Is George Washington Birthplace also known as Mount Vernon?
No. George Washington was born on his father's Popes Creek Plantation. Popes Creek is on the southern shore of the Potomac River 38 miles east of Fredericksburg, Virginia and approximately 80 miles downstream from Mount Vernon, which is near Alexandria, Virginia.
Why do you call this Popes Creek? Isn't this Wakefield?
Wakefield was the name George Washington's half-brother or nephew gave to this plantation. When George Washington was born here in 1732, it was called Popes Creek Plantation.
How long did George Washington live at Popes Creek Plantation?
Augustine Washington, George's father, moved his family away from Popes Creek when George was 3 1/2 years old. There is evidence George spent large amounts of time here in his teenage years after his half-brother, Augustine, Jr. inherited the plantation.
Was George Washington born in a log cabin? ...a mansion?
Neither. George Washington was born in a home that was certainly substantial for its time and location but was not as magnificent as later homes owned by the Virginia upper class.
How did the house in which George Washington was born look?
No one knows for sure. Local legend stated that the birth house was destroyed by fire in 1779. A foundation, excavated in 1936, certainly could have supported a 2 story home. Most homes in the area were made from wood, but local legend suggests the birth home was made of brick.
So, what is the house presently located at George Washington Birthplace?
The Memorial House Museum was built in 1930-1931 to honor the memory of George Washington on the occasion of his 200th birthday celebration in 1932.
Is the Memorial House Museum a replica of the original Washington family home?
No. The home in which George Washington was born was smaller than the Memorial House Museum. The reconstructed home was intended to be representative of a middling (middle-class) colonial Virginia planter circa 1730.
