For the second year in a row the turkey pardoned by President Barack Obama (and the spare standby turkey) came to Mount Vernon after its White House pardoning ceremony to live out the rest of his days.
Check out this year’s bird, Liberty, as President Obama excuses him from the dinner table and as he arrives to fanfare at his new home at Mount Vernon. Liberty will be on display through January 6 and then retire to the estate’s behind-the-scenes farm facility where he will join his buddy, Peace, the alternate turkey, who headed to the farm facility today.
For the second year in a row Mount Vernon will be the recipient of the White House’s presidentially pardoned turkey. Last year President Barack Obama pardoned Apple who, along with his buddy Cider (the standby “vice presidential” turkey), came to live at Mount Vernon after the ceremony.
After meeting with the president, the pardoned turkey’s day will culminate with a celebration at Mount Vernon, where an 18th-century wagon “motorcade” will bring the bird to Mount Vernon’s main lawn, the bowling green, to the tune of trumpet fanfare. Washington’s farm manager James Anderson will greet the turkey and read George Washington’s Thanksgiving proclamation. The turkey, who is yet to be named, will be on display until January 6 when he will join his standby counterpart and go into retirement at Mount Vernon’s farm facility.
For the official White House announcement read after jump:
Almost in the shadow of Mount Vernon lies another great estate of Washington fame: Woodlawn, home to Martha Washington’s granddaughter Nelly Custis and George Washington’s nephew Lawrence Lewis.
The Washington family tree is a complex one. Although Nelly Custis was Martha Washington’s granddaughter via her first husband and therefore not a blood relative of George Washington, the Washingtons adopted Custis and one of her brothers, taking them in as children of their own. In sum, Woodlawn was the home of Washington’s adopted daughter as well as his nephew.
Today however Woodlawn is simply a historic estate open to the public. Located a mere three miles down the road from Mount Vernon, it’s well worth a visit by anyone hoping to avoid the crowds that flock to George Washington’s house. The scenic estate will unfortunately be closed between now and March 2012 for window restoration.
In the meantime, enjoy the above slideshow and the prospect of a springtime visit to a home that is a trove of Washington memorabilia for those seeking something outside the normal Mount Vernon routine. Distinctly Washington items include a bust of the General commissioned by Custis in the mid-19th century. She had the piece, which was made by sculptor Hiram Powers, placed outside her window at her son’s house so that she could “look upon the countenance of my grandpapa” when she awoke in the morning. A spyglass thought to have been given to Lewis by Washington is also on prominent display.
What is perhaps most Washingtonian about the grounds, however are simply the grounds themselves. Originally part of the Mount Vernon estate, the 2,033-acre parcel of land that in Washington’s words was “a most beautiful site for a gentleman’s seat” plus money with which to build the house were gifted by Washington upon the marriage. In his will Washington would also leave his gristmill and distillery to Lewis.
Woodlawn was finished in 1805, after Washington’s death, and 100 workers, at least 90 of whom were slaves, tended the plantation. Today the estate comprises only 126 acres and is home to the Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture, a nonprofit farming and food initiative that provides fresh produce to Washington restaurants and underserved neighborhoods. It’s just the sort of initiative that would likely have made Washington, an ever-innovative farmer, proud.
In the late 18th century, the architects of the nation’s capital set the boundaries for the new city via a series of stones that were placed around its perimeter. Today 36 of the 40 stones that were set are still in place, most of them surrounded by small fences that were erected by the Daughters of the American Revolution at the turn of the century.
A group of volunteers spearheaded by the American Society of Civil Engineers set out to tidy up some of the stones and their fences. We tagged along.
Apart from being an all-around great leader, George Washington was a financially savvy guy, keeping detailed ledgers and never letting a good online deal pass him by. At least we like to think he wouldn’t have.
Purchase today’s D.C.-area Groupon and visit his estate for more than half off at $7 ($3 for children). Explore the grounds, Washington’s gardens, his well-loved Mansion, and Mount Vernon’s artifact- and gallery-packed museum and education center. Using our new website’s trip planner, chart out which activities you want to partake in and where on the estate you will go (we recommend all of it!).
Mount Vernon recently invited K-12 schools nationwide to request framed portraits of George Washington to display in a respectful, prominent place.
The response was overwhelming: thousands of schools submitted letters! Along with the portrait, schools received curriculum materials to help explore our first president’s contributions.
