Existing comment:
Gardener's House:
"I want a Man that will labour hard, knowing at the same time how to keep a Garden in good Order and Sow Seed in their proper Seasons in ground that he has prepared well..."
-- George Washington's specifications for a gardener, November 22, 1771
This building first served as a slave hospital, then as a space for spinning wool, and finally as living quarters. William Spence, a young bachelor from Scotland, served as gardener at Mansion House Farm in 1799 and likely resided in this building. George Washington hired hardeners that had been trained in Europe and were skilled in cultivating the wide varieties of plants and seeds that he received from around the world. With the assistance of two or three enslaved gardeners, Spence oversaw the care of the upper and lower gardens as well as the orchards and greenhouse. |