Ha-ha Walls
George Washington wanted to keep farm animals away from the Mansion without obstructing visitors' views of a pastoral landscap with animals grazing in the distance. Instead of fences, he used ha-ha walls, which have a top level that is even with the Mansion's lawn, and a turf ditch on the pasture side. These hidden barriers kept livestock safely in the pasture, but their boundary was concealed.
Why were they called ha-ha walls? No one knows for sure, but some suggest that the name refers to the surprise of discovering these hidden walls, which cannot be seen until one is right on top of them!
Fruit Garden and Nursery
Most of this four-acre enclosure was devoted to an orchard that produced the apples, cherries, peaches, and other fruits needed in the kitchen. Vegetables, grains, and pasture grasses were grown in beds and allowed to "go to seed," providing the seed essential to next season's planting. Hedging plants, boxwood, and trees were also propogated here, and nurtured until they reached a size to be transplanted to a permanent location.
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