Feb 25

Feb 25 Purchasing Washington's Round Bottom - A Deal with Archibald McClean

Archibald McClean is an obscure American Founder whose purchase of land from George Washington sheds an interesting light the Ohio Valley in the aftermath of Revolution.

Since the chances of dedicating an entire other article to McClean in the future are slim, I also share a story about an embarrassing encounter he had with President Thomas Jefferson.

Property and the Proclamation Line

One of the major reasons wealthy Southerners participated in the American Revolution was the land in the Ohio Valley.

Yes, like their Northern counterparts, they were unhappy about heavy taxation.

But, many of these men owned land on the frontier that they were hoping to profit off of in the wake of the French and Indian War.

When King George drew the Proclamation Line, which prohibited colonials from going to that property, it pushed them toward rebellion.

Round Bottom

After the Revolutionary War concluded, Southern Patriots were eager to profit off of their western lands.

One of these men was General George Washington.

Unfortunately, some of the property was more difficult to sell than expected.

One of these properties was a 587 acre plot known as Round Bottom. It took Washington almost 20 years after the war to sell this tract.

Archibald McClean

Archibald McClean was a lawyer from Alexandria, Virginia who had corresponded with Washington on several occasions for business purposes.

When McClean decided to move west, he contacted Washington about Round Bottom’s availability.

After a lengthy negotiation, the two men struck a deal.

McClean would lease Round Bottom from the now-former-President for seven years, after which time he would own the property.

In exchange, Washington would take control of Archibald’s Alexandria home and rent it out at a price he saw fit.

The Collector of Revenue Kerfuffle

Unfortunately, Washington would not reap the rewards of this deal for long as he passed away the following year.

McClean relocated to Round Bottom but kept strong ties to his hometown. He would have a run in with another President shortly thereafter.

When Thomas Jefferson took office, it was thought that the position of Collector of Revenue at Alexandria would become available.

Archibald made his desire for the position known to Jefferson, but rescinded shortly thereafter when it became clear the job was not going to be open.

McClean’s father-in-law pushed the subject with the President and Archibald wrote a letter of apology to Jefferson, assuring him his wife’s parent was acting in “national interest, not private emolument.”

Here are some other articles about more important LAND PURCHASES during the American Founding:

Washington Secures Washington - The Tactics Used to Purchase America’s Captial

Alexander Macomb’s Purchase and the Panic that Ensued

Archibald McClean in super obscure and obviously does not have a biography.

I thought, since we were talking about Washington’s property this afternoon, it would be a good time to recommend a book I absolutely adore but never seem to have the opportunity to talk about…Martha Washington’s Cook Book.

If you’d like a copy you can get one through the Amazon affiliate link below (you’ll support this site, but don’t worry, Amazon pays me while your price stays the same).