_Unless otherwise designated all the tailpieces in this book represent original furnishings in use at Mount Vernon during the lifetime of General Washington._"
Through this gateway Washington and his guests were accustomed to pass from the main road. The original paving of cobble stones has been found intact and now visitors to Mount Vernon enter as in Washington's time. An attractive bowling-green extends from the gateway nearly to the Mansion. To the left are the flower gardens, and occupying a similar area to the right is the kitchen garden. These gardens are surrounded by brick walls, the coping of which was restored, in 1895, by Mrs. Christine Blair Graham, late Vice-Regent for Missouri.
Many of the old trees still bordering the original driveway have been identified from Washington's diary as having been planted by him or his guests. Notably among them may be seen, near the Flower Garden entrance, two handsome tulip poplars--the tallest trees of the group.
On the lawn facing the Potomac are three large pecan trees which, as seedlings, came from Thomas Jefferson and were planted by Washington.
[Illustration: _Sword worn by General Washington when he resigned Command of the Army in 1783, when he was inaugurated first President of U.S. 1789 and on all subsequent State occasions_]
The west front of the Mansion was the point of approach for visitors, as indicated by the large central door bearing the original brass knocker. On this side is a spacious court, flanked by several frame buildings--to the right, the kitchen, butler's house, smoke-house, laundry and coach house, while to the left are the office, the gardener's house, carpenter shop and spinning house.
The kitchen and office are joined to the main building by colonnades, which were rebuilt in 1874 by the combined efforts of the late Vice-Regents for six States, as follows: Mrs. Hannah Blake Farnsworth, Michigan; Miss Lily Lytle Macalester, Pennsylvania; Miss Emily L. Harper, Maryland; Mrs. Lucy H. Pickens, South Carolina; Mrs. Maria Brooks, New York, and Mrs. Nancy Wade Halstead, New Jersey.
The sun-dial in the center of the court marks where one stood in the days of Washington. The posts and chains are a restoration of an original feature, accomplished in 1917 by the Vice-Regent for Oregon.