History
George Washington was born on February 22, 1732, at his family’s plantation on Popes Creek in Virginia’s Northern Neck, where he lived until age three and later returned as a teenager. Established by the Washington family in the 17th century, the plantation grew into a ten-room house known as Wakefield before fire and flood destroyed it on Christmas Day 1779. Like other Tidewater plantations, it relied on enslaved labor to raise tobacco. Preservation of the birthplace began in the 19th century, and the site later became a national monument with a Memorial House, artifacts from the original home, the family burial ground, and other features interpreting Washington’s early life.
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Virginia · United States
