The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1918-08-22
FERN CROENDYKE WRITES OF
MANY INTERESTING THINGS

washington, ~. u, Aug. q, 1915.
Dear Mamma and All:
Was glad to hear from you. Am
just getting along fine. Yesterday l
went with Ephra, May and Fay to
Mt. Vernon. We went down the Po-
tomac on the steamboat. II was about
like going across the bay from Oak
land to San Francisco, that is the
water was smooth. The boat had
three decks, but isn't as large as the
boats that go to the Catalinas. II
was a fine trip. We were on the boat
over an hour. Mt. Vernon is the
grandest place. l wish you could see
it. I'd love to spend day or two
there. Everything is so pretty and
kept as nearly as possible like it was
when Washington lived there. Words
can not describe the feeling a person
has as they walk through the house.
We went through the old kitchen
where we saw the old fire place, pots,
kettles, churn, dishes, etc. On into
the house and up stairs. Saw Wash
ington's room, Nellie Curtis's room,
the guest chamber, another bed room,
called the river room, Lafayette's 8
room. All the beds and furniture
are all so queer. We could not go
up to the third story as it is not open
on Saturdays. After Washington
died, his wife had her room fixed up
there so she could see Ills tomb from
her window. You see the second
story windows open under the portico
and the third story windows open
from the roof. There is the dining
room, sitting room, library, music
room, parlor and room that was the
banquet hall, but now contains cases
filed with relics which belonged to
Washington and his family. All the
other rooms are fixed just as they
were. OF course you can't go in but
there is a little gate which extends
in about foot or SO, so you can see
everything in the room. There is a
little old piano in the parlor and a
carpet on the floor which was given
to Washington by Louis XIV. The
rooms are not very large. The stair
way is quite narrow, except where 1t
starts from the hall. Up stairs the
ceilings are quite low. Away from
the house little is the buffers
house, the office, the laundry and sew
eral other small buildings. The barn
and coach house and flower gardens
with the box hedges. They are a
beautiful sight and smell so sweet.
The flowers are all old fashioned ones,
and the hedges are the prettiest part
about the garden. We went to Wash
ington's tomb last. There are mon-
uments of several of his relatives
there too. They are buried in the
tomb. Looking into the tomb you
can see-I don't know what they are
called, but they look like two white
marble caskets. They contain the re-
mains Of Washington and his wife.
There is door at the back which
leads back into the vault. 1t is closed.
The grounds around Mt. Vernon are
SO pretty. The trees and grass are
so nice. There are walks all around
but you can walk right on the grass
il you want to. From almost any
part of the grounds there is such q
beautiful view Of the river. We came
back on the electric cars. 1t was q
nice cool ride. Saw some little towns
with houses something like those in
the west, also saw some real old
Eastern houses. Crossed the P0-
tomac twice coming back.
Am still here at the same place
Just like home. Haven't gotten sick
of my job yet and not apt to. Am
busy all the time, but not rushed
Would rather be that way than just
FERN CROENDYKE.