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Businessman, Agricultural Innovator, Gentleman Farmer

George Washington

Agricultural Innovator and Businessman

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Land Acquisitions and Farming

George Washington came from a long line of "self-made" men who made their living acquiring land in the new colony of Virginia beginning in 1656 when John Washington emigrated from England. George Washington made a business of land acquisitions and farming the thousands of acres he acquired through inheritance, marriage, trade and purchase.  
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Fisheries

Washington's fisheries were his biggest "money-maker" of all of his ventures. His workers and enslaved people caught 1M+ fish from the Potomac River each spring.  
His fisheries fed his enslaved and paid workers and the leftovers were sold for profit for the estate.  
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Distilleries

Washington began work on his distillery in 1797 at the behest of his farm Scottish farm manager. In the first year his distillery produced 600 gallons for a profit. In 1799 Washington's distillery was the largest in America and contained 5 copper stills. The distillery produced 11,000 gallons of whiskey in the last year of Washington's life.
Mount Vernon Virtual Tour
George Washington Digital Encyclopedia
Library of Congress: George Washington Papers
  • Home
  • About
  • Press
  • Contact
  • HIST 2111 Resources
    • Colonization in the 17th & 18th Centuries
  • GaVS Class Resources
    • GaVS World History
    • 6th Grade Social Studies
    • AP Comparative Government
  • George Washington: Gentleman Farmer
  • Spanish Colonization of the Americas
  • Colonization in the 17th and 18th Centuries
  • Exploration in the Age of Discovery
  • 8th Grade Social Studies
  • The French and Indian War
  • H.W. Brands
  • The Road to Revolution
  • HIST 2112
  • Revolution!
  • Establishing the Nation
  • Recommended Books!
  • The Early Republic
  • Jeffersonian America
  • Jacksonian America (1815-1840)
  • Westward Expansion & Industrialization
  • Sectional Conflict
  • The Road to Disunion
  • Civil War!
  • New Page