President Washington And His Wife Martha: A House Divided?

It comes as no surprise to us here at DC Insider Tours that the iconic red sandstone used to build the Smithsonian Castle was quarried by slaves.  It is widely known that slave labor was used in constructing The White House and the U.S. Capitol Building.  But what makes the below Washington Post story surprising is the fact that the slaves who worked at the quarry may have been owned by Martha Washington.  It appears that unlike her husband, President George Washington, who freed his slaves in his will, she bequeathed her slaves to her great-grandson.  And it was the stone from that great-grandson’s quarry which was used to build the Smithsonian Castle.  Check out the full story here:  click here