Mount Vernon Gregory
Front View of Mt. Vernon		Wooden siding of Mt. Vernon
Potomac River	Grave of  Martha and George Washington	16 sided barn

Word Problems

1. In 1794 the River Farm plants 4 fields with corn and potatoes.  They planted 2 fields with Buckwheat for manure.  They also planted 1 with Wheat.  If they lose 2 corn and potatoes crops in a heavy frost.  How many planted crops could be sold?

2. Mount Vernon Mansion is two and one half stories high.  If a store equals 9 and half foot ceiling.  How high would the building be?

3. Using the Chart below, what fraction of the fields planted are corn and potatoes?

Answers to Word Problem

Scavenger  Hunt

1. George Washington's most innovative invention was a treading barn.  How many sides does the barn have?   http://www.mountvernon.org/pioneer/barn/

2. George Washington used many fertilizers on his crops.  Which fertilizer swims in the water and is good to eat?   http://www.mountvernon.org/pioneer/farms/fertilizers.html

3. George Washington invented the Gristmill to grinds up corn and wheat.  It was powered by water.  What stream did the water come from?   http://www.mountvernon.org/pioneer/farms/grist_mill.html

4. For many years, tobacco was George Washington’s main cash crop.  In the mid-1760’s Washington decided to change his cash crop.  What crop or plant did he change to?   http://www.mountvernon.org/pioneer/farms/tobacco_to_wheat.html

5. When Washington inherited the Mansion in 1761 the house consisted of four rooms and the central passage on the first floor and three bedrooms on the second.  Washington decided to raise the Mansion.  He raised it from one and a half stories to how many stories?   http://www.mountvernon.org/mtour/one.asp  

6. There is an exterior decorative treatment to the Mansion that gives it the appearance of stone.  But do you really know what it is made of?  http://www.mountvernon.org/mtour/one.asp.

7. George Washington used five different kinds of fences.  They are the Hurdle fence, Post and Rail fence, Split-Rail fence, Living Hedge.  What was the fifth and finial fence?  http://www.mountvernon.org/pioneer/farms/fences.html

Answers to Scavenger  Hunt

1. George Washington inherited Mount Vernon from his brother Lawrence’s widow.

2. Mount Vernon was home to George Washington’s home for over forty-five years.

3. George Washington enlarged the property from 2,000 acres to 8,000 acres.

4. When George Washington moved into the house it consisted of six rooms.

5. George Washington inherited the mansion in 1758.

6. His slaves used tools to harvest and plant crops.  The slaves used 12 tools in this time.

7. George Washington built gardens and lanes in a effort to create the seat of a country gentleman.

Looking over the Potomac, Mount Vernon was home to George Washington.  He lived there for over 45 years.  When he returned from the Revolutionary War, he moved in with his wife Martha.  When George came back from war he retired from public life and became a farmer.  He had owned five farms here which he planted crops.

Washington’s great grandfather passed the farm on to Washington’s half brother, John Washington.  He renamed the plantation Mount Vernon from Little Hunting Creek.  George inherited the estate when John’s widow died in 1761.  In the later years after the inheritance, George enlarged it from 2000 acres to nearly 8000 acres.

            On the five farms, the mansion sits on the 500 acre Mansion House Farm.  The farm consists of almost two dozen outbuildings including the kitchen, wash house, carpentry shop, black smith shop, spinning house, and slave quarters.  George and his workers only had seven tools to plant crops.  They were the cultivators, harrow, hoe, shovel plow, spikey roller, barrel seeder, and dung forks.  He also used seven tools to process the crops: the cradle, Dutch fan, flail, rake, reap hooks, grain shovel, and riddle.  In all he and his worker’s used fourteen tools to harvest or plant crops.  These can be seen here.

            When George moved in the house, it only had four rooms.  They were the central passage on the first floor and three bedrooms on the second.  He enlarged it from one and a half stories high to two and a half stories high and extensively redecorated the interior. The north and south wings of the home were begun just before the start of the Revolutionary War, and the last room of the house, the large Dinning Room, was not completed until after the war’s end.  George also rebuilt the outbuildings, lanes and gardens in an effort to create the seat of a country gentleman.  The grounds around the mansion reflect both his practical and aesthetic sides.

            Visiting hours at Mount Vernon is according to the months.  April through August is from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.  March, September, and October is from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.  November through February is from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.  There are also special events in the year.  Some are like, if you visit Mount Vernon in February you can see Slave Life at Mount Vernon Tour.  There will be the Special Interpretation, which is daily at 10:00 am till 2:00 pm.  In September you can visit the 18^TH Century Craft Fair.  You may visit it on Saturday and Sunday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.  You are also able to see George Washington’s grave.

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Answers

Answer to Math Word Problem.

1. 23.75

2. 3

3. 7/49 or 1/7

Return to questions

Answers to Scavenger Hunt

1. 16 sides

2. Fish Heads

3. Dogue Run Stream

4. Wheat

5. Two and a Half Stories

6. Pine

7. Waddle Fence

Return to questions

1. True

2. True

3. True

4. False, four rooms

5. False, 1761

6. False, fourteen

7. True 

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Citation

"George Washington Mount Vernon Flower and Garden Estates.” Microsoft The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association. 15 Jan. 2004 <http://www.mountvernon.org/ >