The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-02-20
MOUNT VERNON.

old River Farm of Washington's map
from the Mansion House Farm. A
mile beyond this creek the car stops
at the gates of Mount Vernon. By
this route there is no more climbing
the steep hill from the wharf, but the
visitor enters the grounds at the foot
of the western lawn and walks up a
long tagged path through the trees to
the near side of the old mansion.
MOUNT VERNON.
It is not given to the average visitor
to the home of Washington to see all
the beauties of the place. Much less
can he know the details of the home
life of the great proprietor, or under
stand the splendor of his former en-
vironment. The visitor goes through
the old mansion. He looks into the
little, stufy rooms with their odd and
incongruous mixture of old and up-to-
date furniture. He gazes at the
elegant and extremely modern tinted
and gold frescoes, at the rich and
brilliant Persian rugs with which the
ladies of the association have covered
the floors, and he finds it difficult to
imagine this the home OF the i'm
mortal Washington. To most visitors
it seems a great pity that there has
been such an effort made to impress
the public with the fact that Wash.
ington led a luxurious life by means of
the rich and modern trappings they
have smuggled into the old mansion.
The splenGor of Washington's life at
Mount Vernon was reflected by his
broad acres. by his great farming
operations, by his hundreds of slaves,
including artisans and mechanics OF
all kinds, by the wealth of his
hospitality and the magnifcence of
his military and official career. There
were no frescoes of gilt and tints in
Washington's day-no wall paper,
even. There was nothing but white
washed walls and ceilings. Nor were
there any Darghestan rugs or Ak
minister carpets.
There is an outbuilding on the
grounds, which should have given the
well-meaning ladies hint as to what
the Father of His Country useo to GOV.
er his floors. The building is called
the "spinning-room," and in it is a
great loom for weaving the good old
fashioned rag carpets Of our forefath-
ers.
Aside from these incongruities, how
ever, the old mansion is an interest
ing, almost a Eallowed spot. There
are not SO many relics of Washington
but what there are are full OF interest.
The bed upon which he died, sent by
the Lee family, and the other furnl-
ture contributed by various families,
have enabled the ladies in control to
fit up Washington's chamber very
nearly as it was when its great occu:
pant passed away. There are good
many other relics on view, but not
many that are, strictly speaking, rel
les OF Washington. There is plenty
of Colonial furniture, bnt Washing
ton never saw it. There are portraits,
engrav1ngs, etc., and valuable col
lection of Washin3ton's autograph
letters, which are mounted in the for
mas state dining-room. There are
t7ro or three swords, suits of military
articles OF camp eqaipage
a. nd brown suit of clothes, the cloth
Of which was woven on the place which
the General wore at his first inaugu-
ration as President.
WASHINGTON FARMING OPERATIONS.
Washington inherited Mount Yer
non in 1859 from his half brother,
Lawrence Washington, who died in
1757. This brother had a daughter