this is a review of the geospatial timeline that until recently was featured on the Mount Vernon website. This powerpoint was created by visual teaching technologies, to find out more visit visualteachingtechnologies.com

1. Geospatially Enhancing
George Washington’s Timeline
The five fundamental themes of geography
are Location (absolute and relative),
Place
(human and physical characteristics),
Region (areas of similar physical and/or
human characteristics), Movement, and
Human-Environment Interaction.
Here we use the themes of Location,
Place, and Human-Environment
Interaction to add geospatial perspective
to four sections of the George Washington
timeline -
1753 Ohio River Valley Mission
1776 Fortification of Ft. Boston
1787 Samuel Vaughn’s Journal of
Mount Vernon
and
1790 Selecting the Site for the CapitolSource: http://www.mountvernon.org/georgewashington, accessed 11 Aug
2014

2. Ohio River Valley Mission
1753
Source: http://www.mountvernon.org/georgewashington, accessed 11 Aug
2014

3. Location: Where is the Ohio River Valley? → The Ohio River Valley does not only refer to
the modern state of Ohio.
Place: What borders and boundaries were in place in 1753? How do these borders
compare to today’s?
- Historical maps show that state boundaries in 1753 extended much further west.
This image is the title page of the journal that Major George Washington kept during his
Ohio River mission.
Maps to enhance understanding
→ http://www.loc.gov/resource/g3300.ar004200/ (date of publish: 13 Feb 1755)
Shows the world Ohio river valley as it was known in the time that Washington
conducted his mission
Compare to the modern state lines, terrain, and Scale.
→ http://www.loc.gov/resource/g3707o.ar077200/ (No date found so far --
“Before 1753”)
Shows what kind of maps existed of the Ohio River Valley during that time
period.
Good example of the way maps looked in the 1750s.
Again, line up next to modern maps to show the differences that we are talking
about.
→ http://www.loc.gov/resource/g3820.ct000361/
Washington’s own survey of the Ohio River Valley

4. Historical note: The colonies of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia all claimed land extending far beyond their modern
western borders.
Major George Washington’s mission to survey the Ohio River Valley covered terrain that was not inside the modern state of Ohio.
At the time of this mission, Washington was serving in the British Army, following orders by the colonial Governor.

5. Modern area of Ohio River Valley
mission made using
(https://www.mapbox.com/)
Compare the modern borders of states in the Ohio River Valley to the colonial territories

6. Source: The Journal of Major George Washington, Sent by the Hon. Robert Dinwittie, Esq., His Magisty’s Lieutienent Governor and Commander in Chief
of Virginia...with a New Map of the Country as far as the Mississippi (October 1753-January 1754).
University of Pittsburgh, University Library, University Library System -Internet Archive
https://archive.org/details/journalofmajorge00wash (accessed 08 Aug 2014).
This map details the area that Major
Washington scouted during the
mission covered in the interactive
timeline.
Like Slide 3, this map shows the
colonial borders of North Carolina
and Virginia.

7. Fortifying of Boston
1776
Source: http://www.mountvernon.org/georgewashington, accessed 11 Aug
2014

8. Dorchester Heights
Location- The fortifications, referenced in the
Mount Vernon timeline, were placed on
Dorchester Heights (Encyclopedia Virginia).
Period maps can be used in conjunction with
recent topographic or street maps to convey
where events occurred in the context of
modern locations.
Place- Consider the physical characteristics
of Boston and its surrounding area.
Describe these themes in 1776. How are
they different today?
** Boston in the 1700s looked nothing like it
does today → naturally Boston is a small
area of land connected by a very thin land
bridge.
Human-Environment Interaction- Consider
the physical characteristics of Boston area in
1776. What could have been environmental
challenges that would have impacted
American and British militaries as well as the
civilian population?

9. Understanding the Place - Boston Fortification in
Geographical Perspective
Maps to enhance understanding
→ http://www.loc.gov/resource/g3764b.ct000070/ (1775)
Shows the terrain that the Timeline discusses.
Other Strong Points:
Dorchester Hill clearly labeled (Even has fortifications depicted).
First map found to clearly show military placements and fortifications.
Map does a very clear job of showing natural terrain of Boston at the time of Washington’s
→ Needs to be compared to modern maps to show how much has changed.
→ http://www.loc.gov/resource/g3762b.ar094400/
1775 - Simple map of the Boston Harbor.
Less confusing to look at, still a great example of what Boston looked like in the 1700s.
→ http://www.loc.gov/resource/g3764b.wd000501/
A map of Boston 1814 -- Hales, John Groves
Good to show the changing shape of Boston → For deliverable, create stepping of images to show
the evolution of Boston’s coast.
Modern map of Boston is from Mapbox, and is an OpenStreetMap view.

10. Points of Interest in this
Image
This map depicts the “Rebel
Works” in the areas around
Boston, which is referenced
in the timeline.
1 Dorchester Heights,
Location of Washington’s
fortifications
2 Boston
[Create embedded image
that brings up the modern
Boston shoreline and
clearly illustrates landfill
that has occurred].
3 Charlestown -
Reference modern Boston
4 Illustration of troop
placements near Boston
Allow Zoom on this Image, up to
max resolution.

12. Create a zoom/fade effect that helps maintain a
mental connection with the terrain seen in the
previous image.
Create image caption that explains the two
different shorelines being shown on the same
map.
(Possibly use a color highlight that fades up on
button click to show the two different images more
easily)
This map shows the historical and modern
shorelines of Boston.
The historical shoreline is irregular and lined
in several concentric lines.

13. A plan of the town
and Harbor of Boston
Map shows the
countryside adjacent to
the road from Boston to
Concord. It illustrates
the place of the late
engagement between
King’s troops and the
Provincials, together with
the several
encampments of both
Armies in and about
Boston.
The location discussed in the timeline —Dorchester Heights--is located due south of
Boston

15. It also shows the
Headquarters of the
“Provincial Army,”
located on Water Town
Hill west of Boston.
The map shows troop
locations and movement
during and following the
opening battle of the
Revolutionary War.

17. Samuel Vaughn’s Journal of Mount Vernon
1787
Source: http://www.mountvernon.org/georgewashington, accessed 11 Aug
2014

18. Location- Absolute and Relative location of the estate.
- Where was the estate developed? Was location on the river significant? Why? Why not?
- How would someone get from Mount Vernon to Philadelphia? Yorktown? New York? To the new capitol in Washington?
- How has the proximity of Mount Vernon to other places changed over time as infrastructure (land transportation routes) and
modes of transportation changed?
Place- Physical characteristics as well as human (the built environment). Compare Mount Vernon (and environs) from 1790s to
Mount Vernon (and environs) of 2014.
Source: http://www.mountvernon.org/georgewashington, accessed 11 Aug
2014

19. Maps to enhance understanding
→ http://www.loc.gov/resource/g3882m.ct002394/
Context of the land surrounding the
estate
This map already overlays historical
and modern map data (Just needs to be done in a
more user understandable fashion.)
Modern Example →
E:VTTGoogleVernon
→ http://www.loc.gov/resource/g3882m.ct000085/
Drawn By G.W. - Good example of his
work, with signature easily discoverable by students.
Perhaps a part of this could be creating
a “See the works of Gen. Washington” section, in the
fashion of the timeline section.
→ http://www.loc.gov/resource/g3882m.ct000367/
Second maps of the Mount Vernon
Property

23. Selecting The Site of the Capital
1790
Source: http://www.mountvernon.org/georgewashington, accessed 11 Aug
2014

24. Location- Absolute and Relative. Why
was this location chosen?
Place- Compare and contrast the
physical and human (built environment)
characteristics of Washington in 1790
and 2014.