Washington Did Sleep Here-- as a Youngster

Go through the eastern part of the US and you will encounter lots and lots of places where old George may or may not have slept. But this is one, little known to most, place where he most definitely did sleep and where, if the cherry tree story is true, the famous tree was chopped down.

The July 3rd Chicago Tribune had an article with pictures and a map of the archaeological work going on at Washington's boyhood home at Ferry Farm in Virginia.


ID'd and EXCAVATED


Archaeologist have identified and excavated Ferry Farm and their findings are expected to fill in some of the gaps about his youth which has little documentation.

The remains of two chimney bases have been uncovered as well as two stone-lined cellars, and thousands of artifacts found.

The house in Stafford County, Virginia, was 53 feet long and 37 feet wide with 8 rooms--five on the first floor and three more upstairs. How they can get this from scattered artifacts is anyone's guess. It is on the banks of the Rappahannock River, about 50 miles south of Washington, DC.


DON'T SIT UNDER THE CHERRY TREE


You never know who is going to be cutting it down. If the story is true, this is where it happened. The team found no evidence of an axe or even a cherry tree on the property.


PROPERTY HISTORY

Washington's father, Augustine, bought the 600-acre property and moved there in 1738. George inherited it at age 11 in 1743 when his father died and sold it after he moved to Mount Vernon.

During the Civil War, Union troops camped on the property, using the farmhouse for headquarters before demolishing it for firewood. During the later part of the 1800s, the land was plowed, destroying even more artifacts.


HISTORIC TRAIL

The George Washington Foundation plans to create a trail linking Mt. Vernon, Ferry Farm, and his birthplace at Pope's Creek. Plans also call for reconstructing buildings at the Ferry Farm to their 1740s appearance, using tools and construction techniques from the era. Work is scheduled to begin in 3 to 4 years.


I'd Never Heard of Ferry Farm. --Cooter