Records show that this burial ground, near the Washingtons' own tomb, was a cemetery used by slaves and free blacks in the 18th and 19th centuries. Ground penetrating radar indicates that as many as 75 graves exist on this hillside; however, no markers survive to identify the people buried here. Records do show that William Lee, General Washington’s personal servant during the Revolutionary War, and the only slave granted freedom immediately upon the death of Washington, is buried here. 

In 1929, the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association placed a stone marker to commemorate the site. In 1983, a Slave Memorial, designed by students from Howard University, was erected at the Slave Burial Ground, honoring the men, women, and children who served in slavery at Mount Vernon. The words Love, Hope, and Faith are inscribed on the steps of the memorial.