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It was to this small third-floor bedchamber that Martha Washington retreated after the death of her husband on December 14, 1799. The garret room, removed from the main part of the house, offered a degree of privacy for Mrs. Washington, however this was a vital area during the time that Mrs. Washington resided here. The cozy room was situated to catch the afternoon sun, and company, when wanted, was across the hall where her grandson, George Washington Parke Custis, slept. She continued to manage her household from this room until her own death two and a half years later on May 22, 1802.
This room was originally built during the first enlargement of the home in 1758, just prior to the Washingtons' marriage. In 1797, he purchased a Franklin stove for the room, indicating that it may have been pressed into use as a guest chamber after one of the bedchambers on the first floor had been converted to a parlor. Given the large number of visitors who flocked to Mount Vernon, it is certainly likely that another guest chamber was needed.
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