Existing comment:
Stove Room:
The stove room provided heat that palms, orange trees, lemon trees, and other tropical plants in George Washington's greenhouse needed to survive Virginia winters. Hot air from the stove flowed through a series of flues into the greenhouse floor next door. Fueling this fire consumed extensive quantities of wood, cut and split by Mount Vernon slaves. Keeping the fire going day and night required an enslaved man or boy to sleep in this room from late fall to early spring. The stove room and sleeping quarters on either side also helped to insulate the greenhouse from cold outside air. |