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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.
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The Washington Library is open to all researchers and scholars, by appointment only.
In their initial efforts to furnish the home of George Washington, the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association sought out a variety of historical relics as well as original Washington objects. When the Vice Regent for Illinois, Elizabeth Willard Barry, petitioned the Lafayette family to send any artifacts of…
George Washington wrote this manuscript just after his final defeat of the British at Yorktown. The manuscript includes two letters from Washington to Timothy Pickering dated October 30, 1781, and November 5, 1781. The letters are both in the hand of aide-de-camp Jonathan Trumbull Jr. and signed by…
In the spring of 1785, English painter Robert Edge Pine visited Mount Vernon and painted Martha Washington's four grandchildren as well as her niece. The portraits of the grandchildren were hung in the Washington's bedroom, and were among the "6 Paintings of Mrs. W-ns family [$10 each $60 total] noted…
In the spring of 1772, Charles Willson Peale visited Mount Vernon and painted miniatures of Martha Washington's children, John "Jacky" and Martha "Patsy" Parke Custis. At Jacky's insistence Martha's likeness was also captured, resulting in the earliest known depiction of her as Washington's wife. It…
In the spring of 1785, English painter Robert Edge Pine visited Mount Vernon and painted Martha Washington's four grandchildren as well as her niece. The portraits of the grandchildren were hung in the Washington's bedroom, and were among the "6 Paintings of Mrs. W-ns family [$10 each $60 total] noted…
"But when it is known and recollected that his Aspect was as Noble as his Conduct, and that his countenance corresponded with his character, it is impossible to suppress a patriotic and natural desire to behold an impressive Image of his Countenance." - Rembrandt Peale, Washington (1826) Rembrandt…
In the 1790s, a taste for large, luminescent disks made of exotic materials such as shell or stone superseded the earlier fashion for modest-sized buttons of metal or fabric. Such buttons were employed on fashionable outerwear for women, including great coats and riding habits, as well as men's coats…
In the 1790s, a taste for large, luminescent disks made of exotic materials such as shell or stone superseded the earlier fashion for modest-sized buttons of metal or fabric. Such buttons were employed on fashionable outerwear for women, including great coats and riding habits, as well as men's coats…
The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association acquired this chair in 1926 with the colorful history that it had originally been owned by Martha Washington and later given to John Hancock. The chair's style and construction, however, suggests it postdates the Washingtons' and Hancock's lifetimes.
George Washington's purchases while he was attending the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia anticipated his return to military duty. This razor case may be the "Travelling razor case ?2" he bought in May 1775. Painted with mahogany graining, the box is outfitted with a mirror, a removable…
Garnets were in vogue when Martha Washington received this necklace from England in January 1759. The semi-precious stones, ranging in color from deep pinks to purplish-reds, were probably mined in Bohemia, while the necklace's style and mounting suggest a Parisian maker. It ultimately retailed in goldsmith…
This plate-warmer is one of a pair that George Washington purchased from the New York merchants Berry & Rogers in 1790. As its name implies, it was used to heat plates prior to a meal, thus enabling diners to enjoy their food without it quickly going cold. When its open back was placed in front of a fire…
In the 1790s, a taste for large, luminescent disks made of exotic materials such as shell or stone superseded the earlier fashion for modest-sized buttons of metal or fabric. Such buttons were employed on fashionable outerwear for women, including great coats and riding habits, as well as men's coats…
In the 1790s, a taste for large, luminescent disks made of exotic materials such as shell or stone superseded the earlier fashion for modest-sized buttons of metal or fabric. Such buttons were employed on fashionable outerwear for women, including great coats and riding habits, as well as men's coats…
