Visiting Rules
3 reasons you travel to visit someone's home
Holiday meal
Fix Grandma's iPad
Meet new baby
Wedding shower
Trailer park concert
Facebook trading
Wisdom teeth removal smoothies
HOCO poster invite
Game night
The desire to preserve historic house followed what event?
The Civil War
How many people have visited Mount Vernon since its opening?
Over 85 million people since 1860
Just how big is the Biltmore?
Almost 200,000 square feet
Over 200 rooms
Including: 35 guest bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, 65 fireplaces, 3 kitchens, a swimming pool, a gymnasium, and a bowling alley
After what year is Mount Vernon styled today?
1799 - the year of Washington's death
2 reasons people took extended visits in people's homes (think like 150-200 years ago)
They travelled a long way - let's make it count!
A lack of hotels or inns
What's the difference between the Antiquities Act and the Historic Sites Act?
Antiquities Act (1906) - gave the President of the United States the authority to create national monuments from federal lands to protect significant natural, cultural, or scientific features.
Historic Sites Act (1935) - created to organize federally own parks, monuments, and historic sites under the National Park Service and the United States Secretary of the Interior and declared that it is a national policy to preserve for public use historic sites, buildings, and objects of national significance.
What made people label Mount Vernon as a sacred space?
Home of George Washington (the person)
Home of our first President (the role)
No one tried to harm the building during the Civil War
How did building the Biltmore affect the community around it?
Influx of workers and their families
A town was built: churches, shops, schools, houses, etc.
The estate hosted farms, dairies, a forestry school, fisheries, trade schools, etc.
What was the first group to form specifically for restoring and opening a historic house to the public?
Mount Vernon Ladies' Association
How could houseguests judge the lord and lady of the house differently?
Men - earnings, financial success, access to luxury goods
Women - housekeeping abilities, fine meals, handcrafted decorations
To be considered to be included in the National Register of Historical Places, a house must meet 1 of 8 requirements:
Significant contribution to American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, culture, events, people, or other distinctive characteristics of our history or prehistory
How often did Mount Vernon host guests during the height of Washington's fame?
In 1785, Mount Vernon hosted overnight guests 235/356 days
From 1784-1789 there were 588 guests, and over 1/3 came from a state other than Virginia or from Europe or the West Indies
Describe George Washington Vanderbilt's motivation for designing the Biltmore with the style and decor he chose?
He wanted a self-sufficient European-style estate that called upon a time that was inevitably coming to a close.
His goal was to create a collaboration of antique treasures to celebrate and reflect on the courts of kings and queens of old (though with modern luxuries like indoor plumbing and electricity.)
Why might someone want to visit these historic houses?
Participate in history
Leave footsteps in the home of someone famous/important
Learn more about their community's past
Feel a sense of connection to a larger history
Place our modernity in a world timeline context