WASHINGTON D.C. SOUTH MISSION: Distillery and Gristmill at Mount Vernon

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Distillery and Gristmill at Mount Vernon

We had an hour before the baptism on Saturday, so we went early and saw the Gristmill and Distillery at Mount Vernon. What fascinating history we learned today. Not only was Washington a great statesman and soldier, he was a very successful businessman and "entrepreneurial " farmer. Because Tobacco destroyed the soil, Washington was one of the first farmers to replace his crop with wheat and corn. And in 1771 he built a large stone gristmill to increase his production so he could sell overseas. And in 1791 he installed a patented automated milling system. It featured bucket elevators to move the wheat from floor to floor creating a continuous system which greatly improved production. These were cutting edge technologies at that time. It is the only operating Oliver Evans Milling System in America. They still use it today and I purchased some cornmeal from the gift store. Watching the system work was fascinating. It's incredible to watch how things are invented and work.

Next door is the distillery. In 1797 Washingtons' farm manager advised him to build the distillery since he had all the key components already: a water system, a supply of grain, and a gristmill. His distillery used 5 copper stills, a 210 gallon boiler, and many mash tubs.In just 2 years time it was producing 11,000 gallons of alcohol a year. It was one of the largest operations in the US at that time. It is fascinating to watch how much labor it took to produce the alcohol. There were hot fires burning under the boilers and stills all the time. It must have been incredibly hot. I can't imagine doing it without todays modern air-conditioning. I was super hot just listening to the presentation in the building. Washington had a vision for America to be the "granary to the world". His remarkable business skills contributed to making that come true with both his mill and his distillery. What an amazing man.

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Stephanie Smith Fireside

Last Sunday evening we were privileged to attend a fireside in the mission. It was held at a beautiful old chapel in McLean. One of the pictures shows the inside of the chapel and the wood beams on the very steep-pitched ceiling of the room. The gym is under the chapel in the basement. I have never seen a floorplan like this one. Very unique. This fireside hosted Sister Stephanie Smith. Her story was in the Ensign sometime in the last year. She has a remarkable conversion story. She has held very high government positions and at one time was 5th in command at the CIA. She said something at the first of her talk that I wrote down: she said, "I've been on some remarkable adventures. But no adventure in my lifetime has been as extraordinary and life-changing as my path to conversion and baptism in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. She then told about her introduction to the church. She was at a time in her life with tremendous worldly success achieved after clawing her way to the top without any regard for others, and she felt her life was shattering into a million pieces. At this time she turned to a colleague she admired who was a member of the church. He told her two things. That her Heavenly Father knew her by name and loved her and that Heavenly Father had a plan for her success. The next day he sent her a map to the temple visitor center. She told how when the missionary sisters came to her door, she didn't think she could relate to these young women. The first thing they did was ask if they could sing to her. They sang,"I am a Child of God." That was the beginning of her conversion, a long a beautiful story. You can read it on the web at Meridian Magazine. Her testimony was a real inspiration to me. There were over 350 people there and she does a great missionary work speaking to investigators. What a blessing to have heard her and felt her spirit.

Chelsea Our recent Convert

We have met the sweetest young sister. Chelsea is amazing. She joined the church during the last year and has an incredible testimony also. She never misses any missionary function and we were able to take her with us to the Stephanie Smith Fireside. She also came to the mission home a few weeks ago and we had family night. She gave the lesson and is was unbelievable. She is hoping to go on a mission next year. What a great young woman. This is a picture of her with Elders Ganaway and Gifford.