George Washington's Virginia

by John R. Maass

George Washington was first and foremost a Virginian. Born in the state's Tidewater region, he was reared near Fredericksburg and took up residence at Mount Vernon along the Potomac River. As a young surveyor, he worked in Virginia's backcountry. He began his military career as a Virginia militia officer on the colony's frontier. The majority of his widespread landholdings were in his native state, and his entrepreneurial endeavors ranged from the swamplands of the Southeast to the upper Potomac River Valley. Historian John Maass explores the numerous sites all over the Commonwealth associated with Washington and demonstrates their lasting importance.

224 pages, Paperback

Published April 10, 2017

Reviews

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

George Washington’s Virginia is not biography and not specifically history. It’s not exactly fascinating to read cover-to-cover. This book could be used by researchers and specifically useful for travelers visiting Washington spots in Virginia and West Virginia (which was part of Virginia in Washington’s time). It is primarily chronological.

Washington was born, raised, died and buried in his native state and many of his jobs (surveying, local politics, farming, and business) had him traveling widely. The author is a history professor and has done a lot of research on his subject. In addition to locating where Washington traveled (we all know he slept virtually everywhere) he notes houses owned by Washington, where his friends and neighbors lived, where his wife lived in her early life, where they went to church, taverns he visited (he was not a lush, taverns were where you slept when traveling), colonial government sites and primary towns such as Williamsburg, Fredericksburg, and Alexandria.

Photos, many taken by the author, run from famous sites to bare plots and dirt roads. Georgian churches and homes make for particularly good pictures. Surprisingly, many buildings are still standing, often public and can be viewed. Some are private property and must be viewed from the road, other buildings are reproductions and a good many are lost entirely.

I wouldn’t call this an A+ book but it could be useful. Great for people living in Virginia and many sites are convenient to Washington D.C.

[Megan Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Admittedly, this book is more than a little dry, filled with an abundance of names and places and directions of how to get to those places. So it doesn't make for a riveting read. But, living in Virginia and being a big fan of George Washington and surrounded by big fans of George Washington (my sister, my husband, my sons) I really enjoyed it. I have visited many of these places (I live less than 10 minutes from a bunch of them) and most of the rest of them are on my list of places to visit. So getting to hear the stories of why they were important, what their function was during Washington's life, and learning quite a few details I hadn't heard before made it a really enjoyable read for me.

[Laurie Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reads more as a tour guide narrative than any other genre. Well researched and detailed, this book provides directions to all the famous sites in George Washington’s life, as well as detailed accounts of what happened at these locations.