Mount Vernon Ladies Association Archives
The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association Archives contains materials by and about the Association's founder, Ann Pamela Cunningham, the 19th-century Vice Regents and superintendents (Upton H. Herbert, James M. Hollingsworth, and Harrison Howell Dodge), and the Association's first secretary, Sarah Tracy. The archives document the activities of the Association and its board members beginning in 1858 up to the present day. Archival holdings include about 6,000 letters between the Ladies, financial supporters, advisers, and the last family member to own the estate, John Augustine Washington. There are also minutes, reports, deeds, surveys, ledgers, visitor registers, scrapbooks, daily diaries, photographs, films, and audio/video recordings. These records document attitudes toward preserving the past, changes on the estate, and the image of George Washington. The significance of these materials consistently increases as they are used by scholars studying the history of preservation as well as the activities of the first national women's organization in America.
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