Inkandescent Students Take Us Inside George Washington’s 16-Sided Barn at Mount Vernon

Did you know that George Washington invented and designed a 16-sided treading barn for processing wheat on his plantation at Dogue Run Farm? It was in the fall of 1792, and the barn was desperately needed on Dogue Run—one of five working farms on Washington’s 8,000-acre estate.

“The new barn was to perform the same function as the English-style barns Washington had been studying for many years—for grain processing and storage—but
in a radically different manner and with several novel features,” explains Deborah Colburn, Interpretive Programs Supervisor of the Historic Trades at George Washington‘s Mount Vernon.

Be sure to watch our video featuring Colburn, who takes three of our Inkandescent Kids — AJ, Avery, and Callie — inside the barn for a history lesson. Thanks to these students from Longfellow Middle School in Fairfax County VA, for being our reporters for the day.