Sarah Johnson's Mount Vernon: The Forgotten History Of An American Shrine

"Sarah Johnson's Mount Vernon "brilliantly restores the contributions of African Americans to the legacy of Mount Vernon. The home of our first president, the Washingtons' magnificent estate has come to symbolize the ideals of our nation, and for the nearly one million visitors who travel there every year, it is a place where memories of the era of America's birth are carefully preserved. But behind the familiar stories lies a history those visitors never hear: the experiences of the hundreds of African Americans who played an essential part in creating and maintaining this American shrine during the century after Washington's death. Scott E. Casper rediscovers the remarkable Sarah Johnson, who spent more than fifty years at Mount Vernon, before and after emancipation. Through her life and the lives of her family and friends, Casper provides an intimate picture of Mount Vernon's operation during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, years that are rarely part of its public story. Recounting in vivid detail the lives and contributions of these African Americans, Casper adds a new layer to the story of America's most popular historical estate.