How Hemptique became involved replicating an 18th-century hemp sash cord, strand by strand, for one of America’s most treasured landmarks.

It began with a phone call. On the other end of the line was Thomas A. Reinhart, Director of Architecture and Preservation at George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Reinhart explained that his team was deep into a meticulous restoration of the Mansion’s historic rooms — and that they needed something very specific: a faithful replica of the original hemp sash cords, the slender ropes that once allowed Washington himself to raise and lower his windows.
Mount Vernon’s preservation team had been careful to save lengths of the original sash cord during the restoration work — enough to be examined in detail for replication. Those surviving lengths revealed everything: the twist, the ply structure, the diameter, and the distinctive two-tone character of the cord. Reinhart needed someone who could match it exactly. He had found Hemptique, and he believed they were the right people for the job.

Peter Nyari, founder of Hemptique, took the call and felt the weight of the request immediately. The standard was unambiguous: match the surviving original in every particular — the same style, the same twist, the same diameter, the same colors. Not aged. Not approximate. Exact.

“When Tom called, we understood right away that this was not a commercial order,” Peter recalls. “This was an invitation to become part of American history. We had one chance to get it right, and we were determined to honor that.” From that moment, Peter Nyari personally took charge of every aspect of the project, from sourcing and specification to the final approval of the finished cord.

What George Washington Bought in London

Hemp rope was the material of the 18th-century world. Strong, durable, naturally resistant to wear — it held up ships’ rigging, baled harvests, and yes, balanced the counterweighted sashes of a gentleman’s windows. Washington himself was known to have sourced fine goods, including rope and cordage, from London merchants who supplied the colonial elite.
Mount Vernon’s preservation team had recovered fragments of the original sash cord — nailed directly to the surviving 18th-century window sashes that, in some cases, had not been removed since their installation. These fragments revealed the cord’s two-tone identity: Madder Red — a rich crimson derived from crushed beetles and dye plants used across Europe — twisted together with natural hemp, creating the distinctive red-and-white braid that became our blueprint. 

The diameter was recorded at 5.5 to 6 millimeters. The twist, the ply structure, the drape — all documented. Now it had to be made again, as if Washington had just ordered it himself. 

Producing an authentic replica of an 18th-century twisted hemp cord is not a task for a machine programmed with modern tolerances. It requires a craftsman who understands fiber, tension, and tradition — and the patience to get it right through trial and refinement rather than assumption.

A Master Rope Maker in Hungary

Peter Nyari knew exactly who to turn to: Peter Nagy, a rope maker based in Hungary with hands-on experience in traditional cordage. Working from the detailed specification sheet Hemptique had prepared — along with photographs and measurements taken directly from the lengths of original cord saved by Mount Vernon’s preservation team — Nagy set about recreating each element: sourcing the correct grade of natural hemp fiber, preparing the Madder Red dye in the traditional method, and twisting the plies to match the structure and tension of the surviving original.
Sample runs were produced and tested — for strength, for appearance, for authenticity. The cord had to hold the weight of an 18th-century window sash and had to look, to a conservator’s trained eye, exactly as Washington’s cord would have looked when first installed. There was careful back-and-forth with the Mount Vernon team until the samples met the required standard. 

As the project moved into its final stages, Peter Nyari traveled to Hungary personally — to review the production, work through the remaining details with Peter Nagy directly, and ensure that the finished cord was everything Mount Vernon had asked for before a single meter left the workshop.

Project 
Specifications

PRODUCT NAME

Washington Hemp Rope / Sash Cord
George Washington’s window sash replica

TOTAL PRODUCTION

460 Meters
Full mansion sash cord replacement

COLORWAY

Madder Red & Natural Hemp
Cochineal / Madder beetle dye process

FIBER

100% Natural Hemp
The same fiber Washington sourced in London

DIAMETER

5.5mm – 6mm
Replicated from 18th-century fragments

STANDARD

5Historically Exact
Approved by Mount Vernon conservators

460 Meters of 
Living History

Once approved, the full production run began. The scope was significant: 460 meters of replica sash cord, each meter identical to the last, each twist replicating the hand of an 18th-century London rope maker. 

Peter Nagy worked with careful discipline, maintaining the consistency of color, diameter, and ply throughout. There was no room for variation — in a restoration of this caliber, even a slight deviation in the twist angle would be detectable. Every meter that left the workshop had to be every meter that George Washington would have recognized. 

When the cord was delivered to Mount Vernon and installed in the restored rooms — the Blue Room, the Front Parlor, and across the Mansion’s historic windows — it passed the most demanding test of all: the approval of Thomas Reinhart and his team of architectural conservators, professionals who had spent careers studying Washington’s estate down to the finest material detail. 

It held. In every sense of the word.
George Washington grew industrial
hemp at his Mount Vernon estate for
practical uses like rope and canvas.

Woven Into the Story of a Nation

There is something quietly extraordinary about this project. Not the scale of it — though 460 meters of hand-crafted, historically-accurate rope is no small achievement. Not the technical difficulty — though replicating a 250-year-old fiber process requires knowledge that very few people in the world still hold. 

What is extraordinary is the continuity. Hemp fiber accompanied George Washington as he built his world at Mount Vernon. It held his windows open in summer, let in the Potomac breeze, framed the view he looked out upon as he became the first President of the United States. And today, thanks to the scholarship of Thomas Reinhart, the skill of Peter Nagy, and the determination of Peter Nyari, it holds those same windows open still.
We are profoundly honored to have been chosen for this collaboration. We are proud that Hemptique hemp — the same extraordinary natural fiber we champion every day — has now been woven permanently into the fabric of American heritage. And we are grateful to the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association for their trust, their exactness, and their unwavering belief that history deserves nothing less than the real thing. 

Hemp is not just a product. It is a thread that runs through the story of this country. We are proud to carry it forward.

Photos: https://www.mountvernon.org
https://www.mountvernon.org/preservation/restoration-projects/completed-restoration-projects/front-parlor/restoration-of-george-washingtons-front-parlor