Open 365 days a year, Mount Vernon is located just 15 miles south of Washington DC.
From the mansion to lush gardens and grounds, intriguing museum galleries, immersive programs, and the distillery and gristmill. Spend the day with us!
Discover what made Washington "first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen".
The Mount Vernon Ladies Association has been maintaining the Mount Vernon Estate since they acquired it from the Washington family in 1858.
Need help with homework? Our Digital Encyclopedia has all of the answers students and teachers need.
The Washington Library is open to all researchers and scholars, by appointment only.
American demand for exotic Chinese imports increased with the onset of direct trading between China and the United States in 1784. The Washingtons’ purchases of Chinese lacquer ware may have included this portable writing desk, a luxurious but functional item that made it possible to write a letter…
A standard set of bedding in the late eighteenth century included a pair of blankets, sheets, and a coverlet. Rose blankets derived their name from the colorful, abstract designs, often called roses or rosings, embroidered at their corners. Produced in a variety of widths and qualities, they were acquired…
At Martha Washington's invitation, French officers of General Rochambeau's army dined at Mount Vernon on July 20, 1782. The Comte de Custine de Sarreck, commander of the Saintonge regiment, sent ahead of his arrival a splendid tea and coffee service specifically made for the Washingtons at his Niderviller…
When financier and art collector William Wilson Corcoran acquired this dish, it came with a history of having been owned by George Washington. No evidence to confirm this tradition has come to light, but Washington would likely have been familiar with similar wares used in the homes of his contemporaries…
In the early nineteenth century, cabinetmakers and their customers referred to high-back, upholstered armchairs as lolling chairs, intended for "lolling" or reclining in a relaxed posture. Antiquarians later dubbed them "Martha Washington" chairs, perhaps in honor of their regal simplicity and distinctly…
Throughout the Revolutionary War, the security of his official correspondence and orders was a perpetual concern for General George Washington. In the intervening weeks between the British evacuation of Boston and his departure to defend Manhattan, Washington obtained this hair travelling trunk to contain…
Generations of Americans have treasured mementoes of George Washington, large and small. This relic features a fragment of porcelain bearing the insignia of the Society of the Cincinnati which Washington purchased in 1786. Pieces of an oak tent pin used with Washington’s wartime sleeping tent comprise…
From his camp at Valley Forge, George Washington honored a request made by Catharine Wilhelmina Livingston by sending a lock of his hair to her enclosed in this letter. Catharine, known as "Kitty", was the daughter of William Livingston, the governor of New Jersey and a personal friend of George Washington…
In the late 1790s, George Washington gave this diminutive trunk to the infant child of his eldest granddaughter, Eliza Parke Custis. According to an inscription on the inside of the trunk, Eliza retained the keepsake to preserve it for when her daughter could appreciate its significance. A second inscription…
Martha Washington is believed to have made this needle book. Although the embroidery is purely decorative, the form it covers is elegantly functional. Intended to be hung from the waistband by the grosgrain ribbon, the needle book safely stored needles in the layers of wool between its stiff walls. The…
Martha Washington is believed to have embroidered this elegant pincushion during the winter encampment at Valley Forge as a present for the daughter of her host. Worked in silver wrapped thread and colorful silks, the small item would have made a large impact. Characteristic of Martha's industry and…
In 1766, Martha Washington acquired from London upholsterer Philip Bell the materials needed to create "one dozn. Chair bottoms." Over the next thirty-six years, she carefully cross-stitched a scallop-shell design she herself possibly created. While she may have intended for the canvases to upholster…
