Looking up the road, and away from the mansion, a vine-covered stone ramp rises from the earth. This and the large rocks, loosely ordered into a rectangle, are the only above-ground remains of a painted, wooden stable. The ramp once led to a large set of doors that opened into a lofty space. It housed the Mason family’s horse-drawn vehicles, those of their visiting family or friends, saddles, harnesses, and other items. The ground level of the structure contained stalls for the horses that pulled the carriages or carried riders. An enclosed yard extended into the meadow beyond.
Many people entered and exited this energetic facility: enslaved ferriers, stable hands, uniformed grooms and child-aged, carriage outriders appear to have been, at one time, supervised by a German indentured servant. More often than not, they likely saddled riding horses for members of the Mason family. Ann Mason,according to her son John, especially enjoyed riding. In fact, she “rode on horseback. . .often. . .when in health.” Ann and George were frequently joined on recreational rides by their neighbors, Martha and George Washington.
The Mason’s had at least one carriage that comfortably conveyed them to destinations like the capital of Virginia, Williamsburg, more than 130 miles south. Luxuriously upholstered, and manned by two or more enslaved servants, this vehicle probably moved a fast, 8-12 miles per hour. This kind of freedom of movement was something few, enslaved or free, enjoyed at the time. Only the incredibly wealthy could afford to travel so far. Most people did not stray more than ___ from the place they were originally born.
Just because one could travel did not necessarily mean they did. In fact, Mason frequently remarked that long trips were especially uncomfortable for him. In 1780, he wrote to a friend, confiding that “frequent Threat’nings from a wandering Gout; […] makes it very unsafe for me to undertake a Journey.” Consider then what a commitment it was for Mason and his enslaved servants to travel to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia and briefly to New York City with his son, John, in 1787.
His last long journey ended poorly as he was returning that fall, when his carriage was overturned just outside of Baltimore. He confessed to George Washington, “I got very much hurt in my Neck & Head.” Mason preferred to receive visitors at his home, rather than traveling to them. His son, John, recalled that “Travelers of distinction often [called] & [passed] a night or several days at the houses of the Virginia gentlemen near the Public Road.” A little over a year before Mason died, Thomas Jefferson assured him that “Certainly whenever I pass your road I shall do myself the pleasure of turning into it.” Indeed, he is believed to be the last guest to see George Mason before he died in October 1792.
