George Washington 1st President of the United States (1789-1797)
Washington sites that I have visited:
George Washington Birthplace National Monument Colonial Beach, VA
Washington Boyhood Home Ferry Farm Fredericksburg, VA
Mary Washington's (his mother) home Fredericksburg, VA
Military Sites:
Site of first battle at Ft. Nessecity Farmington, PA
French and Indian War base Ft. Legionar
Washington Crossing near Trenton, NJ
Battle of Princeton Monument Princeton, NJ
Washington's Headquarters at Valley Forge King of Prussia, PA
Other sites:
Congress Hall, 2nd Inaguration site Philadelphia, PA
Presidents House site Philadelphia, PA
Heyward- Washington House Charleston, SC
Deshler Morris House First Presidential retreat Germantown, PA
Home and gravesite at Mt. Vernon, VA
In 1896, this 50 foot tall granite Obelisk was erected on what was believed to be the site of the Washingtons home in which
Washington was born. In the early 1930's it was moved here, to the entrance to the park, to make room for a reconstruction of the birthplace home at the believed birth site.
In the National Parks visitor center
A reconstruction of what they thought the house may of looked like on the site that they thought the birthplace sat. Built in the early 1930s
In 1936 another foundation was discovered which changed everything they thought they knew about the exact spot of Washingtons birth. Eventually in the 1960s they officially recognized this foundation as the actual birth site of George Washington. The foundation is now marked with seashells showing you the exact layout of the birth home.
George Washington was born somewhere over here
My kids join me for a photo
George Washingtons Great Grandpa John Washington had a farm here, near the family cemetery at Washington Birthplace National Memorial. Maybe a mile or so from the birth site.
Gravesites of Washingtons paternal ancestors. His Father Augustine, Grandfather Lawrence, and Great Grandfather John are all buried here.
Entrance to Washington's boyhood home Ferry Farm
Of course it was closed, so I just got a picture with the historical marker and then I was on my way.
George Washington's mother Mary lived here in Fredericksburg, VA. She lived to see her son become the 1st President
The following pictures are from Fort Nessesity national park in Farmington Pennsylvania, some from my stop in 2010, most from my most recent stop in summer 2023.
At Jumonville Glen. Young British officer George Washington was in his 20s when he and his men came across a French diplomatic party here. The skirmish that happened here sparked what we know as the French and Indian War. This war was part of a much larger conflict called the Seven year war that Winston Churchhill referred to as the real first world war that occurred in the mid-1700s.
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| A reconstruction of Washington's fort at Ft. Nessesity |
Ft. Nessesity 2023
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| The trenches at that Washington's men dug at still here. |
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| The path in which Braddock and Washington's men cut through the thick Western PA wilderness can still be seen. |
One of the most fascinating George Washington stories is one of the lesser known. Washington was a 20 something young British officer when we helped spark the French and Indian War. Washington had allied with a local Indian Chief named Half King. When Washington and Half King came across a French diplomatic party Half King treated them as hostels and attacked, killing some important people. Washington knew that the French and Indians would retaliate. So having been trained in the European, stand in lines and shoot each other way of fighting, he chose an open field to build his fort. When Half King saw the fort he abandoned Washington, saying the fort was indefencable. When the French and Indians finally attacked, they staid in the trees and sniped Washingtons men, killed 32 before Washington finally surrendered.
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| Fort Legioneer was a major British base during the French and Indian War. Washington passed through here often. |
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| Me near the site were Washington crossed the Delaware River on Christmas Day 1776 to defeat the Hessian Mercanaries in Trenton. |
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| Me at the gigantic Battle of Princeton Monument in Princeton, NJ |
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| The giant arch at Valley Forge |
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| My kids and I at Washington's Valley Forge Headquarters |
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| Washington's headquarters from the backyard |
Inside Washingtons headquarters at Valley Forge
I visited the Heyward Washington House in June 2014
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| Me at the Deshler Morris House in Germantown, PA, near Philadelphia. This was the first Presidential retreat, as George Washington came here to avoid Yellow Fever. |
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| My family and the Washingtons at the Mt. Vernon visitors center June 2010 |
Back again on July 4, 2016.
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| Front of Mt. Vernon |
To my recollection I have visited Mt. Vernon 5 times. Family vacation 1998, Senior Class Trip 2000, My Honeymoon 2004, Family vacations 2010 and 2016
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| Back side of Mt. Vernon. Washington's plantation on the Potomic River in Northern Virginia |
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| View of the Potomic River from Mt. Vernon |
Memorial to the slaves buried at Mt. Vernon from 1929
An updated marker from 1983
Site of the slave graveyard
In the last few years a very impressive museum has opened at Mount Vernon. It has a feel of a modern-day presidential library. There are a few movies that you can watch. One of the movies talks about the revolution. When they get to where Washington crosses the Delaware River on Christmas Day 1776 to attack Hessian mercenaries, it actually seems to start snowing in the theater, The snow was really some sort of soapsuds, but very cool nonetheless.
What a 19-year-old George Washington would of looked like.
Martha Washington's dress and shoes
A display on Washington's first battle. Fort Nessesity
What a 45-year-old George Washington would've look like during the revolution
Pistol and telescope owned by George Washington
Washington at age 57 being sworn in as President
George Washingtons false teeth
A bizarre yet kind of awesome artifact
Replica of George Washington's casket
During the Civil War Mt. Vernon was neutral ground and soilders from both sides passed through. Many etched their names into the outside of Washington's tomb. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlein of Gettysburg fame etched his name into this brick
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Me at Washington's Tomb, on the grounds of his Mt. Vernon plantation. June 2010
My wife and kids with me on this one July 4, 2016 |
In May 2023 I got to visit Mt. Vernon again with my daughter Khloe on her 8th grade class trip to DC
George Washington is pivotal to the life that we all enjoy as Americans. As Commander in Chief of the American Army during the Revolution, he led us through a war that in all practicality, we should of lost. No one knew exactly what the President would do. Washington probably could of been King George I of America. But he set precedents that his successors would follow. By stepping down after 2 terms, Washington set a precedent that would not be broken until FDR won a 3rd term in 1940.
He sadly lived out one of the shortest retirements of any President. He died December 14, 1799 at his Mt. Vernon home.
John Waggoner is also my 5x Great Grandfather. His daughter, Catherine was a great grandmother to my grandmother Hattie Blossom Dershem Frisinger. My name is Mary Shaffer Lung.
ReplyDeleteIt's always good to meet a distant relative! John's son Jacob would of been the Great Grandfather of my Great Grandmother Pearl Bame Bash.
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