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The year was 1853. It was evening. A steamboat traveled down the Potomac River. As was customary, the captain tolled the ship’s bell as Mount Vernon came into view. The moon was full and the sky was clear. The east façade of the Mansion was illuminated as if it were a stage set.

The sight should have been inspirational. Many would find it so today. But on that evening in 1853, Louisa Bird Cunningham, a traveler from South Carolina found it to be absolutely dismal.

The house’s weathered paint was chipping. Its sagging piazza roof was propped up with the masts of old ships. The lawn was overcome by weeds. Before Louisa’s eyes was not a historic treasure – but rather a historic travesty.

Ann Pamela Cunningham was Louisa’s daughter and she refused to believe that the American people could stand by and do nothing as the most symbolic home from our Founding Era fell to complete ruin. She formed the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, the first preservation organization in America, to raise the funds needed to purchase and restore this most historic of American homes. Then, she put out a call for support.

Caring people from all across America – public schoolchildren in Brooklyn, New York; “Lady Managers” in Philadelphia’s Eighth Ward; Humboldt County, California; and Meriwether County, Georgia – responded to whatever degree they were able, and helped make Miss Cunningham’s dream a reality. It took time, but by 1858, the remnants of Washington’s estate had been acquired.

We invite you to participate in our now long and historic tradition with a simple tax-deductible gift. Whatever your gift, you will join with those pioneering preservationists and these remarkable 21st century supporters as a steward of Mount Vernon:

Mount Vernon is a property beyond price or replacement. Yet we receive no support from federal or state governments and it is not a national park or monument. Your kind, tax-deductible gift is truly needed to sustain our work and to keep the doors of Mount Vernon open for every guest who wishes to visit this, the home of our Founding Father.

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The year was 1853. It was evening. A steamboat traveled down the Potomac River. As was customary, the captain tolled the ship’s bell as Mount Vernon came into view. The moon was full and the sky was clear. The east façade of the Mansion was illuminated as if it were a stage set.