City of Mount Vernon
—  City  —
First Street
Location of Mount Vernon in Washington State
Coordinates: 48°25′12″N 122°19′34″W / 48.42°N 122.32611°W / 48.42; -122.32611Coordinates: 48°25′12″N 122°19′34″W / 48.42°N 122.32611°W / 48.42; -122.32611
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Skagit
Incorporated	July 5, 1889
Government
• Type	Mayor-council
• Mayor	Jill Boudreau
• City Attorney	Kevin Rogerson
Area[1]
• Total	11.4 sq mi (29.4 km2)
• Land	11.1 sq mi (28.8 km2)
• Water	0.3 sq mi (0.7 km2)  2.29%
Elevation	180 ft (54.9 m)
Population (2010)[2]
• Total	31,743
• Density	2,360.6/sq mi (911.6/km2)
Time zone	PST (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP codes	98273, 98274
Area code	360
FIPS code	53-47560[2]
GNIS feature ID	1512485[3]
Website	www.ci.mount-vernon.wa.us

The Skagit River, which flows through Mount Vernon, is prone to flooding during periods of heavy rain in the Cascades. In October 2003 the townspeople of Mount Vernon turned out to build a sandbag dike along the river in anticipation of a flood.

Mount Vernon is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The population was 31,743 at the 2010 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included in the Mount Vernon-Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is the county seat of Skagit County. Downtown Mount Vernon is known for its annual Tulip Festival Street Fair which is part of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. The climate of Skagit County is similar to that of northern France. While millions of tulips are grown in the Skagit Valley, none are shipped to the European Union, which has strict import-export laws that protect its markets. In 1998, Mount Vernon was rated the #1 "Best Small City in America" by the New Rating Guide to Life in America's Small Cities.^[4][5]

History[link]

Early days[link]

Jasper Gates and Joseph Dwelley first settled on the banks of the Skagit River, where the city of Mount Vernon now lies, in 1870. Later on, Harrison Clothier came to the community in 1877 to teach school and join in business with a former student, E.G. English. They were later recognized as the city's founders and pioneer businessman. A post office was established in November 1877 with Clothier appointed postmaster. The city was named after Mount Vernon, the plantation estate and resting place of George Washington.^[6] The two men laid out the city's first plat while the area was still heavily timbered.^[7]

Mount Vernon's first industry were the logging camps set up to log the townsite. The community grew quickly following the loggers and hotels and saloons opened up along the Skagit River next to English & Clothiers' store. While poised to grow, river access to the community was stymied by a massive and ancient log jam in the river which prevented large ships from being able to port. Mail carriers instead had to paddle canoes down-stream to nearby Skagit City. The mining activity at nearby Ruby Creek spurred growth for a short time in 1880, gaining the city a new hotel, but little else was accomplished when the mines proved to be shallow. More logging operations were established but were not profitable due to the low price of logs at the time. By 1881, Mount Vernon's permanent population was 75.^[7]

Growth in the 1880s was steady. In 1882, the Odd Fellows Lodge was established, followed by the first newspaper in 1884, The Skagit News. The first church, Baptist, was also established in 1884 but wouldn't build a permanent building for several years. In November 1884, Mount Vernon's future was secured when it was chosen for the new Skagit County seat, taking the designation from La Conner. The Odd fellows building, built the following year, served the counties needs until a permanent building was built.^[7]

The railroad and growth into the 20th century[link]

Mount Vernon's growth was helped by its central location in reference to the mining, logging and farming communities of the eastern and central parts of the county as well as its access to Puget Sound. The only thing it was lacking was a railroad connection to the outside world, especially, Everett, Seattle and Vancouver, B.C.. A committee was appointed in 1889 to negotiate with railroads on line placement. Their efforts paid off when the Great Northern Railway agreed to lay their line through the city. This was completed in 1891. The city was also in the process of convincing the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway to come to Mt. Vernon. This deal fell through after the railroad was acquired by Northern Pacific Railway who chose to lay tracks further east through Sedro Woolley in 1896.^[7]

The railroad's arrival caused great commotion in Mount Vernon, bringing hundreds of new businesses and residents. Mount Vernon was officially incorporated on July 5, 1893. That same year, a large brick courthouse was built on Main street, which still stands today. Due to the area's stable economy, Mount Vernon never boomed in the 1890s like many other speculative booms in the region. The city experienced its first of many fires in 1891 when several blocks along the waterfront were destroyed. The boost from the railroad's construction quickly replaced these buildings. 1891 also saw the construction of several large civic structures such as a large brick schoolhouse on the hill above the city as well as the Mount Vernon Opera House, designed by Peacock & Dalton.

Growth slowed considerably after the Panic of 1893. Following a large flood in 1894, the first dike was built along the Skagit River. Another great fire in 1900 wiped out all of Mount Vernon's original structures including English & Clothiers' store and the Ruby Hotel. Fire would destroy more downtown businesses in 1903. The city finally received a water system in 1902 after a failed attempt in 1894.^[7]

Later events and transportation[link]

The city again grew in the 1910s when it became the southern terminus for the Bellingham & Skagit Railway's Interurban railroad line which would carry passengers as well as freight between Bellingham and Mount Vernon as well as Burlington and Sedro Woolley. The line opened on August 31, 1912 with passenger trips to Bellingham every two hours during the day and freight operating at night. Mount Vernon business owners soon began pressuring the railway company, since renamed the Pacific Northwest Traction Company, to extend the rails south to connect with the interurban line in Everett. Plagued by a weakening economy, the onset of America's entrance into World War I in 1917, and numerous infrastructure failures that led to line closures for months at a time, extension of the interurban was put off indefinitely. The completion of the Pacific Highway between Seattle and Bellingham in 1920 posed a great threat to the still incomplete interurban line. After a series of accidents and bridge wash outs, passenger service on the money-losing line was permanently suspended in June 1930.^[8] In 1969, Interstate 5 was built through downtown, severing it from most of the residential district and opening the farm lands north of the city to urban development where many of Mount Vernon's downtown businesses moved.

Notable local people, living and dead[link]

• Glenn Beck, Famous Rodeo Clown, Former host of Glenn Beck on Fox News channel.
• Cheryl Bentyne, Grammy Award-winning singer and member of The Manhattan Transfer
• Jim Caviezel, film and television actor.
• Scott Clements, professional poker player.
• Mark Hendrickson, Major League Baseball player and former NBA basketball player.
• Craig Kelly, pioneer snowboarder.
• Kyle Kendrick, Major League Baseball, Starting Pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies.
• Graham Kerr, culinary expert, author and television personality known as "The Galloping Gourmet".
• Chad Lindberg, film and television actor
• Ross Mathews, Hello Ross.com and guest appearances on the Chelsea Lately Show
• T. J. Oshie, ice hockey player for the St. Louis Blues (NHL).
• Michael E. Pegram, the owner of the 1998 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Real Quiet.
• R. Garcia y Robertson, fantasy and science fiction writer.
• Coady Willis, drummer for Melvins, Big Business and Murder City Devils.

Notable buildings[link]

Lincoln Theatre

The Historic Lincoln Theatre on First Street in downtown Mount Vernon was originally built in 1926 as a vaudeville and silent movie house. Through the early 1980s, the Lincoln was a movie theater showing first-run films and now hosts live theatrical performances and concerts while also showcasing classic, as well as contemporary, movies year-round. The Lincoln is one of only 98 theaters in the United States that still possesses its original Wurlitzer theatre organ, which is often played prior to a show.^[9]

Climate[link]

Like much of the Pacific Northwest, according to the Koppen climate classification, Mount Vernon falls within a cool dry-summer subtropical zone (Csb), with "cool"-summer Mediterranean characteristics. Other sources classify it as belonging in the marine west coast climate (Köppen Cfb) zone, with cool, wet winters and warm, distinctly drier summers.

Flood control and waterfront redevelopment[link]

Since this city was founded, the downtown area of Mount Vernon bordering the Skagit River has been plagued by flooding, especially during times of heavy rain. Each time the water rises above a certain level, citizens must join to build a sandbag wall that stretches six city blocks and can be as high as five feet tall. In the spring of 2007, the city council authorized the mayor to purchase a mobile flood wall from Norway-based company AquaFence, the first such flood wall sold in the United States.^[11] The flood wall is four feet high and can be assembled in as little as three hours by a handful of volunteers as opposed to the up to 12 hours and hundreds of volunteers required by the traditional sandbag wall. The flood wall is meant to be a temporary solution while the city explores ways to build a permanent flood wall to remove the downtown area from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's 100-year flood plain maps.

After adequate flood control is in place, a Citizens' Advisory Committee plans to enhance the city's use of the revetment, which is currently used mostly for parking and a seasonal farmer's market.^[12] Current plans call for a promenade with condos or mixed-use development facing the river. A two- or three-story parking garage is planned to replace the revetment parking lost due to development.^[13]

Transportation[link]

The new Skagit Station, built in 2004, delivers true multimodal transportation to a rapidly growing region.^[14] Commuters and travelers can switch between modes of transportation in downtown Mount Vernon. The station offers stops for the Skagit Transit bus,^[15] Greyhound bus, Amtrak Cascades rail and local taxi. The new Everett Express bus route connects to the Sounder Train in Everett.^[16]

Skagit Regional Airport, five miles (8 km) northwest, fills much of the area's general aviation needs. The closest commercial airport with scheduled passenger service is Bellingham International Airport, 25 miles (40 km) north.

Major highways[link]

• Interstate 5 runs north-south from the Mexican Border to the Peace Arch at the United States-Canada border, at Blaine, Washington and to the Surrey, British Columbia border-crossing. It connects Mount Vernon to Seattle, Portland, Eugene, Redding, Sacramento, Los Angeles and San Diego.
• State Route 9 runs parallel to Interstate 5, linking Mount Vernon with Snohomish and Arlington to the south and Sedro-Woolley and the United States-Canada border near Sumas to the north.
• State Route 20 runs east-west from U.S. Route 101 on the Olympic Peninsula to Washington-Idaho State Line at Newport, Washington. State Route 20 crosses Admiralty Inlet via the Port Townsend-Keystone ferry and passes just northwest of the city. The highway is known as the North Cascades Highway because it passes through the Northern Cascade Mountains and North Cascades National Park.
• State Route 536 runs from SR 20 into downtown Mount Vernon and Interstate 5.
• State Route 538 runs east-west from Interstate 5 to SR 9 at the Baker Heights neighborhood of Mount Vernon.

Demographics[link]

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 26,232 people, 9,276 households, and 6,205 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,360.6 people per square mile (911.6/km²). There were 9,686 housing units at an average density of 871.6 per square mile (336.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 75.44% White, 0.73% African American, 1.02% Native American, 2.58% Asian, 0.15% Pacific Islander, 17.13% from other races, and 2.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 25.12% of the population.

There were 9,276 households out of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.32.

In the city the age distribution of the population shows 29.0% under the age of 18, 11.9% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $53,496.^[17] Males had a median income of $33,724 versus $27,244 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,041. About 10.8% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.9% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

Sister cities[link]

Mount Vernon has the following Sister Cities, according to the Washington State Lt. Governor's list of Washington Sister Cities:

• Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada
• Kure, Japan

Gallery[link]

See also[link]

• Skagit City

References[link]

1. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
4. ^ "New Rating Guide to Life in America's Small Cities". http://www.amazon.com/Rating-Guide-Americas-Small-Cities/dp/0879755997. 
5. ^ "Mount Vernon Live". http://www.livemountvernon.com/. 
6. ^ Phillips, James W. (1971). Washington State Place Names. University of Washington Press. ISBN 0-295-95158-3. 
7. ^ ^{a b c d e} An Illustrated history of Skagit and Snohomish Counties : their people, their commerce and their resources : with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington. Chicago, Illinois: Interstate Publishing Company, 1906. Print.
8. ^ Wing, Warren W. (1988). To Seattle By Trolley. Edmonds, Washington: Pacific Fast Mail. pp. 47–65. ISBN 0-915713-16-0. 
9. ^ Historical Information^{[dead link]}
10. ^ "Climatography of the United States NO.81". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. June 2011. http://cdo.ncdc.noaa.gov/climatenormals/clim81/WAnorm.pdf. Retrieved January 11, 2011. 
11. ^ "AquaFence Website". http://www.aquafence.com/index.asp. 
12. ^ [1]^{[dead link]}
13. ^ [2]^{[dead link]}
14. ^ "Skagit Station offers hope for renewal". http://www.djc.com/news/co/11161148.html. 
15. ^ "SKAT routes". http://www.skagittransit.org/index.cfm?do=page&pageID=1373. 
16. ^ "SKAT Everett Express". http://skat.baron-co.com/index.cfm?pageID=3223. 
17. ^ [3]^{[dead link]}

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mount Vernon, Washington

• City website
• Mount Vernon's annual Tulip Festival
• Lincoln Theater

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Vernon Alfred Washington (August 10, 1927 – June 7, 1988) is an American actor who has starred in film and on television. He is best known for his roles in the 1984 science fiction movie The Last Starfighter as Otis and in the 1985 horror movie Friday the 13th: A New Beginning as George.

His best known television role may have been in the 1979 miniseries Roots: The Next Generations as Rev. Mills. Vernon has had a small recurring role on the CBS hit series The Jeffersons as Leroy. Later he appeared in an episode of the hit CBS series, Falcon Crest as Teddy Eubanks, a horse groomer.

Filmography[link]

• Dream West (1986) mini series
• Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985)
• Joan Rivers and Friends Salute Heidi Horomowitz (1985) (TV)
• The Last Starfighter (1984)
• Falcon Crest (1983) Teddy Eubanks (TV Episode - SOLITARY CONFINEMENTS)
• Pray TV (1980)
• Roots: The Next Generations (1979) mini series
• Change at 125th Street (1974) (TV)

External links[link]

• Vernon Washington at the Internet Movie Database

This is about the George Washington residence. For other uses, see Mount Vernon (disambiguation).

Mount Vernon
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
Mount Vernon Estate
Location:	Mount Vernon, Fairfax County, Virginia
Nearest city:	Alexandria, VA
Area:	400 acres (160 ha)
Built:	1757
Architect:	George Washington
Architectural style:	Georgian
Governing body:	Mount Vernon Ladies' Association
NRHP Reference#:	66000833[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP:	December 19, 1960[1]
Designated NHL:	December 19, 1960[2]

Mount Vernon, located near Alexandria, Virginia, was the plantation home of the first President of the United States, George Washington. The mansion is built of wood in neoclassical Georgian architectural style, and the estate is located on the banks of the Potomac River.

Mount Vernon was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is owned and maintained in trust by The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association and is open every day of the year.

Name[link]

When Augustine Washington owned the estate, it was known as Little Hunting Creek Plantation after the nearby Little Hunting Creek. Lawrence Washington, George's older half-brother, inherited the estate and changed its name to Mount Vernon in honor of Vice Admiral Edward Vernon famed for the War of Jenkin's Ear and capture of Portobelo, Colón. Vernon had been Lawrence's commanding officer in the British Royal Navy, and Lawrence greatly admired him. When George Washington inherited the property he retained the name.^[3]

History[link]

Mount Vernon, aquatint by Francis Jukes, 1800

The early history of the estate at Little Hunting Creek is separate from that of the home, which wasn't occupied until 1743. In 1674, John Washington and Nicholas Spencer came into possession of the land from which Mount Vernon plantation would be carved.¹ The successful patent on the acreage was due largely to Spencer, who acted as agent for his cousin Thomas Colepeper, 2nd Baron Colepeper,^[4] the English landowner who controlled the Northern Neck of Virginia, in which the tract lay.^[5] When John Washington died in 1677, his son Lawrence, George Washington's grandfather, inherited his father's stake in the property. In 1690, he agreed to formally divide the estimated 5,000 acre (20 km²) estate with the heirs of Nicholas Spencer, who died the previous year. The Spencers took the larger southern half bordering Dogue Creek (originally called "Epsewasson") in the September 1674 land grant from Lord Culpeper, after the former name of the creek), leaving the Washingtons the portion along Little Hunting Creek. (The Spencer heirs paid Lawrence Washington 2,500 lb (1,100 kg) of tobacco as compensation for their choice.)^[6]

The Eastern facade, facing the Potomac.

Engraving of Mount Vernon US Postage, Issue of 1956

---

The U.S. Post Office issued a 1-1/2c postage stamp on February 22, 1956, George Washington's birthday, honoring Mount Vernon

Upon Lawrence Washington's death, he left the property to his daughter, Mildred. In 1726, at the urging of her brother Augustine Washington (George Washington's father), Mildred sold him the Potomac River estate. In 1735, Augustine Washington moved his young, second family to the estate, settling into a 'Quarter' alongside Little Hunting Creek. In 1738, Augustine recalled his eldest son Lawrence (George's half-brother) home from The Appleby School in England and set him up on the family's Little Hunting Creek tobacco plantation, thereby allowing Augustine to move his family back to Fredericksburg at the end of 1739.

In 1739, Lawrence, having reached his majority (age 21), began buying up parcels of land from the adjoining Spencer tract, beginning with the land around the Grist Mill on Dogue Creek. In the summer of 1740, Lawrence received a coveted officer's commission in the Regular British Army, and made preparations to go off to war in the Caribbean with the newly formed American Regiment. Part of his preparations included ensuring his father had legal control over the tracts Lawrence purchased from Spencer. While he was away at war (the War of Jenkins' Ear, 1739–1743), Lawrence wrote to his father from Jamaica in May 1741, that, should he survive the war, he intended to make his home in the town of Fredericksburg, building a town home on one of the three lots he owned there.

At this same time, the Spencer family was in a legal dispute over additional land sales to Lawrence's neighbors. To adjudicate the boundary line dispute, a general court for Prince William County ordered a new survey of the entire 5,000 acre (20 km²) Washington-Spencer land grant. The surviving map of that 1741 survey, a plat, by County Surveyor Robert Brooke, revealed the estate had been grossly mis-measured in April 1669, and it contained only about 4,200 acres (17 km²), not the 5,000 acres (20 km²) conveyed in the 1674 land grant. The gross mis-measurement can be attributed to the fact that the property was bounded on three sides by water, and that neither the River nor the two creeks had regular shorelines. Pursuant to the Culpeper land grant, the original 1669 surveyor was charged with estimating an area of 5,000 acres (20 km²) and then blazing a straight-line "back" boundary along a tree line between the winding courses of Dogue Run and Little Hunting Creek.

Map of the estate, drawn by Washington

More importantly, this surviving May 1741 property survey by Brooke reveals that the location of the present-day mansion house was then vacant, with the Washingtons depicted as having their Quarter alongside Little Hunting Creek (as was shown on a similar, larger-scale Potomac River survey of 1738).

Upon receiving word of Lawrence's intent to live in Fredericksburg, Augustine Washington appears to have undertaken to erect a modest farm house on the vacant bluff overlooking the Potomac River (where the mansion house now sits) in 1741-42. It is estimated Lawrence received news of his father's plans in late 1741, while at Jamaica, and presumably wrote back instructing his father to call the new home "Mount Vernon" in honor of Captain Lawrence Washington's commanding officer, Vice Admiral Edward Vernon (then regarded as the greatest military hero of the age in Britain.) In early August 1742, the place name "Mount Vernon" first appears in a surviving letter, penned by Lawrence's Potomac River neighbor, William Fairfax, of Belvoir. Lawrence Washington returned from the war in late 1742, buried his father in April 1743, married into the Fairfax family and took up residence at his "Mount Vernon" in July 1743. By the late 1740s Lawrence undertook an expansion of the home Augustine built for him.

Washington out on the plantation, with Mount Vernon in background.

Upon Lawrence's untimely death in July 1752, his will provided that his widow should own a life estate in Mount Vernon, with the remainder interest falling to Lawrence's beloved half-brother, George. George Washington was already living at Mount Vernon and probably managing the plantation. Lawrence's widow, Anne Fairfax, promptly remarried into the Lee family and moved out. Upon the death of Anne and Lawrence's only surviving child in 1754, George, as executor of his brother's estate, arranged to lease "Mount Vernon" that December. Later, he bought his sister-in-law's life estate and became owner of the property. In 1757, George began the first of two major additions and improvements to the home. The second expansion was begun shortly before the outbreak of the Revoluntionary War. On those occasions he entirely rebuilt the main house atop the original foundations, doubling its size each time. The great majority of the work was performed by slaves and artisans. While he twice rebuilt the home, George never changed its patriotic British name.

Though no architect is known to have designed Mount Vernon, some attribute the design to John Ariss (1725–1799), a prominent Virginia architect who designed Paynes Church in Fairfax County (now destroyed) and likely Mount Airy, Richmond County, Virginia. A friend of George Washington, to whom he leased his home, Ariss was, in an interesting coincidence, the great-grandson of Col. Nicholas Spencer, the original patentee of Mount Vernon with the Washingtons.^[7] Other sources credit Col. Richard Blackburn, who also designed Rippon Lodge in Prince William County and the first Falls Church.^[8][9] His granddaughter Anne married Bushrod Washington and is interred at the Washingtons' tomb on the grounds.

Upon Anne Fairfax Washington Lee's death in 1761, George was the only claimant to the Mount Vernon estate. He had already started purchasing surrounding parcels of land in the late 1750s, and continued adding to the estate well into the 1780s.^[10] From 1759 until the Revolutionary War, Washington, who at the time aspired to become a prominent agriculturist, operated the estate as five separate farms. He took a scientific approach to farming and kept extensive and meticulous records of both labor and results.

In a letter dated September 20, 1765, Washington writes about receiving poor returns for his tobacco production:

Can it be otherwise than a little mortifying then to find, that we, who raise none but Sweetscented Tobacco, and endeavour I may venture to add, to be careful in the management of it, however we fail in the execution, and who by a close and fixed corrispondance with you, contribute so largely to the dispatch of your Ships in this Country shoud meet with such unprofitable returns?

—^[11]

In the same letter he asks about the prices of flax and hemp, with a view to their production:

In order thereto you woud do me a singular favour in advising of the general price one might expect for good Hemp in your Port watered and prepared according to Act of Parliament, with an estimate of the freight, and all other Incident charges pr. Tonn that I may form some Idea of the profits resulting from the growth. I shoud be very glad to know at the sametime how rough and undressd Flax has generally, and may probably sell; for this year I have made an Essay in both, and altho I suffer pretty considerably by the attempt, owing principally to the severity of the Drougth, and my inexperience in the management I am not altogether discouraged from a further prosecution of the Scheme provided I find the Sales with you are not clogd with too much difficulty and expence.

By 1766, Washington completely ended tobacco growing at Mount Vernon, instead raising wheat, corn, and other grains. Besides hemp and flax, he experimented with 60 other crops. Washington built a gristmill which produced cornmeal and flour for export and ground neighbors' grain as well. He similarly sold the services of the estate's looms and blacksmith, and built a small fishing fleet that let Mount Vernon also export fish. Because other crops were much less labor-intensive than tobacco and Washington refused to break up families for sale the estate always had too many slaves, so he hired skilled indentured servants from Europe to train them for service on and off the estate.^{[12]:157,196-199}

Outside of George and Martha Washington's tomb at Mount Vernon

Inside of George and Martha Washington's tomb at Mount Vernon

Following his service in the war, Washington returned to Mount Vernon and in 1785-1786 spent a great deal of effort improving the landscaping of the estate. It is estimated that during his two terms as President of the United States (1789–1797) Washington spent 434 days in residence at Mount Vernon. After his presidency, Washington tended to repairs to the buildings, socializing, and further gardening. Washington selectively bred sheep and grew various types of crops on the plantation, including flax, hemp, cotton and silk:^[13] in 1794 he wrote to the gardener at Mount Vernon advising "[m]ake the most you can of the Indian Hemp seed and sow it everywhere".^[14] One of his most successful ventures was the establishment of a distillery in 1797; he briefly became one of the new nation's largest distillers of whiskey.^[15]

The remains of George and Martha Washington, as well as other family members, are entombed on the grounds. In accordance with his will, Washington was entombed in a family crypt he had built upon first inheriting the estate. It was in disrepair by 1799, so Washington's will also requested that a new, larger tomb be built. This was not done immediately, but following an attempt to rob the grave, in 1831 a new vault was finally constructed in Washington's desired location.^[16]

Preservation[link]

After Washington's death in 1799, plantation ownership passed through a series of relatives who lacked either the will or the means to maintain the property. After trying unsuccessfully for five years to restore the estate, John Augustine Washington offered it for sale in 1848. The Commonwealth of Virginia and United States governments declined to buy the home and estate.

In 1858, the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union, under the leadership of Ann Pamela Cunningham, acquired the mansion and a portion of the land from Washington's great-grandnephew, John A. Washington, Jr., rescuing it from a state of disrepair and neglect. They paid the final installment of the purchase price of $200,000 (equal to $5,173,333 today) on December 9, 1859, taking possession on February 22, 1860.^[17] The estate served as neutral ground for both sides during the American Civil War, although fighting raged across the nearby countryside.

Accurate engraved rendition of Mount Vernon on a U.S. postage stamp, Army Issue of 1937

Mount Vernon was designated a National Historic Landmark on December 19, 1960 and later administratively listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The mansion has been restored by the Association, independent of the US government, with no tax dollars expended to support the 500-acre (2.0 km²) estate, its educational programs or activities.^[18] The restoration is complete with period furniture and decor, and today serves as a popular tourist attraction. The estate is also well known for its exceptional landscaping and ancillary buildings.

Harrison Howell Dodge was appointed as resident superintendent in 1885 and during his 52 years overseeing the estate, he doubled the facility's acreage, improved the grounds and added many historic artifacts to the collections there. Dodge reviewed George Washington's writings about the estate, visited other Colonial-era gardens, and traveled to England to see gardens there dating from the Georgian period. Using this knowledge, Dodge oversaw the restoration of the site and put in place a number of improvements that Washington planned but never implemented.^[19]

Charles Wall served as resident superintendent for 39 years starting 1937 after having been assistant superintendent since 1929. During his tenure, Wall oversaw restoration of the home and planted greenery consistent with what was used in the 18th century. In 1974, a campaign he organized was successful in preserving as parkland areas in Maryland across the Potomac River from Mount Vernon, as part of an effort to retain the bucolic vista from the home.^[20] His office was the same one used in the 18th century by Washington himself.^[21]

Grounds[link]

Shops at the entrance to the estate; the gatehouse and ticketing area can be seen beyond

The property consists of 500 acres (2.0 km²),^[22] with the main buildings, including the house, located near the riverfront. English boxwoods, taken from cuttings sent by Maj. Gen. Henry Lee III "Light Horse Harry" (Governor of Virginia and father of Robert E. Lee), were planted in 1786 by George Washington and now crowd the entry path. The main homestead area is skirted by a carriage road with a large bowling green located in the center. To each side of the green is a garden, contained by a red brick wall. These Colonial Revival gardens^[23] grew the household's vegetables, fruit and other perishable items for consumption. The upper garden, located to the north, is bordered by the greenhouse.^[24] The Botanical Garden; the Museum, dedicated to the life and death of George Washington is on the grounds and contains George Washington's survey equipment, weapons, and clothing, as well as dentures worn by the first President; ice house; overseers quarters; spinning room; salt house and gardener's house are between the garden and the house.

The lower garden, or southern garden, is skirted by the storehouse and clerk's quarters, smokehouse, wash house, laundry yard, and coach house. A paddock and stable are on the southern border of the garden. The old tomb is located along the river, while the new tomb, containing George and Martha Washington, is located near the fruit garden with the slave burial ground just off this path. A Forest Trail runs along the property, and a George Washington: Pioneer Farmer site, a 4-acre (16,000 m²) working farm that includes a re-creation of Washington's 16-sided treading barn.^[25]

The main house is located in the center of these support buildings and was once the hub of all the activity at Mount Vernon. The house has two storys with a hipped roof with dormers. Two large chimneys pierce the roof at either end and a cupola rests in the center of the house. The cupola is topped with a dome and a spire with a gilded dove of peace.^[26]

The house was built in phases, as the off-center main door makes evident. The structure once contained the northern portion of the house until it was expanded several times in its history. The house is framed by two covered walkways leading to servants hall on the left and the kitchen to the right. A circular courtyard completes the grand appearance of the house.

Recent development[link]

The house and grounds as seen from the river

On March 30, 2007, Washington’s Mount Vernon estate officially opened a reconstruction of Washington’s distillery. This fully functional replica received special legislation from the Virginia General Assembly to produce up to 5,000 USgal (19,000 l) of whiskey annually, for sale only at the Mount Vernon gift shop. The construction of this operational distillery cost $2.1 M and is located on the exact site of Washington's original distillery, a short distance from his mansion on the Potomac River. Frank Coleman, spokesman for the Distilled Spirits Council that funded the reconstruction, said the distillery “will become the equivalent of a national distillery museum” and serve as a gateway to the American Whiskey Trail.^[27]

Each year on Christmas Day, "Aladdin the Christmas Camel" recreates Washington's 1787 hiring of a camel for 18 shillings to entertain his guests with an example of the mount that brought the Three Wise Men to Bethlehem to visit the newborn baby Jesus.^[28]

In October 2006, following a $110 million fund raising campaign, two new buildings designed by GWWO, Inc./Architects were opened as venues for additional background on George Washington and the American Revolution.

On November 7, 2007, President George W. Bush hosted French President Nicolas Sarkozy for a general press conference on the front lawn of Mount Vernon following Sarkozy's address to a joint session of Congress earlier the same day, briefing the press on the two leaders' earlier meetings.^[29]

Notes[link]

^1 The deed conveying the grant of Mount Vernon, then in Stafford County, to Washington and Spencer was dated March 1, 1677, and was signed by 'Tho. Culpepper,' the original proprietor of the Northern Neck, from whom the proprietorship devolved to his eventual heir Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron.

References[link]

• Dalzell, Jr., Robert F. and Balzell, Lee Baldwin. George Washington's Mount Vernon: At Home in Revolutionary America. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.
• Griswold, Mac and Foley, Roger. Washington's Gardens at Mount Vernon: Landscape of the Inner Man. Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 1999.
• Wilstach, Paul. Mount Vernon: Washington's Home and the Nation's Shrine. Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1918.
• Virginia: A Guide to the Old Dominion. New York: Oxford University Press, 1940.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mount Vernon

• Official website of Mount Vernon
• National Historic Landmark: Mount Vernon
• National Shrine: Bringing George Washington Back to Life
• "Life Portrait of George Washington", broadcast from Mount Vernon from C-SPAN's American Presidents: Life Portraits

Coordinates: 38°42′28″N 77°05′10″W / 38.7079°N 77.0861°W / 38.7079; -77.0861

Mark Litton is the current goalkeeper coach for the 6 time MISL Champion Milwaukee Wave, having helped them win championships in 2005, 2011, and 2012.^[1]

Prior to joining the Wave 8 seasons ago, Mark was the goalkeeper coach for the University of Wisconsin–Parkside (1998–2001). Aside from working with the goalkeepers at the Milwaukee Wave, Mark is also the Head Coach of the Wave reserve team, the Milwaukee Wave United.

In 2007, Mark spent time working with the US National Futsal team goalkeepers as they prepared for the 2007 PanAm Games.

In May 2008, he was hired by the US National Futsal team as their first ever goalkeeper coach. He accompanied the team on trips to Miami, Florida, and Fortaleza, Brazil, as they began preparing for the 2008 FIFA Futsal World Cup. Following the Brazil trip, Mark accompanied the team to Guatemala City, Guatemala as they competed in the CONCACAF regional qualifiers. The US team finished in 3rd place, which qualified them for the 2008 FIFA Futsal World Cup, which was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil September 30 through October 19, 2008, with the US grouped with Thailand, Italy, Portugal, and Paraguay. Mark is currently helping the team to prepare for the 2012 CONCACAF regional qualifying tournament, which will be held in Guatemala City in early July 2012. The US team is looking to qualify for the 2012 FIFA Futsal World Cup being held in Thailand in November 2012.

Mark is a former goalkeeper with the Milwaukee Wave, having been with the team from 1989 through 1994. Mark was also the starting goalkeeper at the University of Wisconsin–Parkside from 1986-88. He was an NAIA All-American goalkeeper in 1988.^[2] His goals against average at UW–Parkside in his All-American season was 0.683. He ranks seventh on the all-time UW–Parkside list for career minutes played with 3,863. He posted 21 career shutouts and logged a 1.23 career goals against average. Mark played at St. Catherine’s High School as a defender prior to playing goalkeeper at Wisconsin–Parkside. His senior year at St Catherine's high school (Racine, WI) he was the team captain, MVP, and 2nd team all Racine County, and 2nd team All Conference. Mark's senior season at St Catherine's high school was the school's very first soccer season as a varsity sport.

From 2009 to 2011, Mark returned to his Alma Mater, UW–Parkside, as their men's soccer team goalkeeper coach. In October 2010, Mark was inducted into the UW-Parkside Athletic Hall of Fame. From 2011 to 2012, he was the goalkeeper coach for the men's soccer team at NCAA Division I UW-Milwaukee. In June 2011, Mark received his USSF B coaching license, and his NSCAA National Goalkeeping Level III coaching diploma. In January of 2012, Mark coached the U19 US National Team at the Mercedes Benz Junior Cup in Stuttgart, Germany.

References[link]

This biographical article related to an American soccer goalkeeper is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

George Washington
1st President of the United States
In office April 30, 1789[nb] – March 4, 1797
Vice President	John Adams
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	John Adams
Senior Officer of the Army
In office July 13, 1798 – December 14, 1799
Appointed by	John Adams
Preceded by	James Wilkinson
Succeeded by	Alexander Hamilton
Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army
In office June 15, 1775 – December 23, 1783
Appointed by	Continental Congress
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Henry Knox (United States Army)
Delegate to the Second Continental Congress from Virginia
In office May 10, 1775 – June 15, 1775
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Thomas Jefferson
Delegate to the First Continental Congress from Virginia
In office September 5, 1774 – October 26, 1774
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Personal details
Born	(1732-02-22)February 22, 1732 Westmoreland County Virginia Colony British America
Died	December 14, 1799(1799-12-14) (aged 67) Mount Vernon Plantation Commonwealth of Virginia United States
Political party	Independent
Spouse(s)	Martha Dandridge Custis
Profession	Planter Officer
Religion	Deism[1] Episcopal[2]
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Great Britain United States
Service/branch	Virginia provincial militia Continental Army United States Army
Years of service	Militia: 1752–1758 Continental Army: 1775–1783 Army: 1798–1799
Rank	Lieutenant general General of the Armies (posthumous: 1976)
Commands	Virginia Colony's regiment Continental Army United States Army
Battles/wars	French and Indian War  • Battle of Jumonville Glen  • Battle of Fort Necessity  • Braddock Expedition  • Battle of the Monongahela  • Forbes Expedition American Revolutionary War  • Boston campaign  • New York and New Jersey campaign  • Philadelphia campaign  • Yorktown campaign
Awards	Congressional Gold Medal Thanks of Congress
^ March 4 is the official start of the first presidential term. April 6 is when Congress counted the votes of the Electoral College and certified a president. April 30 is when Washington was sworn in.

George Washington (February 22, 1732 [O.S. February 11, 1731] – December 14, 1799) was the first President of the United States of America, serving from 1789 to 1797, and the dominant military and political leader of the United States from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of the Constitution in 1787. Washington became the first president, by unanimous choice, and oversaw the creation of a strong, well-financed national government that maintained neutrality in the wars raging in Europe, suppressed rebellion, and won acceptance among Americans of all types. His leadership style established many forms and rituals of government that have been used since, such as using a cabinet system and delivering an inaugural address. Washington is universally regarded as the "Father of his country."^[3][4][5]

Washington was born into the provincial gentry of the Colonial Virginia slave society;^[6] his wealthy planter family owned tobacco plantations and slaves. After both his father and older brother died when he was young, Washington became personally and professionally attached to the powerful William Fairfax, who promoted his career as a surveyor and soldier. Washington quickly became a senior officer in the colonial forces during the first stages of the French and Indian War. Chosen by the Second Continental Congress in 1775 to be commander-in-chief of the Continental Army in the American Revolution, Washington managed to force the British out of Boston in 1776, but was defeated and almost captured later that year when he lost New York City. After crossing the Delaware River in the dead of winter, he defeated the British in two battles, retook New Jersey and restored momentum to the Patriot cause. Because of his strategy, Revolutionary forces captured two major British armies at Saratoga in 1777 and Yorktown in 1781. Historians laud Washington for his selection and supervision of his generals, encouragement of morale and ability to hold together the army, coordination with the state governors and state militia units, relations with Congress and attention to supplies, logistics, and training. In battle, however, Washington was repeatedly outmaneuvered by British generals with larger armies. After victory had been finalized in 1783, Washington resigned rather than seize power, proving his opposition to dictatorship and his commitment to American republicanism. He retired from the presidency in 1797 and returned to his home, Mount Vernon, and his domestic life where he managed a variety of enterprises. He freed all his slaves by his final 1799 will.

Dissatisfied with the weaknesses of Articles of Confederation, in 1787 Washington presided over the Constitutional Convention that drafted the United States Constitution. Elected as the first President of the United States in 1789, he attempted to bring rival factions together to unify the nation. He supported Alexander Hamilton's programs to pay off all state and national debt, to implement an effective tax system and to create a national bank (despite opposition from Thomas Jefferson). Washington proclaimed the United States neutral in the wars raging in Europe after 1793. He avoided war with Great Britain and guaranteed a decade of peace and profitable trade by securing the Jay Treaty in 1795, despite intense opposition from the Jeffersonians. Although never officially joining the Federalist Party, he supported its programs. Washington's "Farewell Address" was an influential primer on republican virtue and a warning against partisanship, sectionalism, and involvement in foreign wars.

Washington had a vision of a great and powerful nation that would be built on republican lines using federal power. He sought to use the national government to preserve liberty, improve infrastructure, open the western lands, promote commerce, found a permanent capital, reduce regional tensions and promote a spirit of American nationalism.^[7] At his death, Washington was hailed as "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen".^[8] The Federalists made him the symbol of their party but for many years, the Jeffersonians continued to distrust his influence and delayed building the Washington Monument. As the leader of the first successful revolution against a colonial empire in world history, Washington became an international icon for liberation and nationalism, especially in France and Latin America.^[9] He is consistently ranked among the top three presidents of the United States, according to polls of both scholars and the general public.

Early life (1732–1753)[link]

The first child of Augustine Washington (1694–1743) and his second wife, Mary Ball Washington (1708–1789), George Washington was born on their Pope's Creek Estate near present-day Colonial Beach in Westmoreland County, Virginia. According to the Julian calendar and Annunciation Style of enumerating years, then in use in the British Empire, Washington was born on February 11, 1731; according to the Gregorian calendar, implemented in the British Empire in 1752, according to the provisions of the Calendar (New Style) Act 1750, the date was February 22, 1732.^{[10][11][Note 1]} Washington's ancestors were from Sulgrave, England; his great-grandfather, John Washington, had immigrated to Virginia in 1657.^[12] George's father Augustine was a slave-owning tobacco planter who later tried his hand in iron-mining ventures.^[13] In George's youth, the Washingtons were moderately prosperous members of the Virginia gentry, of "middling rank" rather than one of the leading planter families.^[14] At this time, Virginia and other southern colonies had become a slave society, in which slaveholders formed the ruling class and the economy was based on slave labor.^[6]

Six of George's siblings reached maturity, including two older half-brothers, Lawrence and Augustine, from his father's first marriage to Jane Butler Washington, and four full siblings, Samuel, Elizabeth (Betty), John Augustine and Charles. Three siblings died before becoming adults: his full sister Mildred died when she was about one,^[15] his half-brother Butler died while an infant,^[16] and his half-sister Jane died at the age of 12, when George was about 2.^[15] George's father died when George was 11 years old, after which George's half-brother Lawrence became a surrogate father and role model. William Fairfax, Lawrence's father-in-law and cousin of Virginia's largest landowner, Thomas, Lord Fairfax, was also a formative influence.

Washington spent much of his boyhood at Ferry Farm in Stafford County near Fredericksburg. Lawrence Washington inherited another family property from his father, a plantation on the Potomac River which he later named Mount Vernon. George inherited Ferry Farm upon his father's death, and eventually acquired Mount Vernon after Lawrence's death.^[17]

The death of his father prevented Washington from crossing the Atlantic to receive the rest of his education at England's Appleby School, as his older brothers had done. He received the equivalent of an elementary school education from a variety of tutors,^[18] and also a school run by an Anglican clergyman in or near Fredericksburg.^[19] Talk of securing an appointment in the Royal Navy for him when he was 15 was dropped when his mother learned how hard that would be on him.^[20] Thanks to Lawrence's connection to the powerful Fairfax family, at age 17 in 1749, Washington was appointed official surveyor for Culpeper County, a well-paid position which enabled him to purchase land in the Shenandoah Valley, the first of his many land acquisitions in western Virginia. Thanks also to Lawrence's involvement in the Ohio Company, a land investment company funded by Virginia investors, and Lawrence's position as commander of the Virginia militia, Washington came to the notice of the new lieutenant governor of Virginia, Robert Dinwiddie. Washington was hard to miss: At exactly six feet, he towered over most of his contemporaries.^[21]