Garland Pollard 2016-12-30 00:24:52
Connect with History & Heritage Mount Vernon Fairfax County’s proximity to Washington, DC — and its associations with our founding fathers — make it an essential destination for anyone interested in American history on any level. While Fairfax is vast, new and bustling, its rich history can still be felt throughout the county. In order to see it, you just need to break it into pieces and see Fairfax County as it was — a series of towns, farms and estates, all connected by old coach paths. Today, those old plank roads are new modern highways, but the places and events remain. Every day at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, hundreds walk by Washington’s Tomb and peek in. Twice a day, a few lucky visitors get a much closer look. As “official” ceremonies go, this one’s quite simple. A Mount Vernon staffer unhitches the chain. Everyone stands motionless. The crowd then says the Pledge of Allegiance, including, I notice, a French-speaking couple. Two volunteers then silently place a wreath inside. Another reads Washington’s prayer for his country, which asks “to do justice, to love mercy.” I get a bit choked up, not so much because of the actual ceremony itself, but because of the response of the visitors, who so clearly show their respect by readily offering to read prayers in front of complete strangers. It is old-fashioned, un-ironic and un-jaded patriotism, and I encounter it so rarely that it moves me. I get a bit choked up ... This is old-fashioned, un-ironic and un-jaded patriotism, and I encounter it so rarely that it moves me. Claude Moore Colonial Farm At the house, I find more of this patriotism. Waiting in line to go into the main house, I am standing behind a young man who speaks with an Arabic accent. He is telling his parents stories of George Washington coming home to Mount Vernon, rather than being appointed a sort of king, which some at that time wanted. The young man is lecturing his parents like a professor. Like so many Americans, Mount Vernon is now his place, too. Mount Vernon Gunston Hall No American history place is more famous than Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, father of our country. For those who have not been to Mount Vernon, or who have not been since childhood, the most astounding feature is its scope. While it is decidedly not a theme park, it has the scale of one, including museums, stables, art galleries, farm exhibits, gardens, boat rides and, of course, the mansion itself. The Ford Orientation Center gives a short introduction to the house, with a miniature version of Mount Vernon. Inside, the house is (thankfully) just as it has always been; iconic items like the Bastille key sent to Washington by Lafayette are still hanging, and not in a vault. It is far less roped-off than other house museums of lesser stature. For instance, “don’t touch” doesn’t apply to the original black walnut stair rail in the Main Hall. You’ll have to hold on, as the packed stairs creak. After you go upstairs to see the room where Washington died on Dec. 14, 1799, at age 67, you’ll exit through his own back stairs and into his personal library. As our understanding of Washington has expanded, the interpretation of his life has become far more complex. Mount Vernon has followed along; one of the visitor highlights is the frank and honest interpretation of Washington as a slave owner. While most guides at Mount Vernon are not in character, an actor’s portrayal of Washington’s personal valet, William Lee, tells how he fought alongside his master to win American freedom, and how he married a free woman. (Lee is buried in a slave memorial on the grounds.) The actor then goes out of character and answers questions about the facts of slavery and the lives of African- Americans at Mount Vernon at the time. Special event at Mount Vernon Frank Lloyd Wright's Pope-Leighey House The complexity and brilliance of Washington’s life, and his achievements and influence, make for the contents of Mount Vernon’s Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center. The museum features Washington’s books, personal artifacts (for instance, a belt buckle worn to his inauguration) and galleries showing his style-making, including a re-creation of what a 1795 Presidential dinner would have looked like. In a well-lit case are Washington’s much talked-about, and often misrepresented, dentures. Many rumors say they’re made of wood, but you’ll have to visit to learn the real truth. There’s a bit of showmanship to the galleries; Washington would have liked that, I think, as he was a lover of inventions, art and architecture. An interactive map shows all the different places named for Washington in the U.S. Throughout the galleries are short videos of Washington’s life, including actress Glenn Close’s narration of the 40-year romance of George and Martha. The most crowd (and kid) pleasing attraction is the Revolutionary War Theater, which depicts battles like Trenton and Yorktown with rumbling seats, smoke and snow. A few miles outside of the estate is Washington’s Gristmill and Distillery, part of Mount Vernon. They are authentic, rebuilt on their original sites after extensive research, and are among the few reconstructions listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Touring the complex demonstrates washington’s role as an entrepreneur, as the mill was at the time among the nation’s most technologically advanced and the distillery the nation’s largest. In fact, Washington’s Distillery (open April-October) is the “Gateway” to the American Whiskey Trail — and is the only site in North America that can demonstrate 18th-century distilling from seed to barrel. Life on the Potomac The area around Mount Vernon has a number of historic houses; visiting them allows guests the ability to get a sense of the time period by seeing the settings where Washington and those of his era lived and entertained. Just off of Route 1 from Mount Vernon are two National Trust for Historic Preservation houses open for visitors: Woodlawn and the Pope-Leighey House. There's a bit of showmanship to the galleries; Washington would have liked that, I think. George Washington's Distillery & Gristmill Woodlawn is the former home of Major Lawrence Lewis and Eleanor “Nelly” Custis Lewis. Built between 1800 and 1805, it was designed by an architect of the U.S. Capitol. It was to gain another distinction in 1846, when Quakers bought the house and turned it into a bold social experiment. Parts of the land were sold to freed slaves to establish a free labor colony of white and freed black farmers. On the grounds is the 1939 Pope-Leighey House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and relocated to the site to protect it from demolition from highway construction. Down Route 1 is Pohick Church, where the gentry worshipped. Pohick is still an operating Episcopal church; visitors can wander without a tour and admire the high-backed cubicle pews or stroll the churchyard to try to decipher graffiti left by visiting Civil War soldiers. Also south of Mount Vernon on Mason Neck is Gunston Hall, the circa-1759 home of George Mason. Mason’s contribution to history was drafting the Virginia Declaration of Rights, a visionary document that was the first written document to call for ideas like freedom of the press and religion and the right to a speedy trial. Gunston, owned by the state of Virginia, looks almost exactly like it did in its time. Pay special attention to the two parlors to the right of the main hall; the Chinese room on the land side of the house is considered to be one of the greatest rooms of the period. The glam, overthe- top room is proof that the founding fathers were not only groundbreakers in political thought, but had a great sense of style, too. Across the County The city of Fairfax allows visitors to see what an early 19th-century courthouse complex would look like. Notable sights downtown include the circa-1812 Ratcliffe- Allison House, willed to the city by Kitty Barrett Pozer, a noted garden writer and local activist. (The garden out back is always open.) Do check out the Fairfax County Courthouse (circa 1800) green, and its monuments to war dead. Across the street is a mid-20th century bank; if you look closely at the façade you can make out bas relief images of Lord Fairfax, George Mason and George Washington. Fairfax County Courthouse The city of Fairfax’s 1999 purchase of the circa-1855 vintage Blenheim estate has enabled Civil War buffs to learn the personal history of the Civil War through wall markings inside. Located on Old Lee Highway, the pictures, doodles and signatures inside the house have been carefully preserved; a recent addition is the Civil War Interpretive Center at Historic Blenheim. Throughout the county, parks and house museums tell pieces of the rich Fairfax story. Adjacent to the super-secret Central Intelligence Agency headquarters at Langley is the Claude Moore Colonial Farm at Turkey Run. The park takes visitors back to 1771, and allows them to step right into life on a poor tenant farm. It’s like an 18th century reality show; the staff interpreters stay in colonial character as visitors explore the farm and ask questions. Colvin Run Mill, near Great Falls Park, still operates and is run by the Fairfax County Park Authority; also at the site is the Colvin Run Mill General Store, which sells old-style goods and flour from the mill. At Sully Historic Site, visitors can tour the 1799 home of Richard Bland Lee, Gen. Robert E. Lee’s uncle, and at Frying Pan Farm Park, visitors can see what farm life was like in the 1920s. The Civil War Because of Fairfax’s proximity to Washington, DC, it was a key strategic target of the Confederacy and Union. In the Battle of Ox Hill, which is commemorated by Ox Hill Battlefield Park, popular Union generals Isaac Stevens and Philip Kearny were killed in a messy fight best known for being fought during a thunderstorm. In Centreville on Route 29 just west of Interstate 66 is Cub Run, site of the Cub Creek Bridge. At Cub Creek, curious everyday citizens who had gone out to see the Battle of First Manassas were fired upon, causing a mob panic at the bridge. Fairfax’s strategic location was a key target for Confederate forces; its rail and river links to Washington, DC, played decisive roles. For instance, the Orange and Alexandria Railroad kept supply lines filled. Being just behind the front lines meant that Fairfax dealt with thousands of injured and dead soldiers; the Fairfax Station Railroad Museum tells the story of Clara Barton, who founded the American Red Cross after her experiences dealing with the misery of war dead and wounded, much of it in Fairfax. Civil War reenactment Throughout the county, parks and house museums tell pieces of the rich Fairfax County story. Fairfax history did not end at the Civil War. The Lorton Reformatory, once a prison for the city of Washington, DC, is now the Workhouse Arts Center. President Teddy Roosevelt spearheaded the construction of Lorton after learning of horrible conditions at DC’s prisons. Instead of criminals, artists now occupy the old Workhouse prison complex, which was originally opened in 1912. Its classical design, archways and courtyards make it look as if it could be a university. At the end, main buildings in the Colonial Revival style echo the plantation style of nearby Gunston Hall. At its height, the Lorton complex housed more than 7,000 criminals; it gained fame in 1917 for being the home of force-fed suffragettes imprisoned after White House demonstrations. It’s a true community; artists pool together for regular human figure drawing sessions and volunteer to sell art at the galleries. It’s a modern scene in a historic setting and emblematic of Fairfax County — a very modern place with deep historic roots. FAST TRACK View the rarely-seen third floor of Mount Vernon during “Christmas at Mount Vernon” from late November to early January. See if Claude Moore Colonial Farm is celebrating a Market Fair while you're here, with Colonial-style crafts and cooking. Don’t miss flight simulators at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. You’ll feel like a real fighter pilot when you “roll the plane.” Visit historic sites along the National Mall in DC, not only where history is still commemorated but also where it was made. Plan a picnic at the Sully Historic Site, which blends incredible culture and history in a beautiful park-like setting. Check out the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, a former historic prison turned thriving arts center filled to the brink with all types of art. TO CONNECT WITH HISTORY, visit www.fxva.com/things-to-do.
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