I visited the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth.  I came across a painting by Grant Wood (mostly noted for the American Gothic).  It was called Parson Weems' Fable.  It showed historian Mason Locke Weems pulling back a window curtain & pointing.  Outside stood a young George Washington, a chopped Cherry Tree and a reprimanding father.  I took a liking to it and bought a postcard sized copy of the piece.

Having a curious side, I decided to research it a bit.  Everyone has heard the famous [Washington] words, "I cannot tell a lie.  I did chop down the cherry tree."  I felt a little silly having gone on for so many years not knowing it was a marketing ploy for Parson Weems' book selling efforts.

M.L. Weems (1759-1825) studied theology and worked in the Episcopalian Church in London for 10 years before returning to Philadelphia and gaining employment as a book seller and author.

"He was remarkably successful in that employment, "travelling throughout the south with his books in his saddle-bags, equally ready for a stump, a fair, or a pulpit." He was eccentric in mind and manner, and whenever he heard of a public meeting he would attend it, and, collecting a crowd around him, urge on his hearers the merits of his books, interspersing his remarks with anecdotes and humorous sallies." ref

During that time, he authored The Life of George Washington.  In order to increase sales, he would create stories to raise interests and draw audiences.  One of the fables born from his stump was the cherry tree incident.  Yes - I never knew the story was made up.  I'm sure most people in this forum knew that tidbit but finding out was obvioulsy remarkable to me.  


Parson Weems' Fable