George Washington's Liberty Key: Mount Vernon's Bastille Key – the Mystery and Magic of Its Body, Mind, and Soul

by William J. Bahr

Love liberty? Want to keep it? Let two history experiments show you what works and what doesn't. Here's a captivating book about contending political strategies in the form of an exciting tale of two revolutions, the men who made them, and the key (now a national treasure) that connected them. Follow the fight for freedom - an idea whose time had come - taking two different paths, with two dramatically different outcomes: one a "shining city upon a hill" as a "beacon of hope," the other a mountain of severed heads in a "Reign of Terror." In what is definitely the Key Book about George Washington, this is the amazing story of how he came by his Key "of" Liberty...and his wise counsel on the Key "to" Liberty that has made America great.

The book links Mount Vernon's Bastille Key (and its tortuous travels through bloody, revolutionary France) to George Washington's character and his advice on the three key, essential elements for freedom to "Character, Culture, Constitution." Specifically, the book shines a bright light on the most interesting key ever made - America's premier symbol of liberty's victory over tyranny - which now hangs in the central passageway of George Washington's Mount Vernon mansion, helping to greet over a million visitors a year.

The main key to the Bastille prison in Paris, it was given in 1790 to Washington, the patriarch of liberty, by his missionary, the Marquis de Lafayette, who took the "sacred fire of liberty" he discovered in America and tried to fan its flames in France. Become a history detective and uncover how this unique key was made, how the man who made it helped kill a king, and how it made its way to Mount Vernon. Along the way, experience the fascinating twists and turns made in unlocking the doors hiding the truth about the key, which some (incorrectly) argue is a counterfeit. Then distill what Washington and Lafayette each believed was the "key" to establishing and maintaining liberty, and what went right and wrong in their respective revolutions. Finally, learn how the key continues to inspire a worldwide devotion to freedom - with Washington's personal challenge to you.

***** Author Bill Bahr brings to life FerrousTM the key and his improbable journey from the iron foundries of 18th century France to a Bastille prison gate and finally to the entrance hall of George Washington's home, Mount Vernon. FerrousTM once represented tyranny and oppression - synonymous with the fate of a prisoner condemned without trial or hope. Now FerrousTM stands for the idea of liberty, so cherished by George Washington - in his own words - "a token of victory gained by Liberty over Despotism." What a remarkable transformation!***** Version 1.14 Mar 2020. A "best seller" at George Washington's Mount Vernon.

Genres: French Revolution

254 pages, Paperback

Published November 16, 2016

About the author

William J. Bahr is a retired telecommunications executive. A graduate of West Point, he served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, working in Germany, Cambodia (the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh), and Korea before moving into commercial telecommunications. Along with earning three masters degrees and two patents, Bill held marketing/sales directorships at major corporations. His work helped spark the revolution in facsimile machines and the build-out in cellular systems and the internet, with both Bill and his products receiving many public accolades. For example, the prestigious magazine "Electronic Business" headlined one of his product developments as a "Secret Success Story." The American Management Association heralded this same effort as doing business "Japanese style to beat the Japanese at their own game." As well, a number of his other efforts have resulted in what the communications industry has called "world-beater" products.

Starting Bill off on a creative career, he developed an innovative solution to a major encryption problem while in Cambodia. A few years later, one of his own, early inventions received notice in many publications, including "Newsweek" and "Playgirl." In addition, his innovative mnemonic method "Learn Morse Code in One Hour (or even 10 minutes)!" helped thousands pass amateur-radio 5 word-per-minute code tests -- and is now free on-line.

Bill currently lives in Chicagoland and volunteers in a number of community service organizations. He is an active participant in Rotary, VFW, and CHARACTER COUNTS!, where he has served in various leadership roles. In his spare time, Bill unabashedly admires George Washington and studies strategic action. The book "George Washington's Liberty Key" (a best-seller at Mount Vernon) is a result of Bill's curiosity and extensive reading about Mount Vernon's Bastille key and the extraordinary, enabling, and ennobling character of George Washington. Also, check out Bill's books :Strategic Advantage: How to Win in War, Business, and Life," and "Strategy Pure and Simple: Essential Moves for Winning in Competition and Cooperation"

Reviews

[Scott Klemm · Rating 4 out of 5]

William Bahr’s George Washington’s Liberty Key received its inspiration from the key to the notorious French prison, the Bastille, that was presented in 1797 to Washington by the Marquis Lafayette. Today it hangs in the central passageway of George Washington’s Mount Vernon home.

The book is not entirely on the key alone. After the first three chapters, the focus is primarily on the two revolutions – first in America and then France. However, Bahr has given “life” to this inanimate object bestowing it with the name Ferrous, and making it the narrator of the story that follows.

In his Acknowledgements, Bahr gives credit to his wife for putting brakes on his tendency to throw everything in but the kitchen sink. Well, he may not have thrown in the kitchen sink – but nearly everything else. I can’t blame him. Mr. Bahr has put in an impressive amount of research. Among the enthralling details are how Madame Tussaud made death masks from the severed heads of those executed, and eventually established her wax museum in England. Also described were some of the Bastille’s prisoners including the sexual pervert, the Marquis de Sade, and the mysterious “Man in the Iron Mask.”

Bahr examines in detail the structure of the Bastille to find the answer to the question whether the key presented to Washington was indeed the main key to the Bastille prison. This is no easy task since the Bastille was dismantled soon after the French revolution. Furthermore, there are other known Bastille keys. Without getting into all the details, I feel Bahr has presented a convincing case that the key hanging at Mount Vernon is most likely the main key. However, I’m not totally convinced that this key was made by Louis XVI’s locksmith, Francois Gamain. (Incidentally, Gamain eventually betrayed Louis XVI by revealing the location of a secret iron box or safe that contained incriminating evidence against the king.)

[William Bahr · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Bits" of Praise from "Key" Readers
(in descending order received - latest is last)

"This book must've taken years of researching and writing! I either didn't pay too much attention in school or forgot it all, but I can tell you I learned (or re-learned) something from every single chapter. Heck, I was in France a few years ago and didn't learn this much during all of the museum tours!" – KG

"A genuine contribution to both American and lock & key histories!" – SK (antique lock & key expert)

"I recommend it. Very detailed...interesting if you like history. I enjoyed it very much!" – JA

"A masterpiece of historical fact. Fascinating and insightful rendering of little known artifact from the life of America's greatest statesman!" – KC

"An impressive book!" – JD

"Captivated from the moment I opened the book. It's really original to write a story from the perspective of the Key! A fun and interesting read. Kudos! – DG

"Fascinating! Just started reading this book, and I'm totally captivated." – AL

"I really enjoyed this book. The author does a terrific job of explaining the history of the Liberty Key, the French and American Revolutions and how they were all linked by the relationship of George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette. Very entertaining and informative!" – FR

"Fascinating! The title of this book undersells the content. It is an outstanding historical perspective of the French Revolution and how it relates to the American Revolution and George Washington. Besides being an easy read, it provides an anthology of the events which were taking place at the time, and links the key figures related to the Bastille, the French Revolution and the American Revolution. The Key itself just forms the link surrounding all of the stories told. It offers a behind the scenes view which is not normally found in history books. I highly recommend this book!" – BD (architect)

"The narrator of this book is a totally relevant (yet inanimate) object. History has rarely been this exciting. In a fast-paced narrative, we learn in detail about two revolutions. More significantly, we gain key insights into why the American one succeeded and the French ones fizzled, repeatedly. Mr. Bahr takes us on a personal tour, from the back rooms of the Bastille and bowels of a blacksmith's shop to the Palace of Versailles and the stately rooms of George Washington's Mount Vernon home. Along the way, we learn the little-known facts that shape history. Cleverly organized, the story unfolds in a way that's easy to follow and delightful to read." – SB

"This is an excellent book, well written, thoroughly and meticulously researched and very highly recommended, especially to those interested in early American history, the history of the French Revolution and above all, that of the Bastille. The book is playfully appealing in that it is written in the third person of the Bastille key. ... All in all, an excellent book, an engaging and enjoyable read!" – TL

"An amazing amount of research!" – EA

"I really enjoyed the book!" – PS

"Very impressive work and well-illustrated!" – BD (lock and key expert)

"A truly fascinating study!" – DS (museum curator)

"Great job of making history come alive! ... If you love history, you love those pivotal moments, when the arch of history and the fate of entire nations are changed. July 14th, 1789, is the date when the Bastille prison fell and the Republic of France rose and the date marking one of those pivotal moments in history. But if you really love history, you love the great stories connected to those pivotal moments, stories that few of us have heard before. They sit there in the dark, dusty corners of the past until someone with special insights and a passion for storytelling shines a light on them and dusts them off for us all to see. Bill Bahr does exactly that with Liberty Key. I knew, or thought I knew, the story of the French Revolution but not with the detail that Bill uncovers. All the events leading up to, through and beyond July 14, 1789, are in this book, but the story of this key and how it came to Mount Vernon as a gift to and beloved possession of George Washington is the real gift Bill gives the reader." – ML

"A fascinating book about Mount Vernon's Bastille Key, its travels from Paris to Mount Vernon, VA, and why it is, indeed, the main key to the Bastille, despite various claims it isn't. Book also covers Washington's and Lafayette's thoughts about the key "to" liberty and the requirements to defend and keep it. Great as well as a ready-reference book, as it's packed full of fascinating facts and intriguing insights. Holds your interest with enlightening pictures and humorous puns, turning dry history into living adventure!" – IL

"Great book not about paczki, but maybe a pun(ch)-key? This solid, scholarly work on Bastille keys, especially the Mount Vernon Bastille Key, is liberally filled with puns, pictures, and most of all, highly interesting facts not easily found elsewhere, all of which bring history alive. The book mainly deals with the physics and philosophy of George Washington's Liberty Key: how it was made, what it did, how it found its way to Mount Vernon, what it meant to George Washington and Lafayette, what they each believed to be the essential requirements (key) for Liberty, how the Key has inspired a world-wide devotion to freedom, and much, much more, to include numerous new insights overturning many decades of incorrect but widely accepted beliefs about the Bastille and its main key. In a word: fascinating!" – MS

"Character Counts! A great book with deep research on interesting aspects of so many varied but related topics (to name just a few: key making, the Bastille, and the French Revolution). I especially liked the way the author developed Washington’s three key requirements for liberty: character, culture, and constitution, with everything resting on character. Super advice gleaned by analyzing the writings of the Father of our Country, the indispensable man who made our country great!" – MM

"What a treat...I can't put this book down!! The author has a wonderful sense of humor and clever insights on life! I can't wait to read it all...to the finish! This is the kind of historical take on life that I love! I can see how well done it is, and inclusive...questions, facts, photos, analysis...and I just got the book. And I just love it!!! I'll be buying extras for my friends that love real books... not just romance novels or gothic mysteries! This is a keen look and a long-forgotten symbol of liberty, that too many, in fact all, of these last couple generations have no idea, that hard battles were ever fought for what they take for granted!!! – JH

"A fascinating book about Mount Vernon's Bastille Key, its travels from Paris to Mount Vernon, VA, and why it is, indeed, the main key to the Bastille, despite various claims it isn't. Book also covers Washington's and Lafayette's thoughts about the key "to" liberty and the requirements to defend and keep it. Great as well as a ready-reference book, as it's packed full of fascinating facts and intriguing insights. Holds your interest with enlightening pictures and humorous puns, turning dry history into living adventure!" – TB

"I really enjoyed this book! In investigating the history of the Mount Vernon Bastille key, it nicely develops a ready-reference guide to both the American and French revolutions. Encyclopedic in scope, it also provides interesting ancillary information, intriguing tidbits and insights about the items and individuals of the era. The pictures are excellent, the timelines very helpful, and the weblinks to more information (to include videos) outstanding. Thumbs-up and heads-up (not off) for this one!" – BK

"I just started the 'Liberty Key' and am fascinated by the 'story"...I can tell I am going to love it!" – JB

"Masterfully Written, Educating and Entertaining!
I salute my West Point classmate for providing us a diligently researched history of our historic 18th-century connection with the French. Bill's adaptation of using the Bastille Key as the first-person main character presenter is simply brilliant. The reader is drawn into the story with bewilderment, anticipation and excitement, while always being educated and introduced to fascinating little-known facts. I highly recommend this book to everyone of all ages. A GREAT READ!"
―Gary Dolan, author, speaker, businessman, decorated combat veteran, Hall-of-Fame Ranger, and inspirational leader

5 out of 5 stars – A Truly UNIQUE Book!
"A review of this book can be summed up in a single word--UNIQUE! As told by Mount Vernon's Bastille key itself (yes, by the key), it provides an absorbing look at the character of key leaders in the American and French Revolutions, notably Washington and Lafayette. While the novel narrative traces the key's historic travels from the perspective of the pun-slinging anthropomorphic iron key, the research is serious and the content dense with illuminating facts. Half a valuable reference source, half a fascinating story, fully recommended!"
―LTG Dave R. Palmer, premier military historian, US Army Lieutenant General (ret), former Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point, and
originator of Mount Vernon's theme: "George Washington, a Leader of Character"!

[David Vaught · Rating 5 out of 5]

After touring a historic site, I have often regretted not studying the history beforehand. Understanding the symbols and significance of the site would be so much better with more preparation and knowledge. So I see George Washington’s Liberty Key as preparation for a visit to Mount Vernon, George Washington’s home where the Liberty Key hangs in the central passageway. It has been there since Lafayette, Washington’s protégé who he considered a son, gave it to him after it was captured in the storming of the Bastille prison during the opening days of the French Revolution.
The author makes the key a great symbol of their connection, and those between the American and French revolutions over 200 years ago. The author explains in detail the technology of forging keys from iron with precision as a high technology of that time. The key represents the tyranny of the “divine right of kings” where prisoners without trial were detained behind its locks by the French King in the Bastille for decades without any due process or opportunity for rebuttal or pardon from their absolutist system that denied basic liberty.
This interesting book connects these concepts with discussion of why the American Revolution did produce ordered liberty through an evolution of our constitutional norms. It clearly contrasts that with the French convulsion of revolution against tyranny that required a longer struggle to achieve a stable guarantee of liberty. George Washington’s leadership through character, a receptive American culture, and the evolution of constitutional norms is compared with Lafayette’s more challenging direct replacement of a corrupt but long-standing French monarchical reign.
It is great preparation to tour Mount Vernon or Paris and unlocks a key of understanding of the long and vibrant connections between our countries and their liberty.

[Dan Lennon · Rating 5 out of 5]

George Washington’s Liberty Key is a gem of a book which I thoroughly enjoyed. The eponymous key is the key to the Bastille. The author takes us on an adventure that begins with events leading up to the French Revolution and continues through to the years following the American Revolution. Much of the book focuses on the Bastille, but the book covers much more than that.

The story is narrated by the key who, with a bit of whimsy, the author personifies as our tour guide. As story after story unfolds, the key reveals to the reader a wealth of little-known facts that lie behind the history we learned – facts that can fill in missing pieces and help us better put our knowledge into context.

The book contains an ample number of photos and diagrams which the author has wisely put on the pages which describe the relevant images. This is as opposed to putting all the images in one place in the book as is so often done. I find paging back and forth between text and image somewhat annoying, so I appreciate the author’s decision.

I also like the author’s use of chronological timelines to help the reader more easily understand the relationship among various related events that occur within a limited period of time.

At 240 pages, The Liberty Key is neither too long nor too short. And it was a fast read thanks to the author’s crisp, clear, and flowing writing style. If you want to get a more nuanced perspective on this part of world history and enjoy yourself while you’re at it, I recommend this book.

[Margo Lestz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book delves into history from quite a different perspective. The story is told by a key - specifically, the key to the Bastille which Lafayette presented to George Washington during the French Revolution. The key (called Ferrous) definitely has a sense of humor and he loves to make puns. Through his story we learn about the relationship between France and the US during both their Revolutions and the personal relationship between Lafayette and Washington. It’s evident that the author has put in a lot of time doing the research for this fascinating book.

[Gary E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I salute my West Point classmate for providing us a diligently researched history of our historic 18th century connection with the French. Bill's adaptation of using the Bastille Key as the third person main character presenter is simply brilliant. The reader is drawn into the story with bewilderment, anticipation and excitement, while always being educated and introduced to fascinating little known facts. I highly recommend this book to everyone of all ages. A GREAT READ!
Gary Dolan, USMA 1969
Author: Of Their Own Accord

[David Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

One remarkable story of two great men and two great revolutions!

"Liberty Key" is an engaging and memorable and comprehensive history of several of the major characters involved in 18th century revolutionary France and the United States. The reader discovers the personal relationship details of many known individuals including Marquis de Layette and George Washington. This is all shared from the unique and memorable perspective of the Liberty Key from the Bastille prison. This book is enjoyable and memorable and well worth the readers attention.