A Light on Slaves' Lives

Model Cabin at Mount Vernon Fulfills a Curiosity About the Toiling Hundreds

By Annie Gowen

Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 20, 2007; Page B01

Joann Bagnerise couldn't bring herself to visit George Washington's home at Mount Vernon, driving by without stopping, thinking too much about the hundreds of slaves who had labored in the mansion and fields beyond the brick walls.

Even yesterday, as the Dumfries resident sat in the warm sun near the estate's new model of a slave cabin, she said she was filled with conflicting emotions.