December 9, 2011
by Becca Milfeld
What do Aladdin the Mount Vernon Christmas camel and Justin Bieber have in common? The ability to draw throngs of adoring teenagers, arms outstretched, with an almost mystical allure. As about 50 middle school students descended on the dromedary this afternoon, Aladdin the camel — a species one would not expect to be overly fond of noisy, racing crowds — lovingly nuzzled their faces and not only endured but seemingly basked in the barrage of hands casting about for his face and neck. For an animal, Aladdin is about as friendly as it gets.
Category: Mount Vernon Animals, Photo of the Day
December 8, 2011
by Becca Milfeld
Every December Mount Vernon hosts its Evening for Educators — a time for nearly 200 area teachers to gather at the estate for a totally free performance, hors d’oeuvres and wine, and candelight tours of George Washington’s Mansion. It’s Mount Vernon’s way of saying thanks to all the educators who work hard keeping America’s children abreast of the nation’s past. This year teachers got a behind-the-scenes peak at the enslaved community at Mount Vernon. Washington’s enslaved servants Billy Lee, Caroline, Oney Judge and Christopher Sheels, plus Thomas Jefferson’s manservant Bob Hemings, discussed what the new constitution might mean for them.
The performance was filmed as part of a Mount Vernon distance learning program, and will air on local Fairfax Network on February 22 from 1 to 2 p.m. Afterwards, it will be available for free on DVD.
Interested in attending next year’s event? Keep an eye out as the holiday season rolls around and RSVP. Find out about programs such as this via our education department’s email listserv: Ask to be included by emailing education@mountvernon.org with your request.
Category: Distance Learning, Educational Video/DVD, First-Person Interpretation, Professional Development, Teacher Opportunities
December 6, 2011
by Becca Milfeld
Back in 1965, Mount Vernon reached one million visitors in one year for the first time. Since then the majority of years — though by no means all — have welcomed one million guests to the estate. Last year, for example, we had 1,073,796 folks from around the country and world stop by. Turns out 2011 is another one million plus kind of year as we admitted our one millionth visitor today.
Sound like a lot of people? It can be. But if you’re looking to avoid the visiting masses, then now’s the time to head to Mount Vernon — January, followed by December, are the months when we traditionally see the fewest visitors. Just don’t forget your coat!
Category: Popular Culture/Media Literacy
December 2, 2011
by Becca Milfeld
Approximately three months after his marriage to Martha, George Washington brought his new bride and her children to Mount Vernon. As they made their way from Southeast Virginia, where Martha’s plantation was located, the party made a purchase. In his ledger on April 15, 1759, Washington records paying four shillings and six pence for a peacock.
As everyone settled in at Mount Vernon in twos — the newlywed couple and Martha’s two children — one lonely bird established residence somewhere in a tree or coop. The ledger entry, much like a similarly cryptic mention of a camel that once stopped by, is the only record of the animal’s existence, so little is known of its fate.
Not many peacocks, whose natural habitats range from India to Burma, were known to have existed in the colonies at that time, even if they were relatively easy to care for. In the mid-1780s Washington received several Chinese golden and silver pheasants and two red partridges from the royal aviary in France, as a gift from the Marquis de LaFayette. By 1787 Washington was writing that one of the pheasants had died while the others were drooping, and he didn’t want to let them wander free about the estate for fear of hawks taking them.
Whether Washington’s peacock lived out its long and glorious days as a lawn ornament, survived for a while as a family pet and curiosity, or quickly succumbed to unfavorable weather or hawks, is a mystery that will likely continue strutting throughout the ages.
Background peacock photo courtesy of Flickr/Paul Friel.
Category: Mount Vernon Animals
