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Mount Vernon, Alexandria, Virginia. Products. Herring, shad, striped bass, catfish, perch, crabs, oysters, clams. George Washington's Fishery, also referred to as the Mount Vernon Fishery, was an active part of the original Mount Vernon plantation, and an early seafood business in Colonial America. [ 1][ 2][ 3][ 4]
George Washington once wrote of Mount Vernon that the ten miles of shoreline at his estate were “one entire fishery.”. The Potomac River, he boasted, was “well supplied with various kinds of fish at all seasons of the year; and in the Spring with the greatest profusion of Shad, Herring, Bass, Carp, Perch, Sturgeon &ca.” 1 Washington, of ...
George Washington’s Fisheries. The three fisheries along the Potomac River reflect Washington’s entrepreneurial spirit. For almost 40 years, these fishing operations brought in food for his enslaved and paid workers, and by selling the surplus, provided additional profits for his estate.
In 1793, George Washington described the Potomac as "well-stocked with various kinds of fish in all Seasons of the year, and in the Spring with Shad, Herring, Bass, Carp, Perch, Sturgeon, etc. in great abundance ...the whole shore, in fact, is one entire fishery.”
Originally intended to feed the plantation’s slaves, Washington eventually recognized an enviable business opportunity and began shipping barrels of salted fish to the West Indies, recruiting a...
May 25, 2019 · Mount Vernon's proximity to the Potomac River provided George Washington with access to vast quantities of fish. In one season alone, more than one million shad and herring were pulled from the river.
Sep 25, 2021 · The three fisheries along the Potomac River reflect Washington's entrepreneurial spirit. For almost 40 years, these fishing operations brought in food for his enslaved and paid workers, and by selling the surplus, provided additional profits for his estate.
