While little is known about the appearance of the home in which George
was born, the foundations and cellar floors uncovered during
archeological excavations revealed that it was built either partially or
entirely of brick. Several foundations of outbuildings were unearthed,
and all were constructed of brick. So, also, all walls, cellar
stairways, wine vaults, and fireplaces that have been excavated were
built of brick.
The location of the new home was superb, being on a rise of ground 26
feet above Popes Creek and a little over 200 feet inland from its high
western bank. To the east and northeast were pretty water views; to the
north, beyond cleared fields, was Dancing Marsh, green with lush grass
and swamp plants; and to the southeast, 100 yards or so away, was a
little peninsula which jutted out into Popes Creek (now heavily wooded
with a beautiful grove of eastern redcedar, _Juniperus virginiana_). To
the west of the house were pastures and cleared fields, and beyond the
clearings was the dense forest--a mixed stand of broadleaf trees and
evergreens. A farm road ran in a northwesterly direction for a mile or
so, passing by the family burying ground where rested Augustine's father
and grandfather and other early members of the family. A short distance
beyond the burying ground the road came to an end at the sandy south
shore of the Potomac River.
The new home must have been rather commodious for a 1762 inventory of
its furnishings lists 10 bedsteads, 13 tables, 57 chairs, 8 mirrors, 8
chests, accessories for 8 fireplaces, and scores of other furnishings
and household items befitting a fairly large establishment. Certainly,
the house in which George was born could not have been the humble
1-story clapboard structure portrayed in 19th-century imaginative
sketches by artists who probably knew little about the social and
economic status of George's father.
Though not a man of great wealth, Augustine was able to send two sons to
England for schooling. Early 18th-century objects unearthed near the
foundations of his Popes Creek home, offer ample proof that he imported
fine quality silver, pewter, glassware, and pottery from the mother
country, and could afford to have his monogram stamped on his wine
bottles. He was a man of some influence in his community, having held at
various times the positions of justice of Westmoreland County Court,
captain in the county militia, sheriff of Westmoreland County, and a
vestryman of his church. He was part-owner of two
iron-furnaces--Accokeek in Virginia and Principio in Maryland--and was
financially able to visit England on two occassions to deal directly
with his partners. He owned land and buildings in 3 Virginia counties
and was master of at least 49 slaves. Though not as wealthy as certain
other planters in the Northern Neck (the tidewater counties lying
between the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers), he was a man of good
social standing.
[Illustration: _Photocopy of the signature of Augustine Washington,
father of George._ From Westmoreland Court Orders, 1731-39.]
Jane Butler Washington did not enjoy the new Popes Creek home many
years, for in 1729 (when only 30) she died, leaving Augustine with the
care of the 3 children. Lawrence, the eldest, was only 11.