Mount Vernon in Fairfax County, Virginia, near Alexandria, was the
plantation home of George Washington, first President of the United States. The
estate is situated on the banks of the Potomac River across from Prince
George's County, Maryland. The Washington family had owned land in the area
since the time of Washington's great-grandfather in 1674, and in 1739 embarked
on an expansion of the estate that continued under George Washington. He came
into possession of the estate in 1754, but did not become its sole owner until
1761.
The mansion is built of wood in a loose Palladian style, and was
