2010
|
New Exhibition Opens at Mount Vernon "Bringing Them Home: 150 Years of Restoring the Washington Collection" |
|
|
February 13, 2010 - January 8, 2012 |
F. M. Kirby Foundation Gallery in the Donald W. Reynolds Museum
Beginning February 13, Mount Vernon hosts a special new exhibition, Bringing Them Home: 150 Years of Restoring the Washington Collection. Organized in honor of the 150th anniversary of the opening of Mount Vernon to the public in 1860, Bringing Them Home celebrates the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association’s remarkable 150-year pursuit of original Washington artifacts. These recently returned items—which include examples of fine and decorative arts, books, and manuscripts—enrich our understanding of George and Martha Washington’s daily lives at Mount Vernon. Most items are being publicly exhibited for the first time, and many have not been at Mount Vernon since the Washingtons lived here. Bringing Them Home tells the incredible tale of how objects have returned—and continue to return—to Mount Vernon.
National Treasure Walking Tour
Returns beginning March 1 through October 31
9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m.
An hour-long walking tour takes visitors behind the scenes to areas of the Estate where filming took place for “National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets.” Tours sell-out quickly so please plan ahead. Purchasing tickets online is recommended. $5.00 per person.
George Washington’s Distillery & Gristmill
Open April 1 through October 31, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Colonial millers reveal Washington’s innovative approach to farming as they grind corn into meal and wheat into flour just as it was done more than 200 years ago. Distillers demonstrate 18th-century techniques operating five copper stills, mash tubs, and a boiler in the two-story building that also includes an office and living quarters. A museum on the second floor features a History Channel video, George Washington's Liquid Gold, and an exhibit, Spirits of Independence: George Washington and the Beginnings of the American Whiskey Industry. The reconstruction of Washington's Distillery is made possible by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.
Admission to the Gristmill is now COMPLIMENTARY for Friends and Neighborhood Friends of Mount Vernon. Tickets for the public are available at Mount Vernon’s Ford Orientation Center or at the Gristmill Shop. The Gristmill is 3 miles from the Estate’s Main Gate on Route 235 South. Free parking is available at the site.
FEBRUARY
Music at Mount Vernon
(second in a series of three concerts)
Tuesday, February 9, 7:00 p.m.
Robert H. and Clarice Smith Auditorium at George Washington’s Mount Vernon
Getting There is Half the Fun! The Mount Vernon Trolley: In 1892, the Washington, Alexandria and Mount Vernon Railway opened resulting in big crowds and the need for a new entry gate. The performance will include: Rachmaninoff’s Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 9 (Elegiaque) and Shostakovich’s Piano Trio in E minor No.2, Op. 67.
The concert will be followed by a champagne and dessert reception. Invitations have been mailed to qualified members. This event is SOLD OUT.
NOTE: The February 9th concert which was cancelled due to snow has been rescheduled for Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at 7:00p.m. This performance will feature the same musicians and pieces as originally advertised. If your schedule will not allow you to attend, we will gladly refund a portion of your subscription. Please call 703.799.8686 with any questions.
George Washington’s Birthday
Monday, February 22
George Washington’s real birthday. Please join Mount Vernon in remembering our first and greatest president’s 278th birthday!
MARCH
Flight From Monticello: Thomas Jefferson at War
(first in the Michelle Smith Lecture Series of three lectures)
March 2, 2010, 7:00 p.m.
Robert H. and Clarice Smith Auditorium at George Washington’s Mount Vernon
Michael Kranish, a reporter in the Washington bureau of The Boston Globe and co-author of the New York Times bestseller John F. Kerry: The Complete Biography, describes Thomas Jefferson’s struggles to respond while governor of Virginia during the most trying hours of the American Revolution. Kranish also paints an intimate portrait of Jefferson, illuminating his conversations, family turmoil, and private moments. As a revolutionary leader who felt unqualified to conduct war, Jefferson learned important lessons during this conflict that served him all his life.
A reception and booksigning will immediately follow each lecture. Invitations have been mailed to qualified Friends and Neighborhood Friends of Mount Vernon. Seats remain available, however participation is by subscription to the entire series of three lectures at the special members-only rate of $125. For further information, please email membership@mountvernon.org
Music at Mount Vernon
(third in a series of three concerts)
Tuesday, March 23, 7:00 p.m.
Robert H. and Clarice Smith Auditorium at George Washington’s Mount Vernon
Getting There is Half the Fun! The George Washington Memorial Parkway. America’s most modern parkway replaced the old railway in 1932, in tandem with George Washington’s 200th birthday. The performance will include: Haydn’s String Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 76, No. 4 (“Sunrise”), Barber’s String Quartet in B major, Op. 11, Verdi’s String Quartet in E minor, and Britten’s Three Divertimenti for String Quartet.
The concert will be followed by a champagne and dessert reception. Invitations have been mailed to qualified members. This event is SOLD OUT.
APRIL
Members-Only Presale for Spring Wine Festival and Sunset Tour
Monday, April 5 through Friday, April 9
Pre-Sale invitations and instructions will be mailed to qualified members.
Join us for an extraordinary evening of wine, live blues music, candlelit tours of the Mansion, and a visit with hosts “George and Martha Washington.” Sample offerings from 17 Virginia wineries, and stretch out on the lawn overlooking the Potomac River. Tickets are available to qualified members through this members-only pre-sale. On April 15, tickets became available to the general public at the Ford Orientation Center or at www.MountVernon.org/onlinetickets.
Patriot Pirates: The Privateer War for Freedom and Fortune in the American Revolution
(second in the Michelle Smith Lecture Series of three lectures)
April 13, 2010, 7:00 p.m.
Robert H. and Clarice Smith Auditorium at George Washington’s Mount Vernon
Robert H. Patton, a graduate of Brown and Northwestern Universities and the grandson of famed World War II General George S. Patton is the author of The Pattons: A Personal History of an American Family. Through extensive research and the entertaining narrative in Patriot Pirates, Patton brings to life the extraordinary adventures of privateers as they hammered the British economy, infuriated the Royal Navy, and humiliated the British crown. As one naval historian has observed, “The great battles of the American Revolution were fought on land, but independence was won at sea.”
A reception and booksigning will immediately follow each lecture. Invitations have been mailed to qualified Friends and Neighborhood Friends of Mount Vernon. Seats remain available, however participation is by subscription to the entire series of three lectures available to members at the special members-only rate of $125. For further information, please email membership@mountvernon.org
Music at Mount Vernon: RESCHEDULED FROM FEBRUARY 9
Tuesday, April 27, 7:00 p.m.
Robert H. and Clarice Smith Auditorium at George Washington’s Mount Vernon
The February concert which was cancelled due to snow has been rescheduled for Tuesday, April 27, 2010. This performance will feature the same musicians and pieces as originally advertised. If your schedule will not allow you to attend, we will gladly refund a portion of your subscription. Please call 703.799.8686 with any questions.
