George Washington Slept Here
On my way home from a lovely weekend with college friends in Kilmarnock, Virginia, signs promising a glimpse of George Washington’s birthplace lured me off course. (Remain on seat’s edge: Kilmarnock post forthcoming.)
Before the Commanders in Chief were from such highfalutin places as Arkansas, California, or Hawaii, Virginia was the preferred spot to give birth to presidents. In fact, more presidents were born in the Old Dominion than anywhere else. It was a pretty hot streak all the way through to ten if you don’t count those interloper Massachusetts Adamses (John and John Quincy at 2 and 6, respectively); or, of course, that rascal Andrew Jackson (7) of South Carolina. Or New York’s Martin van Buren (8) and his unruly sidewhiskers.
Ok, well that's not the hottest streak. But, as you can see, every time Americans tired of these flirtations with honchos from elsewhere, Virginia was ready to provide more leadership. Check out the illustrious list: George Washington - 1st; Thomas Jefferson – 3rd; James Madison – 4th; James Monroe – 5th; William Henry Harrison – 9th; John Tyler – 10th; Zachary Taylor – 12th; Woodrow Wilson – 28th
I’m not sure what happened between Zachary Taylor and Woodrow Wilson (and since then), but if you’re traveling in Virginia and you’d like to tour a president’s first home, you’ll never have to go too far.
Even if you’re not on a quest to rack up birthplace site visits, it’s worth a stop to roam the grounds of Pope’s Creek Plantation and think a little bit about young George, who was born here in 1732. The farm and buildings are only about 2 miles from Route 3. (You’ll know you’re there when you see the ubiquitous obelisk that seems to accompany every memorial of our first leader. This one’s 1/10th of the size of the D.C. memorial.)
Stroll along the brick pathways and visit the few reconstructed buildings. (I will personally never tire of standing in a low-ceilinged colonial kitchen watching a costumed demonstrator channel a plantation cook.)
A Christmas Day fire in 1779 wiped out the original structures, but in 1936 archaeologists excavated the foundation of George’s first home. The outline is marked in oyster shells---so appropriate to that riverside Virginia geography.
The Potomac River flows along the edge of the farm looking vast and brown. You can fish here or even sunbathe (say the signs). I think George enjoyed the first activity, but not the other: he always looks stately, but pale.
Across the lane you can enter a walled burial ground where three generations of Washingtons are interred, including George’s grandparents. A gift shop (the other ubiquitous accompaniment to memorials of George) and Visitors’ Center offer books, films, and exhibits about the first Father of Our Country.
I'd say that the country is ripe for another Virginia-born leader (after Obama's second term, of course). It's been a long stretch since Woodrow Wilson dealt with Prohibition and World War I. Think of it---you may be reading this from a future presidential birthplace site! How about it, Virginia readers, are any of your daughters or sons up for the job?
