I recently visited Mount Vernon Carol Dellinger and Sheryl Storro who were in town from Spokane, Washington. Aside from the fact it was hotter than the hinges of hell, all in all it was a nice tour since they live in Washington State and were visiting Washington, DC.Many friends may recognize Carol’s name. She is a breast cancer survivor, a Warrior Marathon Runner, and someone I am glad and proud to call a friend. I met Carol in January 2010. This is HER story:
At the start of the tour of Mount Vernon, the bucolic home of George and Martha Washington, formerly the Widow Custis (love the Widow thing) we were ushered into a theater. A jovial young man came in to explain that we would have an introduction to Mount Vernon by none other than Pat Sajak. He also went on with many uhhs, and ahhs, and spits and spurts to remind us to drink plenty of water because the heat might take its toll. He kept reminding us in a shameless plug that we could purchase water at several of the gift centers strategically placed about the property. Well, we are runners…we had our supply already in hand! What was most bizarre was that he mentioned how the heat was so bad that it could cause heat stroke and in fact, “People have died here from the heat.” I commend Carol, Sheryl and myself for not bursting out in laughter. Seriously, that was a real inducement to want to tour the grounds in the blistering heat. I did give him a little leeway as George and Martha for sure had died at the estate…so much for a rousing introduction to the day’s outings. Obviously his interpretation!
For information about this historic site, please visit their page: http://www.mountvernon.org/
We settled in for the 25-minute movie and suddenly Pat Sajak sprung to life on the screen. He introduced us to what to expect as we explored the estate. He went so far as to tell us that it was such a “long” day and “large” estate that we should consider visiting for two days (first shameless plug). He than mentioned the opportunity to take home a bit of history by checking out the gift shops (second shameless plug), and then went on to mention that GW was a relentless consumer of fine goods through the trades, international and domestic, and we should follow in his footsteps and visit the gift shops that offered a wide variety of Mount Vernon mementos (third shameless plug and I stopped listening).What followed the Pat Sajak shameless commercial and gift shop plug for Mount Vernon was a very good reenactment of George Washington’s life. From the time he met the Widow Custis (Widow Fike’s shameless plug for Widows) through to his election as the first President of the United States. From there, we were left to explore the grounds at out leisure…and trust me, they want you to take your time so you make it a two day trip…wink, wink!
Carol purchased tickets for the tour of the mansion and we took our time wandering through the new rotunda and museum. We continued to fill our water bottles for fear we might die in the heat, and, when the inside tour was finished we headed into the heat to explore the mansion and grounds. I was intrigued that the folks leading the tours are called “historical interpreters.” When did they stop being “tour guides?”
What the hell is that? You tell a tale, spin it your way make it a yarn instead? What turn of events from the days of George Washington will be embellished?
Seriously, on a bad day could one of these Interpreters change the course of history? Perhaps they may tell me George CAN tell a lie. He didn’t chop down the cherry tree. Some brat from a neighboring farm did and he took credit. Yikes, history rewritten. Maybe he didn’t cross the Delaware. I wasn’t there, I wouldn’t know and the Interpreter can tell his own tale. Apparently, after a short training program, interpreters will develop their interpretive, teaching, and public speaking skills by working on site in period dress. They actively interpret George Washington’s farming and business operations at Mount Vernon.
I rest my case; they develop their interpretive skills. Sounds like a good job for me. I’d spin a different tale every hour. Who would know? Visitors come to learn, if I changed things up a bit, who would argue with me? I doubt some George Washington historian is paying a few bucks to tour the grounds and mansion. They would already have completed that process in college.
I grew up in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Every small town has a building with a sign touting the fact that George Washington slept there. Yikes, that would be a story to interpret. For instance, why did he have to sleep in Bladensburg, Maryland? The house there is perhaps 20 miles; ok maybe 30 miles from Mt. Vernon. Seriously? Even on foot that is a short trip. Ask Carol, she can run 26.1 in 6 hours!
The Indian Queen Tavern gained its reputation as the "George Washington House" through an assumption that "George Washington slept here." Research in primary sources has shown that the extant structure was never a tavern during Washington's lifetime, although it is possible that he stayed in the frame Indian Queen Tavern formerly located next to the present structure. The brick tavern began to be known as the "George Washington House" before 1878 when it was being used as a hotel. The George Washington House has become a local landmark with a rich and distinctive history of its own composed of both historical facts and homespun legend. BINGO…homespun legend. I rest my case again!Which circles me back to the Interpreters at Mount Vernon. During the mansion tour, it was noted that GW had been working on the farm and had spent five hours riding his farms in bad health from which he fell ill and died. I was curious what he died from. I thought perhaps pneumonia. So, I asked an interpreter and he in a very authoritative voice told the three of us that GW died of Quiznos disease. WTF? He died choking on a sub? I have Googled every spelling of quizines, quiznos and the like and can find nothing similar to the interpreted disease.
From a Google search, I found out that instead of changing his wet clothes, Washington went directly to dinner and shrugged off his fever and chills. Apparently, GW exhibited symptoms consistent with classic acute epiglottis: Rapid onset of the disease, high fever, an extremely sore throat, drooling, and a great difficulty in swallowing from which he died on December 14, 1799.
So dear readers, an interpreter of history can reword and retell the happenstances of any major historical figure including the father of our country. I have often wondered why Quiznos Subs are going out of business, now I wonder no more!
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