Private Room of First President Unveiled at Mount Vernon

MOUNT VERNON, Va. – After four years of research, restoration, conservation, and acquisition, George Washington’s most private room where he bathed, dressed, and worked has been fully restored and will open to the public on October 11. A media preview of Washington’s study with curatorial staff will be held on Friday, October 10 at 11:00 a.m. The center of Washington’s private life at Mount Vernon, the room itself has been restored and several “new” objects have been added to shed light on his personality. Significant original artifacts such as Washington’s presidential swivel chair and secretary have undergone extensive conservation and cleaning to recreate the appearance of the room in 1799, the last year of Washington’s life.

“More than any other room at Mount Vernon, George Washington’s study reveals details about the first president’s personality, his entrepreneurial interests, and his curiosity about the world,” said Carol Borchert Cadou, Director of Collections and Robert H. Smith Senior Curator. “Advances in scholarship and recent acquisitions have given us an unprecedented opportunity to share insight into the first president’s life in his most private of spaces.”

Approximately 60 objects will be exhibited in the study, and more than 25 of them are new to the space. Visitors will be able to see objects that Washington used during his presidency such as his swivel chair, inkstand, cutting-edge Argand lamp, and a presidential seal. Other artifacts demonstrate Washington’s practical side (an unusual “fan” chair, copy press, and an old desk “recycled” for use as a collector’s cabinet); his interest in science and the world around him (an enormous sawfish tooth, a specimen of fan coral, and surveying instruments); and his business sense (a money scale and weight set, a large iron safe, and a progressive guide to milling from 1795).

Washington’s study served as his dressing room and his office, and even Mrs. Washington would have asked permission to enter. Although the Washingtons welcomed several hundred guests as overnight visitors each year, very few would have been invited into this inner sanctum.

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Events, programs, and activities are subject to change.

Public Information: 703-780-2000; 703-799-8697 (TDD); www.mountvernon.org

Since 1860, over 80 million visitors have made George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens the most popular historic home in America.  Through thought-provoking tours, entertaining events, and stimulating educational programs on the Estate and in classrooms across the nation, Mount Vernon strives to preserve George Washington’s place in history as “First in War, First in Peace, and First in the Hearts of His Countrymen.”  Mount Vernon is owned and operated by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, America’s oldest national preservation organization, founded in 1853.  A picturesque drive to the southern end of the scenic George Washington Memorial Parkway, Mount Vernon is located just 16 miles from the nation’s capital. 

Hours of operation: April-August, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; March, September, October, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; November – February, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Regular admission rates: adults, $13.00; senior citizens, $12.00; children age 6-11, when accompanied by an adult, $6.00; and children under age 5, FREE.  Admission fees, restaurant and retail proceeds, along with private donations, support the operation and restoration of Mount Vernon.