Learning from the Land

The gardens tell us how Washington used his land. He grew crops. He grew flowers. What else can we learn from his land?

Let’s look at the bowling green. That’s a fancy name for a lawn. Washington had a big lawn. That’s important because most people used their land for farming. Washington had so much land, he didn’t need to. He used this land just for show. Again, nature acts as a primary source. It tells us about a person, a place, and a time.

When I visited Mount Vernon, I looked at the gardens. But I could learn a lot more about Washington by looking at other parts of his land. I could look at his fields. I could look at the river, too. Primary sources come in many forms. Now I know that nature can be used to learn about how people lived long ago.