Dumfries in Prince William County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Mason Locke Weems and George Washington
Photographed by Kevin W., March 10, 2025
1. Mason Locke Weems and George Washington Marker
Inscription.
Mason Locke Weems and George Washington. . Mason Locke Weems (1759-1825), minister, bookseller, and writer, owned a half-acre lot here from 1798 until 1802. Weems published the first edition of his most influential work, later known as The Life of Washington, in 1800. Widely distributed across the United States, Weems's book shaped the heroic image of George Washington in the mind of the American public. The book's best-known scene, in which a young Washington cuts his father's prized cherry tree with a hatchet, appeared in the fifth edition (1806). In this mythical story, Washington admits fault when confronted and says, "I can't tell a lie," reflecting the virtue that, according to Weems, was the foundation of his greatness.
Mason Locke Weems (1759-1825), minister, bookseller, and writer, owned a half-acre lot here from 1798 until 1802. Weems published the first edition of his most influential work, later known as The Life of Washington, in 1800. Widely distributed across the United States, Weems's book shaped the heroic image of George Washington in the mind of the American public. The book's best-known scene, in which a young Washington cuts his father's prized cherry tree with a hatchet, appeared in the fifth edition (1806). In this mythical story, Washington admits fault when confronted and says, "I can't tell a lie," reflecting the virtue that, according to Weems, was the foundation of his greatness.
Erected 2018 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number E-153.)
Marker is in Dumfries, Virginia, in Prince William County. It is on Cameron Street just west of Duke Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3914 Cameron St, Dumfries VA 22026, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area, in Northern Virginia, and in the Piedmont. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 13, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 30, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 691 times since then and 45 times this year. Last updated on April 10, 2025, by Lawrence Merle Nelson of Springfield, Virginia. Photos:1, 2. submitted on March 10, 2025, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia.
