Featured Item: George Washington's own map of the whole group of farms at Mount Vernon, drawn in 1793

By Cecilia Smith

George Washington's own map of the whole group of farms at Mount Vernon, drawn in 1793

What is the item?

A land survey map of the Mount Vernon estate drafted by George Washington in 1793.

What BTAA Library submitted the item?

Penn State

Interesting tidbits:

• At 17 years old, George Washington became a land surveyor in Virginia. He worked throughout Culpeper County surveying land and producing maps.
• This map depicts the five farms composing the Mount Vernon Estate: Mansion, River, Muddy Hole, Dogue, and Union.
• Washington includes a summary of the acreage by field for each of the farms and provides notes on surrounding areas in a box labeled “References.”
• The estate is bounded by the Potomac River on the south.
• This map is a 1931 reproduction of the original in the Huntington Library.