Generations of Americans have expressed their reverence for George Washington at his birth site. The park is the cumulative result of a century of memorial efforts.
In 1923, on the eve of the bicentennial of Washington's birth, interested citizens decided to create a memorial landscape here, including the Memorial House, colonial kitchen, brick walkways, and an extensive cedar grove. When built, the Memorial House and colonial kitchen represented a best guess at the historic appearance of Popes Creek Plantation. We now know that they bear little resemblance to the structures that stood here in 1732.
These early commemorative efforts led to the designation of Washington's birthplace as the first historic site in the National Park System in 1930. With the later addition of workshops and farm buildings, the memorial area has become a working colonial farm. Begin your walk through the farm area inside the colonial kitchen, just in front of you.
Builders of the Memorial House thought its location marked the site of the birth house. Six years later, archeologists confirmed the location of the birth house foundation, 100 feet away.
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