Mount Vernon, Va.

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Washington's beloved home was built on a bluff high above the Potomac. His mansion and tomb are visited by nearly a million Americans and visitors from abroad each year. Named for Admiral Vernon, a British admiral under whom George Washington's half brother served, the estate was first established in 1674. The original tract included land on the Potomac from Dogue Creek to Little Hunting Creek (now the southern boundary of Alexandria). It passed through several generations, and became George Washington's permanent home in 1754. By the 1780s, Washington, a shrewd land speculator, expanded the holdings to more than 8,000 acres and divided the land into five farms.

Washington took a scientific approach to farming. He consulted with scientists, farmers, and philosophers; kept detailed records; and became one of the most enlightened plantation owners in the United States. He recognized the early problems of the Potomac's sedimentation and experimented with reclaiming stream valleys for fertilizing his fields. Today a pioneer farm exhibit area offers visitors a glimpse into Washington's innovative farming techniques.

Mount Vernon was the site of a convention in 1785 that met to resolve navigation disputes on the Potomac and Chesapeake Bay. A commission from Maryland and Virginia met at the estate; their work led to another convention in Annapolis in 1786. That project led directly to the Philadelphia convention in 1787 of the Continental Congress, and the Constitutional Convention that produced the U.S. Constitution.

Mount Vernon was purchased in 1858 by the Mount Vernon Ladies Association of the Union, the first official restoration group in the U.S. and the first women's patriotic society. The Association continues to restore and maintain the estate today. The Mount Vernon Ladies used a detailed inventory of George Washington's estate to aid in finding the furnishings that were present at Mount Vernon when George Washington lived there. Many of the original furnishings are on display; the others have been selected to match the inventory description.

Most of the original outbuildings at Mount Vernon have been preserved, although the site is a fraction of the original Washington land holdings. The trail to the wharf is an important part of any Potomac River lover's pilgrimage; Washington often took boat rides on the river either upriver to Alexandria or downriver to Gunston Hall to visit George Mason. He also used the river in his farming business, transporting goods to Alexandria and other ports, and operating the profitable Mount Vernon fisheries.

In 1994, Mount Vernon began a reconstruction of George Washington's 16-sided barn for grain. The barn reconstruction will help illustrate the 45-year role of Washington as a manager of a plantation and innovator in agriculture. Near the wharf is the burial site of George Washington and his wife Martha, as well as 25 other Washington family members.

Mount Vernon, Mount Vernon Ladies Association of the Union, Mount Vernon, VA 22121. Telephone: 703-780-2000.