Ann Pamela Cunningham Society

On a summer evening in 1853, Louisa Dalton Bird Cunningham drank in the beautiful Virginia countryside while her boat traveled down the Potomac River. As the ship turned a bend, she eagerly searched for George Washington’s beloved home, Mount Vernon.

But when the estate came into view, Louisa was shocked by what she saw. Mount Vernon was a dilapidated mess. With chipped paint, a sagging roof, and a lawn overrun with weeds, the first president’s estate looked like it had seen better days.

Louisa found it shameful that a national hero’s home had fallen into such neglect. In a letter to her daughter, Ann Pamela Cunningham, she asked:

“Why was it the women of Washington’s country did not try to keep [Mount Vernon] in repair, if the men could not do it?”

Ann agreed. Determined to right this situation, she rallied a group of women to rescue Mount Vernon. Pooling their resources, they bought the property from Washington’s great-great-nephew, John Augustine Washington III, for the equivalent of $8.9 million in today’s money. The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association was born.

Ann and her fellow volunteers knew they couldn’t steward Mount Vernon alone. The government was uninterested in funding their project, so they reached out to their fellow citizens for money to repair and preserve all 500 acres of George Washington’s historic property.

Today, thanks to the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, Mount Vernon flourishes as the most popular historic estate in America, hosting an average of 1 million guests annually. Since 1860, the estate has taught more than 96 million visitors from around the world about the life and legacy of George Washington.

To this day, Mount Vernon does not accept government funding. The generosity of people like you preserves this precious piece of American heritage.

By joining the Ann Pamela Cunningham Society and including the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association in your estate plans, you can ensure that Washington’s home remains preserved and that the story of our nation’s first president is shared with generations to come.