Recently, I experienced one of the most exciting weeks of my etiquette journey! I was granted a VIP tour of Mount Vernon. The tour was a delightful glimpse into the life of our nation’s first President. George Washington has been and continues to be an inspiration to me as I train students in Dallas with my etiquette classes for adults and children. In today’s blog post, I’ll share some of the highlights from my tour and explain how Washington connects with my passion for etiquette and manners.
Mount Vernon Gardens and Grounds Tour
The home, gardens, museum, cemetery, blacksmith’s shop and quarters for the enslaved are all part of the estate at Mount Vernon. Most spectacular of all, the Presidential Library is celebrating its 10 year anniversary on the property.
Fifty years ago, I stood on the bank of the beautiful Potomac river as an eighth grade student. This August, I again stood on the bank of the Potomac, but this time with my beautiful granddaughter, Lila Hoffer. What a joy it was to tour Mt Vernon together and talk about our first United States President. Lila was a true princess to hang with her grandmother while I revisited this beautiful historic treasure.
On our tour, we visited George Washington’s innovative barn, which stands two stories tall and was reconstructed in 1996. It has a circular “treading” floor on the second level and a granary storehouse on the ground level. The barn was built to improve the efficiency of the treading process and kept the grain safe and protected from the weather. We viewed the round barn and just imagined what it might have been like for George Washington to feed his cattle.
Next, we studied the design of the gardens, where vegetable patches are encircled by beautiful flowers. George Washington designed the gardens in this way so as to provide pollination for the garden plants. By viewing the gardens, you can imagine the delicious, eye-catching fruit and veggies that were harvested for the mansion’s dinner table. Cherries were also grown and used to make cherry ice cream (one of George Washington’s favorite desserts). The gardens were well-planned and designed to provide for the family and those who worked and cared for the mansion.
The burial grounds are marked by a memorial honoring the lives and contributions of the enslaved people of Mount Vernon. I want all of my children to understand that George Washington freed all of his slaves, as he wrote in his will that they were all to be set free. He clearly understood that slavery was wrong and you can sense the heart he had for his slaves, especially at the end of his life.
George Washington’s Mansion
President and Mrs. Washington resided in the mansion for more than 45 years. Today, George Washington’s estate is privately owned and operated by the Mount Vernon Ladies Association. No government funding is accepted by Mount Vernon. For more than 160 years, Mount Vernon has had a female president! Anna Cunningham purchased Mount Vernon and the Ladies Historical Association took over. Mount Vernon is furnished and decorated to look as it did in 1799, the year President Washington died. The rooms are still decorated with original objects, period pieces and reproductions.
In the mansion, there is a feeling of warmth and hospitality. I tried to imagine what it would have been like to be a guest of President and Mrs. Washington. For me, the most interesting room was the bedroom, with a portrait of Lafayette who spent a lot of time at Mount Vernon. President Washington and Lafayette were close friends and Washington’s leadership was respected and honored by the French.
If you have a chance to visit Mt Vernon, take time to just stroll the grounds and gardens or to sit in a rocking chair on the mansion’s back porch, where you can view the Potomac. I encourage all to visit the Mount Vernon Inn as well. Lila and I were treated to a spectacular lunch by Mount Vernon staff and later enjoyed shopping at the Mount Vernon Gift Shop.
Visit Mt Vernon and Take My Etiquette Classes for Adults!
So how does all of this relate to etiquette? George Washington lived a life of leadership and looked beyond himself to and for the good of those yet to come. This is the perfect example of a true gentlemen! Behavior without intent cannot impact the lives of others.
In my etiquette classes for adults, teens and children, I teach the Rules of Civility that George Washington wrote down when he was 14 years old. Washington practiced and lived by these rules. They are ever-present in his legacy and transcend his character in our culture today. As teachers, grandparents, mentors, parents and community leaders, we must embrace the principles of civility.
One way to help these rules resonate with our youth is to visit Mount Vernon and to join and become a member. Mount Vernon truly is a treasure that we want to remain for decades to come.
Another way to boost your etiquette skills or to encourage your youth here in Dallas is to enroll in one of my private or group etiquette classes. I help corporate teams, executives, small business owners, college students and individuals succeed in their social interactions.
Ready to book? Click to Book Online or send a message via our Contact page to learn more about our etiquette classes for adults! We look forward to hearing from you!
