance to Gunston Hall, the home of George Mason, one of the
architects of the nation’s Bill of Rights.

Entering through the back door, the hallway leads to the front door with a view of Popes Creek.
[I cheated; the scene outside the door was blown out, so I created a collage with 
a separate photo I took inserted in the center portion of the image to show the view.]

Four rooms open onto the hallway: Dining Room; Withdrawing room (AKA Drawing Room);
Master Bedroom; and Guest Bedroom.

The Memorial House is furnished with pieces authentic to the period.  Only two of the items
are from the house that burned down: (1) The ceramic bottle that was unearthed during the
excavations of the birth house; and (2) the tilt-top Queen Anne table that survived the fire.

there are Four more rooms on the second floor; all set up as bedrooms.

The Colonial Kitchen was added to enhance the visitor’s experience at the living memorial
to George Washington’s Birthplace.

Half the building represents the kitchen; the other half the slave quarters (which would
have been above the kitchen).  Brick floors were common, but dirt floors were preferred
as pits could be dug in the dirt when the hearth was insufficient to meet the family’s
cooking needs (perhaps for a special event).

After touring the two buildings, we went on a meandering walk around the colonial farm.  The cattle were out grazing, but the Ossabaw Island hogs were nowhere to be seen.  The sheep were out in a distant pen; with lambs we were told.  But they were too far away to get any photos.  We didn’t really care as it was such a gorgeous winter day and we were having a ball.  And by this time, all of the other visitors had left and we had the site entirely to ourselves.  What more could we ask for!

A peek into the farm workshop.

A glimpse across one of several livestock pens.

It was 1:00p by the time we were finished enjoying this gem of a place.  Time for lunch.  After consulting the map, we decided to head over to the picnic area, located a short drive away.  Peaceful, quiet.  There was one couple trying to photograph the tundra swans that were resting on Popes Creek following their migration from the Arctic (too far away, so I didn’t even attempt any photos); and there were a few people who parked and headed off on the one-mile nature trail.  That was it.  We had our pick of the 20 or so picnic tables and chose one at the far end as it was the closest one to the water.  Our meal was simple; the scenery was wonderful; and at 66F (19C) the temperature was perfect for our al fresco lunch.

A ‘no-jackets-needed’ January day for a picnic.  Now that’s special.

After lunch, we headed off to pay our respects at the family burial ground near the spot where John Washington (GW’s great-grandfather) first settled in 1664.  Thirty two graves were found here, including those of GW’s great-grandparents, grandfather, father, and half-brother.  (His grandmother is buried in England, and his mother is buried in Fredericksburg.)

The cemetery today bears no resemblance to the cemetery George Washington visited durinG his
youth.  In 1930, the Wakefield National Memorial Association constructed the wall around the
grounds, consolidated the graves into a single casket, and interred the remains in a rebuilt vault.

Three generations of George Washington’s forebears are interred here.

Our last stop was at the beach just a bit further down from the cemetery.  Despite the sudden onset of clouds that obscured the blue skies and sunshine, we were hoping to walk on the beach and enjoy the views of the Potomac.  Well, we enjoyed the views, but the beach we found was decimated.  According to a few locals who were hunting for shark teeth (illegal by the way), two storms that came through the area in recent weeks have wreaked havoc on the small beach, rendering it even smaller and making a walk of any distance impossible.  A shame, but perhaps efforts will be made by the NPS to restore the beach once the winter season is over.

Before the storms I understand it was possible to walk across here.

On that note, we decided to call it a day and head home.  It was already 3:00p and we had a 2-hour drive ahead of us.  But we didn’t end the day with clouds to dampen our mood — not that they would have since we’d already had a great day.  No sooner were we on Popes Creek Road that the sun came out again — and stayed out all the way home.

George Washington’s birthplace is just up the road from Westmoreland State Park, where we camped in 2010 (post here).  There are several places of sightseeing interest in the area, so we just might make another trip to Westmoreland this year.  And maybe this time we’ll go hunting for fossils!