Search

This covers the period of the building of the Green house and the final stucco work and painting of the New Room.

Written in George Washington's hand, this note is extracted from a letter from George Augustine Washington to George Washignton. The letter gives length of bolting cloth now in the mill--Col. Biddle observes has the difference between cloth and reel covered with coarse linen.

List of pictures with their dimensions:Cupid's pastime, Sunrising, Do setting, the Cottage, The Herdsman, Young Herdsmn, the Flight, Evening, Morning, Nymphs Bathg, the Storm, The good Sqr, four Gibralter pictures, Jones and Pearson, Quebec & dervelast, Prospects, four of them, Thunderstorm, Storm with lights, Moonlight, A Storm, Davis's Streights, The Greenland Fishery, Hunting piece, Portrait of Dogs, Foundg Hospital, From a Picture, 2 landscapes. Reverse side contains instructions for white-washing the garret rooms, painting three of them and the cupulo and roof, painting the Piazza outside and inside, above and below.

George Washington's deer park declined while he was away serving as president. In 1792 he replaced its fence with a ha-ha or walled ditch, drawn here in black. Six years later, he planned a new course for the ha-ha, represented by the dotted line following "the natural shape of the hill."

The Mount Vernon farm manager, William Pearce, sends President Washington a memorandum listing some of the room dimensions in the Mansion. Specifically, he includes "The hight of the Rooms up staires & garrett; the blue room; room over the small dining room; the room the Marques Delafiat [Marquis de Lafayette] Lodged In; the Yellow room; garret rooms; garden gate; gate front of lawn; kitching [kitchen] garden gate; cellar windows." Docketed "Dimentions [Dimensions] of the Rooms upstairs and the Gates and the cellar windows". A second memorandum, possibly in the hand of Tobias Lear. Notes include - of the two sides; That side which fronts the grotto 31' long, distance between corners and window; length of window; hgt of window; the chimney side, height of door, width of wall between door and chimney, sides of chimneys, height of mantle piece; ends 23 ft. wide, doors & windows; list of dimensions. Third document included shows height of Mr. W.'s room, size of windows, upper windows west side of M[ansion] house, size of New Room chimney, the windows on west side of cellar. Autograph document, 2 page, in hand of William Pearce (?) docketed "The Sizes of the windows & C."

Notes on best methods of planting and transplanting various kinds of trees and bushes, including a notation of the agricultural authority, Langley or Miller, from whom he got information. Also a notation on walks -- should be of gravel or Sand and winding and private -- the sides should be lined with Honey suckles -- sweetbrier-, and many other flowering shrubs.

Memorandum of questions about rents, bonds, crops, etc., probably to be asked his manager. Autograph document, fragment, docketed in another hand "General Washington".

"Invoice of goods to be sent to Geo. Washington Potomack River, Virginia"--items ranging from nails and curry combs, and almonds and raisons to lace, ribbon, silk, and a coat made up for a "middle sized woman."

This printed document is a patent for a method of controlling tides, signed by George Washington as President, Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of State, and Edmund Randolph as Attorney General.