News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1894-03-15
A Trlp TO Mount Vernon.

Soon the blith nymph will be here,
Shaking blossoms from her hair.
A Trip To Mount Vernon.
Believing with Edward Everett,
that a visit to the National Capital
is but half made unless IL itincludes the
home and tomb of Washington, one
pleasant morning we wended our way
to the Seventh street wharf and took
the steamer for Mount Vernon, stu
ated fourteen miles down the Potom-
ac. After leaving Washington, the
first object of any especial interest is
the United States Arsenal and Navy
Yard, located on the left bank of the
Potomac. just across the Eastern
Branch, or Anacostia, which flows
into the Potomac below the Arsenal,
is the Government Insane Asylum;
while below the junction is Giesboro
| Point, which during the late war was
used by the Government as coral
for horses. Our first stop was at Al
exandria; and old and ancient IL
surely is. 1t does not look asif it had
changed in the least since the war,
and it is without doubt a typical
southern town. old, dirty, dreary and
sleepy. 1t is hard to believe that at
one time il bid fair TO rival Baltimore
az a commercial center, but at the
close of the Revolution IL was a very
important place, and Washington
thought seriously of locating the Cap
ital there and would undoubtedly
have done so il he had not feared
| NhnN hr y,ng.v1n mould Lnwra Aha,..~lN
him too partial TO his own state. Al
though it has had great possibilities,
they are most assuredly passed now.
1t has that worn-out, neglected APP
pearance that most of the southern
towns must have had at the close of
the civil war. Aswe steam away from
the wharf, we can see about half way
up one of the old streets, an old
style spire. IL is the spire of Christ
church which was built in 1888, of
bricks brought from England; Wash
ington and Lee were both vestrymen
of this church. Near the river is seen
the o.d "Carey House." which was
occupied as the headquarters Of Gen.
Braddock, and here, in 1755, Wash
ington was appointed his aide-de-
camp. The last landing before reach
ing Mount Ncrnont la made at Fort
Washington. Here, located on a high
bluff, is a massive stone fort, which
was completed in 1924, at "a cost OF
over 100000. At the present time,
on account of the Improvement in
artillery, il would be OF no protection
whatever, and so the Government il
building at this point IN strong under
ground fort. From "A bend in the
river opposite the fort, we catch
farewell glimpse of the Washington
Monument and the dome of the Capt.
tai, and get our first view of Mount
Vernon four miles distant. As the
steamer approaches the wharf one
begins to realize what a beautiful
place Washington chose for his home.
At this spot the Potomac is two miles
wide, and from the porch Of Mount
Vernon, built upon n bluff nearly two
hundred feet high, one has a magnifi-
cent view of the hesurrounding country.
Strolling up the hill from the wharf,
the first object OF interest that at
tracts the attention are several weep
ing willows, brought from the grave
OF Napoleon at st. Helena. A short
distance beyond is the Tomb, "A plain
brick structure, in the ante-room of
which are seen the arblesarcophagi
containing the remains of George
Washington and his wife. In the
vault at the rear are the remains Of
over thirty members of the Washing
ton family. The body of General
Washington was not placed in this
tomb until 1881, having previously
been buried in an old tomb a little
distance away.
The first building reached after
leaving the tomb, is an old brick barn
erected by Lawrence Washington in
1913. A few steps beyond is the man
sion house itself, the main part of
which was also built by Lawrence
Washington, called by him "Mount
Vernon" after Admiral Vernon, un-
der whom he served in the British
navy. The first object of interest to
attract the visitor as he enters
the main hall, is the "Key of
the Bastile," which hangs in a glass
case on the wall. IL was presented
to Washington by Lafayettein 7S0,
Immediately after the destruction of
the Bastile. The rooms have been
entirely restored and furnished by the
ladies of the various States. Here
may be seen the swords and camp
equipage Of Washington, also his flute
the bedstead upon which he died.
model of the Bastile cut from the
granite stones of the demolished pris-
on, and many other valuable histor-
ical relics. From either extension of
the mansion on the west side there is
a acurved colonnade; on the rights the
office, while on the left is the old fam
lily kitchen, where the meals Of the
family were prepared. Near the kitch-
en- are the "milk-house, "meat-
house.. and wash-house, while at
the north gate are the spinning and
weaving-houses," and the houses for
the itinerant tailors and shoemnkers
who made occasional soiourns at the
plantation. These are all small, white
washed buildings. Near the kitchen
also stands the buffers lodge" at
the corner of which is the famous
brought by Washington
from the banks OF the James, and
planted by him in the year of his
death, 1893. On the right OF the
lawn is the flower garden, on the left
the vegetable garden. The former is
bordered and divided by hedges of
box. preserved in the exact designs
in which they were planted by Wash
ington. Mount Vernon is said 10 be
the most beautiful spot on the Poto-
mac, and il is certainly difficult to
conceive OF a finer location for a mag
niticent country-seat, such as is this.
T. G.