Last updated: June 4, 2024
Article
1930s Virtual Tour of the Birthplace
The Wakefield National Memorial Association sought to honor George Washington through a commemorative landscape. The National Park Service sought to convey accurate information about the historical conditions surrounding and informing Washington’s life. The goals of both the Association and the NPS played out on the landscape during the 1930s, which created a unique visitor experience.
![Route 3 to Route 204 that would lead to the entrance of the park Route 3 to Route 204](/articles/000/images/13_12.jpg?maxwidth=650&autorotate=false)
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![Aerial View of Birthplace aerial view of obelisk and buildings](/articles/000/images/GEWA-19-Monument-Aerial-005-NPS-GEWA.jpg?maxwidth=650&autorotate=false)
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Learn more as well as view modern images of the Birthplace Monument.
![Parking Lot parking lot filled with 1930s cars](/articles/000/images/GEWA-Misc.jpg?maxwidth=650&autorotate=false)
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Read about the history of the Memorial Area.
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Learn more about the Memorial House.
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After the Colonial Revival Kitchen was viewed, Rangers pointed visitors towards the Colonial Revival Garden.
![Colonial Revival Garden person standing in garden with few plants outlining plots](/articles/000/images/20_3.jpg?maxwidth=650&autorotate=false)
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The colonial revival garden plots were mostly uncultivated in the early 1930s. A 1933 visitors guide promised a view “of many old-fashioned herbs and plants such as were cultivated 200 years ago.”
Planning disagreements between the Wakefield National Memorial Association and the National Park Service delayed the creation of an accurate garden.
The garden views improved after the plants had grown for a few years.
Learn more about the Colonial Revival Garden.
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![Nature Trail trail near water with boardwalk footbridge crossing it](/articles/000/images/12_16.jpg?maxwidth=650&autorotate=false)
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![Road to Potomac River Beach and Washington Family Burial Ground visitors walking on dirt roadway with fields on either side](/articles/000/images/VA-GEWA-19-Beach-Access-Road-Unknowns-001-NARA-57355963.jpg?maxwidth=650&autorotate=false)
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Learn more about the Washington Family Burial Ground.
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This was a much livelier area of the park as tourists and residents swam in the river and relaxed on the beach.
View modern images of the Potomac River Beach.