George Washington House
Barbados has the distinction of being the only country outside of colonial America that George Washington, who became the first President of the United States, ever visited. At the age of 19, he visited the island in 1751 for two months, accompanying his brother, Lawrence, who was stricken with tuberculosis. At that time Barbados had a more developed society than that of America with better health care facilities.
While on the island, the young George was entertained at the theatre and banquets, where he met leading scientists, engineers and military strategists of the day, as he searched for a cure for his brother. He contracted smallpox but the skill of an English doctor saved him and, as a result, he acquired immunity to the virus which enabled him to survive an outbreak of the disease during the American War of Independence which killed many of his men.
And as a lasting memorial of this visit, the house where he stayed has been restored and is the site of a museum. This fact alone should make a tour of George Washington House, the place where he stayed while in Barbados, a must-do activity for all visitors from the USA.
