Restoring a critical outbuilding

Dear ,

I always enjoy walking down the south lane of George Washington’s estate.

You are transported back to a time when common everyday tasks that we now zip through with the convenience of modern machinery—like our cherished washing machines and refrigerators—were tackled in a much diﬀerent way.

The lane is lined with several outbuildings where the enslaved persons and paid staﬀ worked to make George Washington’s Mount Vernon a thriving plantation and bustling family home.

As you can imagine, these outbuildings require ongoing maintenance and preservation. Currently, we are restoring the smokehouse.

The smokehouse was critical to the plantation as it ensured George Washington, his family, guests, and the entire plantation community had meat to eat year-round. With refrigeration not yet invented, smokehouses were utilized to preserve meat throughout the year.

Each September, hogs were slaughtered and cut into ham steaks and bacon, packed in salt, and then hung from the smokehouse’s ceiling. To guarantee there was plenty of smoked meat, enslaved workers at Mount Vernon always kept a ﬁre burning inside the smokehouse.

Because meat was a hot commodity, smokehouses were strongly built to not only protect the meat from vermin and the elements but also from human theft!

As a result, the smokehouse is remarkably intact. Its frame, interior sheathing, and hanging system are all original to Washington. These building components were protected by the smokehouse’s clapboard siding which is also mostly original.

This siding is nearly 250 years old and does need some attention. After all, it has borne the brunt of over two centuries of summers and winters here in Virginia!