George Mason House: Hidden History

 Just south of Washington DC in Lorton, Virginia sits the George Mason museum and house.  As the video in the beginning explains, George Mason was a central figure in his time and for our history, but because he was such a private man, he became a mystery and was never the well-known figure that some of his contemporaries were.
Who Was George Mason?
George Mason wrote Virginia's bill of rights at the beginning of the American Revolution which was widely distributed, and he was called to Philadelphia to sign the Declaration of Independence.  Interestingly, Mason refused to sign because there was no bill of rights yet, and he feared the Federal government would have too much power.  Compelled by Mason's action and argument, the Bill of Rights was written shortly thereafter, and was based on Mason's Virginia bill of rights. 

George Mason was like many of his friends and colleagues of the time -- wealthy with a plantation on the river.  Today we'd like the view of the river, but back then, plantation owners would receive most shipped items and visitors by river.  Mr. Mason's house is no more than 3/4 mile from the river, although today's trees block the river view from his house.
George Mason's House
Upon approaching Mr. Mason's house, having seen Monticello and Mount Vernon, it is easy to be fooled into thinking that Mr. Mason was less well-to-do.  This, however, is not true.  First of all, many of the outer buildings that the estate used to have simply aren't there anymore.  By the time the state owned the grounds, several generations and owners had lived there first.  There was no maintenance of what was there other than the house, and the state hasn't chosen to completely rebuild the entire plantation.  Mr. Mason also chose to spend his money and display it a little differently.

Like few of the other wealthy men of his time, George Mason build his house of brick -- and the exterior walls of the house have two layers of brick -- which was his first indication of his wealth.  It also made it difficult to add onto his house the way that George Washington and Thomas Jefferson did.  While some men of his time used maps to show off wealth on the walls in the front hallway, George Mason used hand-painted wall paper imported from England.  Like many houses of gentlemen of that time, George Mason had a very formally decorated dining room and sitting room for visitors he wanted to impress, but it contrasted deeply with very sparsely painted and decorated private quarters.  Some ways that his style distinguished itself was that he hired a decorator from England, who brought with him the concept of oriental style wall paper and oriental carpets in the formal sitting room.  The dining room wall paper was a fabric, and not painted paper, and is quite lush, even by today's standards.

The upstairs of the house has several bedrooms for his multiple children and visitors, although it is known that Thomas Jefferson sometimes stayed in the Mason's multi-purpose room on the ground level.  Mason's multi-purpose room was where the family ate meals, where Mason worked from, and where Mason might have slept when his wife received visitors after birth.  With much lighter and smaller furniture in those days, it was easy to change a room's purpose in a few minutes -- especially with slaves to help move things.
George Mason had many children, so he had a school room on his grounds.  For the days when the instructor could not get home, the upstairs of the school room has a bed.  On those nights, the instructor would eat with the family.  Mr. Mason also had a brandy-making room, using the fruit he grew there, along with all the usual buildings that plantations used to be self-sufficient, such as a large food storage structure that would be stocked all spring & summer so that it could get them through the winter.
The George Mason house and museum provide the visitor with two kinds of information: political history and social history.  A lot of people don't know or remember George Mason's role in the making of our history and national policy.  Mason's house also, like many houses of the time, reinforces to the visitor how the wealthy spent their money -- and how they didn't.
Admission is $15 for adults.  Seniors and AAA members get a small discount, children are $8.

National Arboretum: Defines Hidden Treasure!

Just off New York Avenue northeast Washington DC sits the deceptively large National Arboretum.  The first fact about this gem is that for those of you watching your wallet during this long-lasting recession, admission is free!  You can also call a toll-free number to get a guided tour of the arboretum.
The arboretum features a variety of interesting gardens for the local naturalist.  There is an enormous bonsai museum which contains a Japanese, Chinese, and North American pavilion containing shaped bonsai plants from each region.  An indoor museum has a display called "Becoming a Bonsai" which has advice on pruning trees, wiring the trees, and potting the trees. 

Nearby sits a huge herb garden, which is divided by use of the herbs.  Inside you will find "beverage" (such as tea) herbs, the fragrance garden which has herbs like clove, gardenia, and rosemary, the culinary garden which has herbs like lemon thyme, and a medicinal garden!  The medicinal garden even has an "antibiotics" patch.  The herb garden also includes plants used by Native Americans in their practice, and a dye garden.
Just past the herb garden are columns from the central portico of the US Capitol, which were placed in the arboretum in 1990.  The arboretum notes that the columns, when at the Capitol, were a site of speeches, rallies, etc.

The next very intriguing garden is one which holds promise for our future -- the Farming Energy garden.  This garden has signs explaining that we will eventually run out of fossil fuel, but that familiar plants can in fact produce biofuel for our energy use -- if only our culture is able to adapt.  I know you're wondering what plants could be used, and how, so some examples are below.
The following plants can be used by producing biodiesel fuel: castor bean seed, mustard, sunflower, soy, peanut, and canola.  These next plants can be used by producing ethanol oil: barley, sugar, corn, and sugar beet!  The way these plants become fuel is that the alcohol they produce for regular consumption is further refined to produce fuel for cars. 

There are several other gardens, such as the Azalea collection and the Dogwood collection which I didn't see but may be of interest to the local nature lover.
Although the arboretum isn't particularly restful or wholly beautiful, it is very educational and it has picnic tables for those who wish to take the kids there for an afternoon.  It is also quite large, and can easily take several hours of the day.
Of note are the following recommendations:

• Go in the spring or fall, the humidity makes being outdoors for long very uncomfortable
• For those with children, note that there are only two bathrooms, no cafeteria, and a soda machine.  Come well prepared.
• For those with children or others that have difficulty moving around much, bring extra cash!  There is a trolley that drives around hourly (on the hour) during weekends that costs $4 cash for each adult, $3 cash for each senior citizen, and $2 cash per child.  By taking this, the visitor will see much more of the grounds.

For the local naturalists, gardeners, and others, this is a rare spot in the Washington DC area to connect with your interests and learn a few things.  Enjoy!

Richmond, Part 1: Tiffany and Hollywod

I decided to drive down to Richmond for a day trip mostly because I wanted to see the Tiffany exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts. I wasn't necessarily planning to see anything else, although I was hoping to have time. But on my way out the door, some other sites were mentioned to me, such as the Hollywood cemetery.

Tiffany
When I arrived at Richmond I went to the museum first. Parking is $3 and can be paid for at the visitors desk or at the garage. The Tiffany exhibit admittance is $15 for an adult. It will not surprise you that photos were not permitted. Tiffany was in business from 1848-1933 and Tiffany glass began in 1880. Louis Comfort Tiffany was born in 1848, the son of a prominent New York jeweler. In 1875, he founded Louis Comfort Tiffany and Associated Artists, which eventually employed over one hundred skilled craftsmen. His interior designs were very popular, and after restyling rooms in the White House in 1883, he was the most fashionable decorator in New York City.
All of Tiffany's later work grew out of his early success in interior design. From the start he used glass extensively, with tiles, lamps, murals, and windows as an intrinsic part of his style.
Some of the work on display was at the exhibit was a pink, white, and blue cameo blown vase, and beautiful jewelry made of materials like enamel on metal, opal, and moonstone. There were also his well-known vases in the shape of flowers. Now I know that you are wondering about two things: windows and lamps! The museum had on display several stained glass windows -- including a beautiful Mermaid Window which used hues of blue and green that depicted a woman riding a seahorse, with shells in the glass framing the main image. Tiffany was commissioned to create this window for a sugar magnate in Hawaii. Another beautiful water-themed window was "Starfish & Anemone", in which Tiffany used undulating glass to give an impression of the waters' movement, and more beautiful green and blue hues. Of course you can see the starfish and anemones among the water.

Tiffany began creating lamps as luxury articles, which is easy to understand when you see them -- they are impressively extravagant. My favorite lamps were the dragonfly and the peacock. The audio tour will tell you that the wisteria was very popular in Tiffany's day, and the cobweb was known for its unique look. The audio tour also informs you that Tiffany created the lamps with the full realization and intended purpose of using electricity and light bulbs to illuminate the stained glass in the same way the sun lights his windows.
In the Art Deco exhibit outside the exhibit room on a different floor in the museum, you will find a few more great Tiffany pieces. There is a punch bowl made from hand blown glass, gilded silver mount and all gold coloring which the museum staff think was used "only once" for the man who commissioned it. There is also the Magnolia and Apple Blossom window and many more lamps.
Tiffany's glass work was inspired by nature, which is no surprise to his fans but is something that resonates with many of us. The exhibit at the museum includes a video on making glass, information on glass and other materials Tiffany used, and historical information about his company. I have not mentioned some of his other works, so if you want to know about it all, go visit! (www.vmfa.state.va.us)

Hollywood Cemetery

After this museum, I decided to go next door to the Hollywood cemetery which is known to have burial grounds of some US presidents and Virginia governors. First of all, you have three choices for viewing some of the famous graves: 1) walking, 2) driving yourself, and 3) taking an infrequent tour. Whether your drive yourself or get there for a tour, I strongly advise against walking. It is bigger than it looks, and very hilly. If you don't make it for a tour, then you can find a grave map in the parking lot when you enter. It is a huge cemetery, so I only went to see the grave of President James Munroe, President John Tyler, the First Confederate Burial, and the William E. Starke burial ground dog. I noticed that many families are buried together, including sisters!

I did not see any other part of Richmond, but to me this was quite enough for one day. I was hot, tired, and told by locals that the other sites I mentioned were "all the way across town". I was later told that their "all the way across town" isn't like a Washington DC "all the way across town" -- but that's okay. I can go back down, perhaps in the Fall. I would like to extend a special thanks to Grace & Ted who welcomed my unexpected arrival at their house in Mineral, when I really needed a good long break from the driving and exploring!

Hillwood Estate: A Local Gem!

Just a few minutes off Connecticut Avenue in Northwest DC lies a hidden, beautiful treat for the locally savvy.  Hillwood estate was owned by Marjorie Merriweather Post ("Marjorie"), daughter of the Post cereal mogul.  During her lifetime, Post became part of General Foods, and under her advise, General Foods bought Birds Eye (the company that now makes the frozen vegetables). 
Features of the House

The Hillwood estate is decorated with French and English furniture and fine Russian goods.  I was not permitted to take photos inside the house, but I could take notes to relay the information to you!  Marjorie began saving Russian pieces when she lived there in the 1930s.  The Russian government was selling Russian aristocratic and royal goods, and Marjorie developed the "nucleus" of her collection at that time.  As part of her collection she has the Icon Room, which holds 400 Russian Orthodox liturgical pieces including a Faberge 1914 Easter egg with gold and pink enameling and the Russian porcelain room.  In her Russian porcelain room, she has various salt & pepper shakers, signs of welcome, and on the floor a double eagle in her wood floor -- another sign of welcome to Russians.  In her hallway, Marjorie has Russian portraits hanging all over the walls and an enormous Russian Imperial chandelier.
Marjorie became a collector of French 18th century furniture and began buying it to use for her home.  The biggest display of it is in her private spaces, upstairs for her bedroom and dressing area.  Her bedroom has a beautiful French desk which is featured in the video at the Visitors Center.  She also has French porcelain that she used for formal occasions, French commodes in the front hallway, and a great deal of French decoration in the dining  hall, although it is combined with an Italian dining table to seat 30 and 2 large Dutch paintings. 
The English influence appears in her first and second floor libraries, which are decorated like a British country house.
There is one mystery in her house -- there is a guest bedroom named after the most frequent visitors -- "the Adam brothers".  The recorded guide does not say anything more than these brothers belonged to the Adam firm, and so the unguided visitor is left to wonder who these men were.  As if to amplify the mystery, you can't help notice that their room was decorated in light blue and gold with very small twin-sized beds.  Were they boys or men?
There is one room that was made to entertain rather than to display her collection.  She called it the Pavilion, but today we would call it the media room.  In this room, Marjorie had speakers installed into the ceiling and a projector showing films from the balcony!  There are also sofas with small built in trays for guests to put snacks and drinks on during the show.  If she was not showing films in this room, she would move the furniture and have a square dance!  And, to protect the floors, she would give the ladies plastic covers for their heels.  This wonderful hostess thought of everything!

The Extensive Garden
After being in the dark and slightly cramped indoor space, the gardens are quite literally a breath of fresh air.  The gardens spread out behind her house and the museum staff has provided seating for a visitor to read, eat, or chat with friends.  Of note in the garden, Marjorie had a Japanese garden and a rose garden.  She also had a small golf field and a green house which housed 2000 orchids! 
The Japanese garden was built in 1957, a much later addition to her grounds, and was landscaped at a time when Marjorie was already thinking about opening up her home as a museum.  The terrain of this garden was meant to mirror the mountainous terrain of Japan, and the plants within the garden were meant to  provide color contrast.  There are also stone lanterns, bridges, and statues to fully decorate the garden as a Japanese garden should look.  It is worth noting that a lot of Asian visitors took photos of each other in that part of the garden!

The rose garden had roses to give it a beautiful scent, and they were of all different colors.  Marjorie did not cut flowers for the house from this part of her grounds, however.  She had a cutting garden and greenhouse for that!
I noticed that Marjorie did not leave any good space unused, nor did she cram her outdoor space.  She simply provided cozy space and sprawled out space, sitting space and walking space.  Outside as well as inside, she tried to consider everything.

Nothing in writing can really do this estate justice -- the reader must visit to experience the splendor of this estate.  From the courteous guard who tells you where to park upon arriving, to the cafe that provides teas, lunch, and refreshment for the parched, this estate provides a rare experience.  By experiencing the house and grounds, with such fine European influence, you are temporarily removed from the Washington DC area, and are transported to a different time and place.  You find yourself strolling the gardens, sitting down to read or talk, and just enjoying the weather.  For a native, it is hard to believe that this restful place sits so close to the heart of Washington's hustle & bustle. 
I strongly recommend that all readers visit these grounds -- it is worth the $12 you pay for your ticket!