dence. The rest of the furnishings, however, date from the first half of the 18th century. About 50 feet from the house is a typical Colonial frame kitchen, built on the traditional site. One of its two rooms is furnished to represent a plantation kitchen during the period of Washington's youth; the other displays artifacts recovered on the grounds. Plantings near the house may be derived from those that grew on the place when Washington lived there as a boy. The nearby garden features only those flowers, vines, herbs, and berries common to Virginia gardens of his time. South of the garden, a grove of eastern red cedar trees covers Burnt House Point, which juts out into Popes Creek. About a mile northwest of the memorial mansion, on the banks of Bridges Creek, are the family burial plot and the site of the home that John Washington, George's great-grandfather, purchased in 1664. The burial plot, surrounded by a brick wall, includes the graves of George Washington's father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and half-brother Augustine, Jr. George was buried at Mount Vernon. Additional features of the national monument are a "living farm" and a Morgan horse farm. The former recreates a typical agricultural setting of Washington's day. The livestock, poultry, and crops are the same types and varieties raised then and are nurtured by colonial methods. The latter farm breeds Morgan horses, a special stock dating back to the late 18th century that the National Park Service uses for ranger patrol. Montpelier, Virginia A Orange County, on Va. 20, about 4 miles west of Orange. Montpelier, or Montpellier, was James Madison's residence for nearly all his life. Born at his grandmother's home in King George County in 1751, he soon traveled with his mother to his father's farm, a tract in Orange County that had been in the family since 1723 and that became the nucleus of Montpelier. There, he first lived in a modest wooden house, constructed by his grandfather, Ambrose Madison, about two decades earlier and probably located a half mile south of the present mansion. The early, or central, portion of the present Georgian residence was constructed by his father, also named James, about 1760. When the latter died in 1801, he bequeathed the house and part of the estate to his oldest son, James. Madison's frequent absences were mainly for education or public service. Upon completion of his second term as President, he and his wife, Dolley, retired to Montpelier. They held court for a succession of visitors, including the Marquis de Lafayette, James Monroe, Thomas Jefferson, and Daniel Webster. After Madison died at Montpelier in 1836, Mrs. Madison returned to Washington, D.C., where she resided until she succumbed 13 years later. They are both buried at Montpelier. The mansion was originally a brick, rectangular structure, two stories in height over an elevated basement. It consisted of two large rooms and a central hall on each floor. During his first term as President, in 1809-11, Madison retained architects William Thornton and Benjamin H. Latrobe to remodel the house. The former enlarged the main building, and the latter added stepdown, one-story wings. The exterior brick walls were also stuccoed. Apparently the huge Doric portico was added at a later time. In 1907 the wings were enlarged to 21⁄2 stories. Madison, who was interested in horticulture and agriculture, planned the gardens and landscaping of the estate, which had grown to more than 1,000 acres, many of which were under cultivation. Tobacco and corn were the principal crops. During his absences, Madison left an overseer in charge. The mansion and the beautifully landscaped grounds have been carefully maintained. Three-bay wings flank the seven-bay central section of the hip-roofed mansion. Four huge Doric columns support the two-story portico, which has a triangular pediment containing a semi-circular window. The double-door front entrance is framed by sidelights and a fanlight. A pair of chimneys stand at either end of the main building, and a chimney at the end of each wing. A dentiled cornice adorns the roofline and the pediment. Privately owned, the estate, except for the Madison family cemetery, is not accessible to the public. Mount Vernon, Virginia A Fairfax County, at the southern terminus of the George Washington Overlooking the Potomac River in a setting of serene elegance is George Washington's estate, Mount Vernon. Its sweeping lawns, beautiful gardens, magnificent mansion, and carefully planned outbuildings superbly represent a Virginia plantation home. Many shrines commemorate Washington as President, military leader, and statesman, but Mount Vernon best reveals the planter and country gentleman. Mount Vernon was Washington's home for several years during his childhood and all his adult life-though he was absent for long periods while serving the Nation. At the estate, he entertained many U.S. and world dignitaries. He also hosted the Mount Vernon Conference (March 1785), after its initial sessions at nearby Alexandria. At this conference, whose goals he sympathized with but in which he took no direct part because he was not a delegate, representatives of Maryland and Virginia reached agreement on solutions to a variety of interstate problems. The success of this meeting led to the Annapolis Convention (September 1786), attended by representatives of five States. It was the immediate forerunner of the Constitutional Convention (MaySeptember 1787). The history of the estate dates back to the late 17th century. In 1674 John Washingon, the great-grandfather of George, and Nicholas Spencer obtained a 5,000-acre grant along the Potomac, and 16 years later their heirs divided it. In 1726 Mildred hall on each floor. He enlarged the residence to 21⁄2 stories and remodeled it to a more impressive Palladian form. Because of his long absences on military duty in the French and Indian War until late in 1759, the bulk of the construction was supervised by William Fairfax, a neighbor. For the next 15 years after his marriage in 1759, Washington lived as a prosperous planter, and made no further changes of consequence in his residence. In 1773 he decided to enlarge it, but he had hardly begun to do so when, in 1774-75, he went to Philadelphia to serve in the First and Second Continental Congresses. In the latter year, he was appointed as commander in chief of the Continental Army. While Washington was away during the War for Independence, a distant kinsman, Lund Washington, carried out his plans for the estate. Lund enlarged the relatively modest main house from five to nine bays; constructed the piazza; added the detached, flanking wings, which connected to the central mansion by means of curving light arcades; built outbuildings; landscaped the grounds; and extended the gardens. George found the mansion almost completed in 1781, when he stopped off on his way to and from Yorktown. After resigning his commission 2 years later, he returned to Mount Vernon; and in 1787 concluded the remodeling, when he placed the large octagonal cupola on the center of the roof. That summer, Washington again traveled to Philadelphia, where he served as president of the Constitutional Convention. Two years later, elected as U.S. President, he departed once more and for the following 8 years was able to return only about twice a year. In 1797 he did so a final time, to retire; he died at Mount Vernon 2 years later. His wife lived there until she passed away in 1802. His nephew, Bushrod Washington, inherited the property, which remained in the family until 1858. The mansion is an excellent example of Georgian architecture. Most striking is the high-columned, two-story piazza, which extends the full length of the structure and overlooks the Potomac. A triangular pediment tops the west elevation. Both the latter and the river facade have a central entrance and two side entrances. Two large interior chimneys mark the earlier ends of the dormered, hip-roofed mansion. A dentiled cornice adorns the roofline and the pediment. The exterior wood siding is beveled, and its |