A tour of the Mount Vernon grounds during an especially cold Monday morning in January gave a hint of some of the harsh conditions that slave laborers must have suffered through while working at George Washington's estate in the 18th Century.

“You can't tell the story of Mount Vernon without telling the story of the slaves,” said Cathy Bonnefil, an interpreter who has worked for seven years at Mount Vernon.

Telling that story is part of Mount Vernon's observance of Black History Month this February. Interpreters will give a daily “Slave Life at Mount Vernon” tour from Feb. 1 to Feb. 28. Among the highlights of the tour are the newly-opened refurbished slave quarters. There will also be a daily wreath laying and presentation at the slave memorial site as well.

During a recent tour, Bonnefil discussed the day-to-day life of slaves at Mount Vernon. At the time of George Washington's death, 316 slaves worked at Mount Vernon, ranging from those who labored out in the field to those who worked a trade such as cooking, carpentry or masonry. The estate at the time measured 8,000 acres, including 3,000 acres of farming.

Without first-hand accounts from any of the slaves, historians have had to piece together information to reconstruct how life may have been at Mount Vernon. Much information was taken from a trash pit the laborers used at the estate.

“No one was lining up to sketch the slave quarters,” Bonnefil said.

Washington's slaves worked from sunrise to sundown six days a week, except most Sundays and a handful of holidays. During the summer, that made for 14-hour days in the Mid-Atlantic heat and humidity. Slaves were given one set of clothes in the summer and in the winter, and one pair of shoes a year.

According to Bonnefil, there's evidence that Washington's ownership of slaves differed from others. Marriage between slaves was illegal, but Washington allowed it; he refused to break up families; he hesitated to use a whip; gave time off; and when Washington died, he freed his personal servant William Lee and granted him a pension.

During the tour, Bonnefil tries to get attendees to step into Washington's mind.

“Hard to figure out why he made the decisions he did,” she said.

However, despite Washington's allowances, many slaves still tried to run away. Slavery is slavery, and freedom is freedom, after all.

“It's a story that needs to be told,” Bonnefil said. “The slaves were part of it. Their story needs to be told. It's important for our country to have this dialog.”

The Slave Life Tour runs approximately 30 minutes. Mount Vernon is opened daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Adult admission costs $15. For more details, visit www.MountVernon.org.