05/22/2026
Eighteenth-century Americans knew the importance of a sound roof… but hardly anything will last 250+ years… hence the need to tap into Washington’s Olympic Rain Forest in 1974.
In 1784, George Washington himself complained of being plagued with a leaky roof at his beloved Mount Vernon in Virginia. Replaced numerous times before, by the 1970s the roof was in need of a major overhaul in preparation for the country’s bi-centennial celebration of 1976. Since the tidewater cypress shingles of the original roof were no longer available, restoration specialist turned to the next best thing – the almighty Western Red Cedar!
And the best place to get it was right here in Washington State. In 1974, the A.E. Erickson Enterprises mill at Amanda Park on the south side of Lake Quinault provided over 30,000 sq. ft. of custom shingles to the staff at Mount Vernon. Each shingle was 18 inches long by 5 inches wide, and had a rounded end, cut by hand (giving the roof its distinct corn-cob appearance). Painted red, the Red Cedar roof didn’t quite last as long as the restorers had hoped and was replaced in 1996.
At the time Erickson also supplied shingles for the nearby Thomas Nelson Jr. House in Yorktown. Built in the 1730s, Nelson was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a Revolutionary War general, and later Governor of Virginia. His home was one of the largest and most elegant homes in colonial Virginia.
During the Siege of Yorktown in 1781, British General Cornwallis used the house as a command post. In a dramatic act of patriotism, Nelson reportedly ordered American artillery to fire on his own home to force the British out. In fact, one of those cannonballs remains embedded in the brick wall to this day.
Thank you Washington State for doing your part in preserving one of America’s most important historic sites… we think George and Martha would be proud!
