These clues and pictures guide you on an exploration of nine locations on the Mount Vernon estate. In the upper right corner, you will find a map to help you locate your way.
At each location read the clue and look around carefully. You may also want to read the green signs. Enter your answer in the blank spaces. One letter in each word will be in a box. After you have visited all nine locations, use these boxed letters to solve the word puzzle about George Washington.
After you've completed the word puzzle, have your answers checked at the guest services desk in the lobby of the Donald W. Reynolds Education Center and Museum. If your answer to the word puzzle is correct you will receive a special prize!
While we are accustomed to large lawns at golf courses or parks, in George Washington's time, grass was expensive to plant and maintain. Guests were very impressed with this huge grassy area. The Washingtons and their friends might have played games here or talked along the paths on either side of the
green
What would you do on this large lawn?
Do these shoes look like the ones you wear? Did you know that in George Washington's time shoes were made to wear on either foot? Ouch! William Lee, Washington's enslaved valet for many years served as Mount Vernon's shoemaker after injuring his knees. This job allowed Lee to...
... while he worked
In George Washington's time, making cloth was a time-consuming job done completely by hand. Sheep that supplied fleece to make wool were raised here at Mount Vernon. Do you see the spinning wheel? Skilled enslaved women, such as Alce (Alsee), turned a spinning wheel to twist the wool fiber into thread, which was woven into cloth on a
Did you know that in George Washington's time there were no refrigerators? Each year he bought hundreds of pounds of salt, which was very expensive, to help preserve food that could easily spoil.
that were caught, cleaned, and packed into barrels with sale were safe to eat months later.
Have you ever seen a porch as large as this one? What do you think the Washingtons did here? The Mansion was not air-conditioned, so on hot days or in the evening, family and guests gathered on the porch, or piazza, to enjoy the breezes. Besides having tea or other refreshments, the Washingtons could watch ships travel up and down the Potomac...
The lower garden produced a variety of fruits, vegetables, and herbs. It was overseen by Mrs. Washington, and maintained by hired and enslaved gardeners. Why do you think this garden is close to the Mansion? The food grown here was either preserved and stored in the Manson's cellar or prepared for dinner in the...
Doing laundry in the Washington's time was hot and time-consuming work. Enslaved laundresses, such as Dolsey and Vina, carried heavy buckets of water from the well to the wash house. There were no washing machines, so Dolsey and Vina scrubbed clothes and linens by hand in large pots of hot water with soap they made from animal fat and...
In George Washington's time there were no paved streets or highways, so travel could be time-consuming and difficult. Why do you think Washington sometimes rode in a two-wheeled vehicle like the one displayed here? Pulled by a horse, this lightweight riding...
...was perfect for navigating narrow country roads.
This "invisible fence" kept livestock away from the Mansion, but didn't block the view of George Washington's beautiful estate. The walls have a top level that is even with the Mansion's lawn, and a ditch on the other pasture side. Watch out! If you don't see this wall, built into the hill, you might fall off and cause others to laugh. Perhaps that is why it is called a...
...wall.
Here are all of your answers so far...
George Washington was the leader of the American Revolution and the first President of the United States. Because of his dedication and hard work, he is often called the Father of...
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After you solve the word puzzle, keep this page visible on your device and take your device to one of the desks in the Education Center and claim your prize.