George Washington, best known as the commander of the American Revolution and the first President of the United States, also became a skilled entrepreneur whose innovations were crucial to the success of his Mount Vernon plantation. After years of relying on tobacco, which had exhausted the soil on his five farms and reduced both quality and profits by the mid-1760s, he switched to wheat in 1766. In 1770-1771 he built a new merchant gristmill on Dogue Run Farm, along with a mill dam and pond, a mill race, and a cooperage to make barrels for shipping. The mill produced superfine and fine flour for markets in the West Indies and Europe, while also grinding cornmeal as a dietary staple for the enslaved workers, indentured servants, paid staff, and the Washington family at Mount Vernon. In 1791, he upgraded the gristmill with Oliver Evans's patented automated flour milling system, using grain elevators and chutes to move grain and flour without manual labor, making him one of the first men in the country to install it. In 1793-1794, he designed and built a sixteen-sided treading barn on Dogue Run Farm. In 1797, encouraged by his farm manager James Anderson, Washington began distilling whiskey there; the success of the first year, using two stills in the cooperage, led to construction of a large dedicated distillery over the winter of 1797-1798. With five copper pot stills, it produced large quantities of rye whiskey in 1798 and 1799 and became Washington's most profitable enterprise.
