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Cedar Shingle from Historic Mount Vernon, Number 33
This machine-made cedar roof shingle from Mount Vernon was adapted from those used by George Washington. The original fan-shaped shingles were from cypress wood and painted red to resemble wealthy European styles. Aside from impressing visitors to Mount Vernon, cypress is water resistant with a high density, making it ideal for Virginia's cold winters and hot summers. In 1993, Mount Vernon returned to hand-pressed cypress shingles, turning the old shingles like this one into collectables.
Unknown, ca 1970 |