Sunday, November 12, 2023 **D R A F T**

[SCOPE OF SALES FOR GEORGE WASHINGTON BIRTHPLACE NATIONAL
MONUMENT]{.underline}

1.  Narrative:

    1.  Significance: GEWA preserves the actual birth site of the
        nation's firs President, the lands of his ancestors and the
        memorial sites from the 1930's.

    2.  Park wide: commemorates the birthsite and times of George
        Washington, his ancestors and times. Commemorates the 1930's era
        of historical memorializations through the colonial farm.

    3.  Park Site: Features the Historic core of the birth site,
        Memorial house and colonial farm plus surrounding lands
        encompassing the John Washington and Nathaniel Brooks home sites
        and the Washington family cemetery.

    4.  Bookstore\\Gift Shop: Operated by the George Washington
        Birthplace Association, a 501 c 3 corporation established in
        1924 as the Wakefield National Memorial Association. The
        Association is a cooperating association to the national Park
        Service. The facilities are housed in a separate building
        adjacent to the Visitor Center at GEWA.

2.  Visitor Use:

    1.  Heaviest visitation is during the months of April through
        August.

    2.  Lowest visitation is January through March.

    3.  School group visitation occurs in April, May and early June.

    4.  Most of the visitors are from the Virginia and southern Maryland
        regions and stay approximately two hours.

3.  Management Objectives-interpretative:

The following themes are part of the General Management Plan, currently
being finalized at GEWA:

#### [George Washington\'s Leadership:]{.underline} 

#### As a leader of the American Revolution and the nation\'s first president, Washington\'s life places him at the center of events critical to the political creation of the United States, and his actions were often precedent-setting. His leadership in the military and in politics throughout his career and to the end of his life engendered respect, trust, and confidence among many Americans, supporting, sustaining, and encouraging others' efforts to establish the United States as an independent nation. 

1.  [Virginia's Northern Neck---the Location of George Washington's
    Birth---and its Place in the 18^th^ Century Atlantic
    World:]{.underline}

    1.  George Washington was born on the periphery of the
        English-speaking world; the perception of his birthplace as
        isolated belies the complex, sophisticated, Atlantic world in
        which George Washington was born and raised; this was a colonial
        society based on abundant natural resources and international
        trade in agricultural commodities, influenced by a mix of and
        tension between cultures and traditions, shaped by its uses of
        free and enslaved labor, and fundamentally connected to the
        global scale of 18^th^ century trade and politics.

2.  [Americans have remembered George Washington in ways that have both
    reflected and shaped their political and cultural life:]{.underline}

    1.  For more than two centuries, commemoration of George Washington
        has honored (and sometimes embellished) his legacy and
        accomplishments but more importantly, efforts to commemorate
        Washington have reflected larger currents of American history as
        some sought to use his memory as a touchstone to promote their
        vision of what it means to be American.

[Role of Products]{.underline}

Purpose of products sold fall into three categories:

-   Commemorate the park visit.

-   Provide educational information relative to the 17th and early 18th
    centuries, Tidewater Virginia, GEWA, the Washingtons and their
    contemporaries.

-   Reproduction or duplications of items used in the era of the
    Washingtons.

[Role of Sales]{.underline}

Topics to be covered include:

-   Biographies and non fiction books relating to the Washingtons

-   Literature of the 17th and 18th century relating to the Washingtons

-   Non fiction literature relating to 17th and 18th century topics

-   Children's literature relating to the Washingtons and 17th and 18th
    century topics

-   Children's toys relating to the Washingtons and 17th and 18th
    century topics

-   African American and Native American topics

-   Colonial era farm life related (domestic goods, tools, cooking,
    etc.)

-   Tidewater Virginia and Northern Neck related

-   Animal and plant life of the area

-   Food items similar to that used in the Washington eras

-   Commemorative items (postcards, magnets, t-shirts, hats etc.)

The items should give a balanced interpretation of the times in which
the Washingtons' lived. One should be able to make a direct relation to
the themes shown above.

Prepared by:

Susan T. Cockrell, George Washington Birthplace Association Manager Date

Approved by:

Dave Leclergue, Acting Superintendent Date

GEWA and Thomas Stone NHS

Christine Smith, Acting Chief Ranger for Interpretive Services, Date

GEWA and Thomas Stone NHS