Punt

Washington’s estate was composed of five farms. Anderson lived and worked at Mansion House Farm, whereas his family lived at River Farm. His wife, Agnes, was a field-worker there. By 1799 the couple had six children: Heuky, Cecelia, Anderson, Ralph, Charity, and Charles, all of whom lived with their mother. These two farms were separated by Little Hunting Creek.²

Anderson had a small boat, called a punt, which he may have kept to expedite visits to his family at River Farm. A punt is a flat-bottomed boat with a square-cut bow, designed for use on small rivers or other shallow water. Smaller punts can hold one to two people, while larger ones might hold four. Records, such as farm reports, show punts were used to transport goods between Washington’s farms and from Mount Vernon to Alexandria and Georgetown.

Craftsmen like Sambo Anderson typically visited families on Sundays, their only day off, and occasionally at night during the week. In January 1798 the farm manager noted to Washington that Anderson was unable to work for a day because he was “stopped by the Creek being high.” Did rising water unexpectedly extend a weeknight visit to his wife and children?³

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