From the mansion to lush gardens and grounds, intriguing museum galleries, immersive programs, and the distillery and gristmill. Spend the day with us!
The Library frequently hosts a variety of dynamic events, welcoming established scholars, leaders, and experts from numerous fields.
Upcoming Events
Supreme Court Lecture Series: Washington's Heir
The Supreme Court Historical Society and the Washington Presidential Library are joining together to present two lectures focused on George Washington, the history of the U.S. Supreme Court, and the nation's founding.
This segment, taking place in the Court Chamber, features the first biography of George Washington's extraordinary nephew, who inherited Mount Vernon and was Chief Justice John Marshall's right-hand man on the Supreme Court for nearly thirty years.
A reception with complimentary beer, wine, and hors-d'oeuvres will take place after the lecture. Tickets are available only as a two-lecture package.
The Pursuit of Happiness is a fascinating examination of what “the pursuit of happiness” meant to our nation’s Founders and how that famous phrase defined their lives and became the foundation of our democracy.
A book signing and reception with complimentary beer, wine, and hors-d'oeuvres will take place after the lecture.
This event is part of the 2024 Michelle Smith Lecture Series.
Bring your lunch and learn more about George Washington's world, the Washington Presidential Library’s important map collection, and the American Revolutionary Geographies Online (ARGO) web portal in our ARGO Brown Bag lunch series.
Join us for lunch and compelling discussion with author Brook Manville, who will discuss his new book, The Civic Bargain: How Democracy Survives.
This event is part of the Washington Library's new Lunch at the Library series. A boxed lunch (including sandwich or salad, fruit, pasta, cookie, chips, and drink) will be provided.
Hear from historian Talmage Boston, author of How the Best Did It:Leadership Lessons from our Top Presidents.
Talmage Boston's new book is an accessible and insightful explanation of how the most important leadership traits from America’s eight greatest presidents can be implemented by today’s leaders. It is a discerning examination of what can be learned from some of our most effective leaders who have held—and wielded—ultimate power at the highest level.
Attendees will have the opportunity to submit questions and have their books signed.
In 1774, on the eve of the American Revolution, George Washington began a major expansion of his home, a building whose foundations dated to the 1730s. It was a project that he maintained throughout the war and that he continued after his triumphant return to Mount Vernon.
Inspired by the work that began 250 years ago, the 2024 Mount Vernon Symposium will explore the art and architecture of the British Atlantic in the long-eighteenth century, exploring the connections between and comparisons of British and American practices in the years preceding and surrounding the American Revolution.
Join leading curators, historians and preservation experts as they examine the diffusion of British style and tastes, from Boston to Charleston, and from England and Ireland, to the Caribbean and the Chesapeake.
Hear from University of Miami professor Ashli White, author of Revolutionary Things: Material Culture and Politics in the Late Eighteenth-Century Atlantic World.
Dr. White's new book examines how objects associated with the American, French, and Haitian revolutions drew diverse people throughout the Atlantic world into debates over revolutionary ideals. She explores the power of material things and visual images to express the fervor and fear of the revolutionary era.
Attendees will have the opportunity to submit questions and have their books signed.
Bring your lunch and learn more about George Washington's world, the Washington Presidential Library’s important map collection, and the American Revolutionary Geographies Online (ARGO) web portal in our ARGO Brown Bag lunch series.
Join us for lunch and compelling discussion with authors Lori Ann LaRocco and Abby Wallace, who will discuss their new book, Embracing Your Past to Empower Your Future: Four Families Descended from Slaves Reflect of Stories of Strength, Love, and Gratitude.
This event is part of the Washington Library's new Lunch at the Library series. A boxed lunch (including sandwich or salad, fruit, pasta, cookie, chips, and drink) will be provided.
As the wife of the nation's first president, Martha Washington truly defined the new role of First Lady of the United States. Hear how she and other First Ladies influenced American society, policy, diplomacy, and life, and how many of them broke barriers to make a mark on our country and, at times, the world.
This event features Diana B. Carlin, Anita B. McBride, and Nancy Kegan Smith, authors of the new book, Remember the First Ladies: The Legacies of America’s History-Making Women.
Following the lecture, guests will enjoy a reception that includes wine and beer, and a book signing.
Bring your lunch and learn about Library Fellow Lucy Smith's research project, The Atlantic Bite: Circulation, Economy, and the Meaning of Teeth in George Washington’s World.
Hear from popular historian Richard Brookhiser, author of Glorious Lessons: John Trumbull Painter of the American Revolution.
Brookhiser examines the complicated life and legacy of John Trumbull, whose paintings portrayed both the struggle and the principles that distinguished America’s founding moment.
Attendees will have the opportunity to submit questions and have their books signed.
To mark the 250th anniversary of the Fairfax Resolves, a central document in the coming of the American Revolution co-authored by George Mason and George Washington, join emerging and leading historians for a two-day conference which will examine the origins and causes of the War for American Independence.
Join us for lunch and compelling discussion with Mottahedeh President Wendy Kvalheim, who will discuss her new book, Splendid Settings: 100 Years of Mottahedeh Design. This beautiful new publication is for china and porcelain collectors everywhere, and includes tips on entertaining and many beautiful illustrations.
This event is part of the Washington Library's new Lunch at the Library series. A boxed lunch (including sandwich or salad, fruit, pasta, cookie, chips, and drink) will be provided.
Hear from University of Notre Dame professor Katlyn Carter, author of Democracy in Darkness: Secrecy and Transparency in the Age of Revolutions.
Dr. Carter examines how debates over secrecy and transparency in politics during the eighteenth century shaped modern democracy. This new book rehapes our understanding of how government by and for the people emerged during the Age of Revolutions.
Attendees will have the opportunity to submit questions and have their books signed.
Join us for lunch and compelling discussion with author Jennifer London, who will discuss her new book, Profiles in Character: Sixteen Americans and the Traits that Defined Them. This fascinating new publication delves into individual character attributes that shaped and informed these important Americans in their vital roles in history.
This event is part of the Washington Library's new Lunch at the Library series. A boxed lunch (including sandwich or salad, fruit, pasta, cookie, chips, and drink) will be provided.
Hear from historian Michael D. Hattem, author of The Memory of '76: The Revolution in American History.
In this new book, Dr. Hattem examines the surprising history of how Americans have fought over the meaning and legacy of the Revolution for nearly two and a half centuries.
Attendees will have the opportunity to submit questions and have their books signed.
Supreme Court Lecture Series: Making the Presidency
The Supreme Court Historical Society and the Washington Presidential Library are joining together to present two lectures focused on George Washington, the history of the U.S. Supreme Court, and the nation's founding.
This segment, taking place at Mount Vernon, features an authoritative account of the second president of the United States that shows how John Adams's leadership and legacy defined the office for those who followed and ensured the survival of the American republic.
A book signing and reception with complimentary beer, wine, and hors-d'oeuvres will take place after the lecture. Tickets are available only as a two-lecture package.
