The George Washington Birthplace National Monument is a

national monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a sp ...

in Westmoreland County,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, at the confluence of Popes Creek and the

Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...

. It commemorates the birthplace location of

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

, a

Founding Father The following is a list of national founders of sovereign states who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e., political system ...

and the first President of the United States, who was born here on February 22, 1732. Washington lived at the residence until age three and later returned to live there as a teenager.

History

17th–18th centuries

John Washington, George Washington's great-grandfather, settled this

plantation Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tob ...

in 1657 at the original property on Bridges Creek. The family acquired expanded land to the south toward nearby Popes Creek. Prior to 1718, the first section of the house was built. His father enlarged it between 1722–1726. He added on to it by the mid-1770s, making a ten-room house known as "Wakefield". This house, which George Washington in 1792 would describe as "the ancient mansion seat," was destroyed by fire and flood on

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A liturgical feast central to Christianity, Chri ...

1779, and never rebuilt.''George Washington Birthplace'',

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

brochure (1999) George Washington was born in the house on February 22, 1732. Thirty-two graves of Washington family members have been found at the Bridges Creek cemetery plot, including George's half-brother, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. Washington's father owned enslaved people and had them cultivate

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

on his several plantations, as his ancestors had done.

19th century

In 1858, the Commonwealth of Virginia acquired the property to preserve the homesite and cemetery. In 1882, however, Virginia donated the land to the federal government following the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

20th century

The Wakefield National Memorial Association was formed in 1923 to restore the property. In 1930, the grounds were authorized by Congress as a U.S. National Monument. In 1931, the Wakefield Association received a grant from John D. Rockefeller Jr., to acquire and transfer a total of of land to the Federal government. Since the exact appearance of the original Washington family home is not known, a Memorial House was designed by Edward Donn Jr., representing similar buildings of the era; it was constructed on the approximate site in 1931. The actual location of Washington's boyhood home is adjacent to the memorial house and its foundation is outlined in the ground by crushed oyster shells. The Memorial House represents a typical tobacco plantation of the period of the original's construction. The Memorial House is constructed of bricks handmade from local clay. It has a central hallway and four rooms on each floor, furnished in the 1730–1750 period style by the Wakefield National Memorial Association. Furnishings include an 18th-century tea table believed to have been in the original house. Most of the other furnishings are more than 200 years old. At the entrance to the grounds, now maintained and operated by the

, is a Memorial Shaft

obelisk An obelisk (; , diminutive of (') ' spit, nail, pointed pillar') is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called ''tekhenu'', the Greeks used th ...

of Vermont

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

; it is a one-tenth scale replica of the

Washington Monument The Washington Monument is an obelisk on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father of the United States, victorious commander-in-chief of the Continen ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

The park and Memorial House were opened by the National Park Service in 1932, on the 200th anniversary of George Washington's birth.

21st century

In the 21st century, the Monument is part of the National Park Service's ongoing efforts to interpret historical resources.Seth C. Bruggeman, ''Here, George Washington Was Born: Memory, Material Culture, and the Public History of a National Monument'' (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2008). In addition to the Memorial House, park facilities open to visitors include the historic birthplace home area, Kitchen House, hiking trails, and picnic grounds. In the Kitchen House, costumed re-enactors demonstrate candle- and soap-making. A colonial herb and flower garden has been planted with herbs and flowers common to Washington's time, including

thyme Thyme () is a culinary herb consisting of the dried aerial parts of some members of the genus ''Thymus (plant), Thymus'' of flowering plants in the mint family Lamiaceae. Thymes are native to Eurasia and north Africa. Thymes have culinary, medici ...

, sage,

basil Basil (, ; , ; ''Ocimum basilicum'' (, )), also called great basil, is a culinary herb of the family Lamiaceae (mints). It is a hardiness (plants), tender plant, and is used in cuisines worldwide. In Western cuisine, the generic term "basil" r ...

, and flowers such as

hollyhock ''Alcea'' is a genus of over 80 species of flowering plants in the mallow family Malvaceae, commonly known as the hollyhocks. They are native to Asia and Europe. The single species of hollyhock from the Americas, the Iliamna rivularis, streamban ...

forget-me-not ''Myosotis'' ( ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Boraginaceae. The name comes from the Ancient Greek "mouse's ear", which the foliage is thought to resemble. In the Northern Hemisphere, they are colloquially known as forget-me-no ...

s, and

rose A rose is either a woody perennial plant, perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred Rose species, species and Garden roses, tens of thousands of cultivar ...

s. Typical trees and bushes of Washington's time have also been added to the landscaping. The Colonial Living Farm has a barn and pasture and raises livestock, poultry, and crops that were typical in the 18th century and using farming methods that were common at the time. Visitors may also tour the Washington family Burial Ground, which contains the graves of 32 members of the Washington family, including George Washington's father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. Replicas of two original gravestones are visible, along with five memorial tablets placed here in the 1930s. The Visitors' Center contains artifacts recovered from the burned-down Washington house, including a bowl, clay figurine, wine bottle seal belonging to Augustine Washington, wine bottle, and keyhole plate. A 15-minute film depicting Washington family life is shown in a theater at the Visitors' Center.

Directions

The George Washington Birthplace National Monument is east of

Fredericksburg, Virginia Fredericksburg is an Independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 27,982. It is south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond, Virginia, R ...

, located on the Northern Neck. It can be reached via VA Route 204, the access road to the site from VA State Route 3.

References

* Gary W. Ferris (1999), ''Presidential Places''

External links

George Washington Birthplace National Monument official websiteWakefield, State Route 204, Wakefield Corner, Westmoreland County, VA
15 photos, 3 data pages, and 2 photo caption pages at

Historic American Buildings Survey The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...

, Library of Congress
Wakefield, Kitchen, State Route 204, Wakefield Corner, Westmoreland County, VA
7 photos and 1 photo caption page at Historic American Buildings Survey
Wakefield, Gardens & Grounds, State Route 204, Wakefield Corner, Westmoreland County, VA
2 photos at Historic American Buildings Survey
Video showing several places at this site
from 2016 {{DEFAULTSORT:Washington, George Birthplace National Monument 1930 establishments in Virginia Birthplaces of individual people Burned houses in the United States Georgian architecture in Virginia Brick buildings and structures in Virginia Historic American Buildings Survey in Virginia

George Washington Birthplace National Monument The George Washington Birthplace National Monument is a national monument in Westmoreland County, Virginia, at the confluence of Popes Creek and the Potomac River. It commemorates the birthplace location of George Washington, a Founding Father ...

Homes of United States Founding Fathers Houses in Westmoreland County, Virginia Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Monuments and memorials to George Washington in the United States

National Register of Historic Places in Westmoreland County, Virginia Plantations in Virginia Presidential homes in the United States Presidential museums in Virginia Protected areas established in 1930 Rebuilt buildings and structures in Virginia Tobacco plantations in the United States Washington family residences