Did you know that the father of the United States of America went to Barbados as a teenager as moral support for his ailing half-brother?
George Washington visited Barbados in 1751. At the age of 19, he accompanied his half-brother Lawrence Washington to the island, according to Mount Vernon. This was the only time Washington ever left the North American mainland. He spent about two months on the island, primarily residing at a plantation house now known as the George Washington House & Museum.
George accompanied Lawrence to Barbados, hoping the climate would cure his brother’s tuberculosis according to Wikipedia. Washington contracted smallpox during the trip, which left his face slightly scarred..
Ultimately, Lawrence died in 1752, and Washington leased Mount Vernon from his widow, Anne; he inherited it outright after her death in 1761.
