Mary Washington’s house

Recently I chose to receive a tour at the house of Mary Washington. Though I learned a lot I also questioned things I was told by the tour guide that challenged some of my previous knowledge. Mary Washington’s house is divided into four parts though only three are visible from the street. Only two of the parts are original and it was extremely interesting to see Mary’s actual items and dressers. I enjoyed the hands on aspect of going to the Mary Washington house and seeing where the origins of the stories are from. I did not enjoy as much the tour guide who seemed as though it was a job to tell us information about the house and Mary. History should be told with a happy heart and complete interest and willingness to explain. I was told that Mary Washington grew up wealthy; though as I understood it she came to Maryland as an indentured servant. After a bit of thought I imagine that she came to Maryland as an indentured servant very young, and then through multiple deaths in the family she did become fairly wealthy. These publicly accessible historic buildings are so important for not only small town history but history that branches across the country. If you just lived in a town without the stories of the buildings to go with it then your town is no different than any other. Back in my home town for example we have a old hardware store with pictures from the 80’s showing the family that owned the store. There is such a story to be told and a personal connection to see these kinds of photos and hear these stories. The story of Mary Washington webs into hundreds of stories and dozens of people throughout history. Going in person to these sites can help spark an interest and an understanding of how things would have happened during that time. I urge all to spend a weekend looking at historic sites in your home town to deepen your connection with your town.