Other Useful Resources

Other Useful Resources. In The Forest. , A Cobblestone Quarry , Archaeologists and geologists agree that during George Washington's day, this area was a likely source of stone for the Mount Vernon estate. Cobbles (a naturally rounded rock fragment) were collected and used to construct the floors of the dung repository, roadways, and walks at Mount Vernon. Cobbles were also dug up from the river bank., A Forest Medicine Chest , Trees, shrubs, and herbs found in the forest provided medicine for 18th-century households. Many of the treatments were developed by Native Americans and passed down the colonists., Did You Know? , These are different ways that medicines were prepared in the 18th century. Do any of these techniques seem familiar., Poultice , A plant is cooked to a thick paste, spread on a piece of cloth, and applied externally., Decoction , After a plant is boiled in water or wine, the resulting liquid is swallowed., Pill , A dried plant is ground to a powder, mixed with syrup, and formed into little beads that are swallowed., [Caption:] , Just a few yards to the north, Washington discovered an outcropping of sandstone, a rock composed mainly of quartz and feldspar. The walls of Washington's Distillery were built of sandstone blocks cut from this quarry.