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This cache is located on what was once George Washington's Mount Vernon Farm, the "Union Section", Field No. 7. The cache is a medium ammo can, not far from a nature trail.
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Washington Mill Park park is on farm land formerly owned by George Washington as part of his Mount Vernon estate, the "Union Farm" section, probably field no. 7. Although the park is called "mill" park, it likely does not have anything to do with the Grist Mill operations except that the land might have provided some of the corn for the mill. Mostly, this land was always farm land, homes were never built here, and then in the 1950's-60's the current neighborhoods were built.
George Washington loved farming and experimenting with different crops in the Mount Vernon Farms, which included Dogue Run, River Farm, and this Union Farm. Tobacco, alfalfa, chicory, horsebean, buckwheat, burnet, sainfoin, and other crops, including wheat and hemp, were grown in this field. Experimentation with all these many crops was one of Washington's chief delights as a farmer. He tried drill culture instead of broadcasting the seed; he varied the distance between rows; he planted potatoes and peas between the corn rows. He tried different rates of seeding, carefully noting them in his diaries and other memoranda. In Sept. 1764 he sowed oats on the Dogue Run farm to see if it could endure the winter as his wheat did. Apparently the crop failed. Learning of his interest in experimental agriculture, admirers at home and abroad were eager to assist him. If tabulated, Washington's experiments in agronomy might not appear too different from those of agronomists in the twentieth century. The nearby land remained forested, and George Washington raised his hogs in the forested portions. Instead of wood fences to pen them in, Washington experimented with hedges as fences, as is commonly done in England. This did not work. Hogs can run straight through hedge fences, and likely ruined the crops from time to time.
The neighborhood surrounding this cache is called "Mount Vernon Forest" as it lies in the portion of George Washington's forested farm area, just east of the Union Farm. This neighborhood was very likely the spot that contained George Washington's errant hogs. Some of the home styles were designed as mini Mount Vernon Mansions. You can judge for yourself if this was a good idea.
The gallery images for this cache include a map drawn by George Washington, dated December 1793. As is well known, George Washington, at the young age of 16, began working with a surveyor. At the age of 17, he was commissioned as the surveyor for newly-formed Culpper County, Virginia. He returned to surveying several times in his career. His knowledge and skills related to Land Surveying had played an important role in his own life, as well as the beginnings of the United States of America.
Please spend some time soaking in the history of this park. The cache container was provided courtesy of MGSGAGAG and The Girls and I, who distributed it through their "Cache Cache," cache.
Finally, if you see any hogs, be sure to return them to George Washington.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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