Where Was George Washington's Birthplace?

George Washington was born on his father’s plantation, which is on Pope’s Creek in Westmoreland County, Virginia.  The date was February 22, 1732.  Read on for more information about the father of our country.    

George Washington’s birthplace was where present day Colonial Beach stands. 

• His father, Augustine was one of the main planters in that area and was a justice on the county court. 
• Augustine's first wife, Janet Butler, died in 1729. 
• They had two sons, Augustine, Jr. and Lawrence, and a daughter, Jane. 
• He married Mary Ball in 1731 and George was their first child out of six.
• In 1735, George Washington’s family moved from his birthplace to a plantation where he would spend the rest of his childhood. 
• It was named the Little Hunting Creek Plantation. 
• George’s father died when he was eleven years old, so he became the responsibility of his half brother Lawrence. 
• Lawrence built a house on 2500 acres and named it Mount Vernon after an admiral he served under during the siege of Cartagena.             
• In 1751, Lawrence contracted tuberculosis and took a trip to Barbados to see if his health would improve there. 
• He took George with him and George got small pox there. 
• Soon after they returned, Lawrence died which left the estate to George in the event of his sister’s death. 
• She died a few months later, and George inherited Mount Vernon, one of the nicest estates in Virginia.         

Adult Life

• In 1752, George became a major in the Virginia militia. 
• He served for a time and resigned his commission to return to Mount Vernon. 
• He returned to service as a volunteer in 1755 for a few years, returning to Mount Vernon in 1758. 
• During this service he was the commander of the Virginia Militia. 
• He returned to serve as the commander of the Continental Army in June of 1775, leading the troops during the Revolutionary War. 
• When the war was over in 1783, he thought that was the end of his public service.        
• In 1787, he was a member of the Constitutional Convention which had the job of revising the Articles of Confederation by making a constitution. 
• He was chosen to preside over the convention and once the final draft was accepted, he worked to gain support of the new government and constitution. 
• With his support and efforts, soon the Constitution was ratified and it was time to elect a president. 
• George Washington received a unanimous vote from the electors, which is something that has never happened since. 
• He served two terms, from 1789 to 1797, and retired to Mount Vernon. 
• He developed a throat infection that led to his death in Mount Vernon on December 14, 1799.   

His Legacy

When Napolean heard of his death, he ordered ten days of mourning. 

• In the United States, many people mourned his death for months afterwards. 
• At his funeral, Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee said Washington was, "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." 
• Washington’s remains were moved to a tomb constructed in 1837 at Mount Vernon. 
• The vault was locked and the key was thrown into the Potomac River.
• Washington’s image has adorned stamps and is on the one dollar bill and the quarter.  His likeness is sculpted on Mount Rushmore, and he has had hundreds of things named after him, like schools, towns, and streets.  
• The most impressive memorial for Washington is the Washington Monument.  It is located in the National Mall in Washington, DC.  It stands at 555 feet, 5 1/8 inches and is made of white marble.  It is the tallest obelisk in the world and was patterned after the ancient Egyptian obelisks.

The George Washington Birthplace National Monument is located where he was born.  A house and kitchen were built in 1931 to resemble the typical house of a fairly wealthy planter on the 1730s.  So it is not an exact replica of the actual birthplace of George Washington, but is typical of the type of house where he was born.  So, now that you know where George Washington's birthplace was, you can visit the Birthplace National monument.