About a quarter of a mile north of the Washington family burying ground
is the south shore of the Potomac River. Here may be seen a delightful
view of the river, approximately 5 miles wide at this point. President
James Monroe, the fifth President, was born on a farm facing the deep
bay on the extreme left.
_How To Reach the Monument_
George Washington Birthplace is 72 miles south of Washington, D. C., via
the Potomac River Bridge. It may also be reached from Washington by way
of Mount Vernon and Fredericksburg, a distance of 83 miles. The national
monument is 69 miles northeast of Richmond, by way of Bowling Green and
Port Royal, or 75 miles via U. S. 360, and State Routes 3 and 204. It is
100 miles from Williamsburg and 123 miles from Norfolk over good roads.
Washington's Birthplace is on the Potomac River, and should not be
confused with Wakefield, Va., which is in Sussex County, south of the
James River.
_About Your Visit_
George Washington Birthplace National Monument is open from 8 a. m. to 5
p. m., Eastern Standard Time, every day of the year including Sundays
and holidays, except Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission to the area
is 25 cents for adults. Children under 12 are admitted free. Special
interpretive talks are given to school classes and other organized
groups if arrangements are made in advance with the superintendent.
Soft drinks, postcards, potted plants, herbs, and souvenirs may be
purchased at the Washington's Birthplace Post Office, located at the
main parking area.
_Related Areas_
There are several other areas in the eastern United States administered
by the National Park Service which illustrate various aspects of George
Washington's life and public career. These include: Fort Necessity
National Battlefield Site, Pa.; Independence National Historical Park,
Pa. (which includes the Deshler-Morris House in Germantown, where
Washington lived for a short while in 1793 and again in 1794);
Morristown National Historical Park, N. J.; Colonial National Historical
Park (including Yorktown), Va.; and Federal Hall National Memorial, N.
Y.
_Administration_
George Washington Birthplace National Monument, now containing about 400
acres, was authorized by an act of Congress on January 23, 1930. It is
administered by the National Park Service of the United States
Department of the Interior. Communications concerning the national
monument should be addressed to the superintendent whose address is
Washington's Birthplace, Westmoreland County, Va. Inquiries _should not_
be sent to Wakefield, Va.
_Suggested Readings_
Eaton, David W. _Historical Atlas of Westmoreland County, Virginia._
Dietz Press. Richmond, Va. 1942.
Eubank, H. Ragland. _Touring Historyland: The Authentic Guide Book of
Historic Northern Neck of Virginia._ Northern Neck Association.
Colonial Beach, Va. 1934.
Fitzpatrick, John C. _Writings of Washington._ 39 vols. Government
Printing Office. Washington, D. C. 1931-44.
Ford, Worthington C. Editor. _The Writings of George Washington._ The
Washington Family, Appendix to Vol. 14. G. P. Putnam's Sons. New
York. 1893.
Freeman, Douglas Southall. _George Washington, A Biography._ Vol. I.
Charles Scribner & Sons. New York. 1949.
Hoppin, Charles A. _The Washington Ancestry and Records of the McClain,
Johnson, and Forty Other Colonial American Families._ Vol. I.
Privately printed by Edward Lee McClain, Greenfield, Ohio, 1932.
Smith, H. Clifford. _Sulgrave Manor and the Washingtons._ Jonathan Cape.
London. 1933.