Mount Vernon

Images of America: Virginia

by Patrick L. O'Neill

lmages of America: Mount Vernon takes a visual excursion through the history of the home and neighborhood of our first president of the United States, George Washington. Washington's ancestors came to Northern Virginia over 320 years ago, and by 1786, he had acquired an 8,000-plus-acre tract of land surrounding Mount Vernon. Washington divided this acreage into five farms, which were considered his pride and joy. His detailed management of agricultural affairs, as well as his flair for entertaining, left a visual impression on all that visited. The region, from the late 17th century to Washington's death in 1799, continued to thrive. The estate has withstood and prospered during the selling of Mount Vernon and the surrounding properties, the establishment of the Quaker community in the 1840s, the Civil War, the arrival of the Army Corps of Engineers in 1915, and over 200 years of tourism. Through this volume, containing over 200 images of Mount Vernon and the surrounding vicinity, readers will experience the area's rich history.

Genres: History

128 pages, Paperback

First published November 24, 2003

Reviews

[Tammy Mannarino · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the scope of this book as it summarizes not only the history Mount Vernon Estate, but also the surrounding neighborhoods including some across the Potomac. The pictures are the star of the show, as with all of the Images of America series. O'Neill's selections are excellent. There are a couple of occasions where he strays outside the scope with mentions of the Nike missile site and the Pentagon. There are also quite a few errors (e.g. the date of Martha Washington's death, quotation marks on William Snowden's rank of "Captain") that should have been caught in editing.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I live near Mount Vernon so this was a great history trip for me and the area that surrounds me