Downstairs Bedroom
This bedchamber accommodated some of the many visitors who stopped at Mount Vernon before, and especially after, George Washington's presidency. He once described the house as a “well resorted tavern" because “scarcely any strangers who are going from north to south, or from south to north do not spend a day or two at it."
According to his diaries, overnight visitors were present in his home about two-thirds of the time, arriving at a household that was already sizable. In December 1799, it included six people: the Washingtons; Mrs. Washington's youngest grandchildren, Washy and Nelly Custis; Washington's nephew Lawrence Lewis, who had married Nelly in February of that year; and the Lewises' newborn daughter, Frances.
Blue Room
Bedchamber for Visiting Family and Guests
Located at the top of the stairs on the second floor, the Blue Room overlooked the front entrance and the view to the west. By the late 1790s, it served as a bedchamber for visiting family and guests.
Architectural moldings and a mantel, painted cream in the 1790s, framed the space, while blue textiles and wallpaper distinguished it.
A unique mix of furnishings acquired over the course of the Washingtons’ lifetimes offered comfortable accommodations and an innovative Rumford firebox provided a warmer, smoke-free stay during the cooler seasons of the year.
Chintz Room
The Chintz Room was one of the finest of the six primary bedchambers at Mount Vernon. Located on the second floor in the southwest corner, it overlooked the front entrance to the mansion, the bowling green, and the vista to the west. Architecturally, a closet and a boldly-carved mantel with dramatic curves and spirals set this room apart from the others.
The room’s furnishings were inspired by the decorative arts of Asia, communicating the western fascination with the perceived luxury and splendor of eastern cultures.
Yellow Room
The yellow room occupies the southeast corner of George Washington's 1759 house and is slightly larger than the first floor bedchamber that is below it. Before the remodeling of the 1750s, this space formed two rooms, one unheated and tucked under the east slope of the roof, and one heated called the "Yellow Room."
With the creation of the full second story, the new Yellow Bedchamber received a corner fireplace and a window in the east wall; there may also have been a window in the south wall, or a door leading to the roof of the one-story south closet. The current mantel was installed in 1775 when the south addition to the house was added.
Washinton's Bedroom
During my visit, the bedroom was being conserved, and the bed as seen, was being protected.
Even while covered, this is the bed that George Washington passed away in.
Located directly above the study in the private south wing was George and Martha Washington's spacious bedroom. Designed according to Mrs. Washington's suggestion that it be simple and functional, the room was also her sanctuary, where she planned her schedule and wrote letters to friends and family members. According to her grandson, she also spent an hour there each day reading the Bible and praying.
Washington died of a severe throat infection in this room on December 14, 1799. Upon his death, Martha closed the room and, for the remaining several years of her life, spent much of her time in a bedchamber on the third floor.
Purchased in the early 1790s, the bed was described by Mrs. Washington as “the new bedstead which I caused to be made in Philadelphia." Its design is in keeping with the Washingtons' preference for elegant simplicity. At just over six feet, six inches long, it was large enough to accommodate the General, who stood about six feet, two inches tall.
In this room you will also find a mantel clock from Washington's presidency and a fine French writing desk crafted of mahogany with a marble top and brass fittings.
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