Get to Know Stories of the Enslaved at Mount Vernon
Spend the day at Mount Vernon exploring the lives and loss of enslaved couples Boatswain and Myrtilla, and Hercules and Alice through a special guided tour and family activities.
Both enslaved families featured during this event suffered the loss of a loved one. Although a footnote to the farm management documents, the loss of young Boatswain, a son and brother, and of Alice, a mother and wife, transformed the lives of many who knew and loved them.
Fill Your Day with Activities
Learn Something New at the Activity Hub
10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Visit with Mount Vernon educators at the Tomb Grove to learn about the Slave Memorial & African American Burial Ground and how archaeology has shaped what we know about the space.
Make your own remembrance marker to place at Mount Vernon's Slave Memorial.
Take a Specialty Tour
Time TBD (Free Tour Ticket Required)
Learn about the daily lives of the men, women, and children of the enslaved community who labored and loved at Mount Vernon. Lives, Loves, and Losses is an immersive tour that offers an in-depth look at the experiences of two enslaved families—Boatswain & Myrtilla and Hercules & Alice—as they navigated love, resilience, and loss. In an hour-long tour:
- Walk the same paths as Boatswain, Myrtilla, and their children, and learn about their daily lives.
- See where enslaved women like Alice and Myrtilla worked tirelessly to produce basic textiles.
Take part in honoring their lives, their loves, and the losses that shaped their community. Immediately following this tour, accompany the guide down to participate in a moving tribute at the Slave Memorial & African American Burial Ground.
Watch the Slave Memorial Ceremony
Time TBD
Join us at the Slave Memorial & African American Burial Ground for a moving tribute. Hear select biographies of individuals from the 317 enslaved people documented as living here in 1799.
Learn about Mount Vernon’s ongoing efforts to memorialize the enslaved community, from the establishment of the 1983 Memorial—comprising three circles symbolizing faith, hope, and love—to the ongoing archaeological project, started in 2014, that continues to uncover and honor the graves within the African American burial ground.
Explore the Historic Area
Tour the Mansion
To enter the Mansion, you must reserve timed entry tickets when purchasing your ticket.
Watch Demonstrations at the Spinning House
9 a.m. - 1 p.m. & 2 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Stop by the spinning house to learn about the enslaved and hired spinners and weavers and 18th-century cloth production.
Hear From Continental Soliders
9 a.m.-4:30p.m.
Visit the Mount Vernon Military Encampment to learn about how the Revolutionary War impacted enslaved people at Mount Vernon and hear stories about enslaved and freed African Americans who assisted in the war.
Visit the Farm
See Cooking Demonstrations
9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Visit the pole shelter to learn about recipes of the enslaved community at Mount Vernon.
Explore the Daily Lives of Enslaved People at Mount Vernon Through Archaeology
2 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
Head to the replica enslaved cabin to learn about how archaeology has revealed the role of foraging and gardening in the lives of the enslaved people at Mount Vernon.
Visit Our Lives Bound Together: Slavery at Mount Vernon Exhibit
Learn about the enslaved people who lived and worked at George Washington’s five farms, gristmill, and distillery within the quarters of the historic area.
Find out how enslaved people formed families, created tight-knit communities, earned money, and acquired personal possessions.
Discover recently-excavated archaeological artifacts that highlight the humanity and work of these men, women, and children.
Explore the legacy of George Washington’s decision in his will to free those enslaved to him—the only founding father to do so—and the ongoing efforts by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association and its vital community partners to research and share the lives of people enslaved at Mount Vernon.
Lives, Loves, & Loss
Remembering the Enslaved People of Mount Vernon
Online Exhibit: "Live Bound Together"
Lives Bound Together: Slavery at George Washington’s Mount Vernon explores the personal stories of the people enslaved at Mount Vernon while providing insight into George Washington’s evolving opposition to slavery.