In 1853, Louisa Cunningham observed the dilapidated Mansion from a boat in the Potomac River. She lamented to her daughter, Ann Pamela Cunningham, that she “was painfully distressed … Why was it that the women of this country did not try to keep it in repair, if the men could not do it?"

Accepting this challenge, Ann, a mild-mannered 37-year-old from rural South Carolina, founded the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association in 1853, with the express purpose of saving Washington's home for future generations. In order to raise $200,000 - an incredible sum in the pre-Civil War period - to purchase the rapidly declining Mansion from the Washington family, Miss Cunningham and her original board of 12 determined women organized a campaign that would captivate the entire nation. In doing so, they planted the seeds for the preservation movement in America.

Edward Everett, one of the greatest speakers of his age, tirelessly traveled the nation, delivering two-hour orations on the first president, and donating his lecture fees to the purchase of Mount Vernon.  

The Vice Regent for New Jersey from 1868 until 1891, Nancy Wade Halsted challenged the Ladies to furnish each room in the Mansion. Eighteenth-century pieces were to be used wherever possible, with more recent Greek Revival and Victorian furnishings filling the gaps. Many decades would pass before the Association could furnish all rooms with original Washington pieces or very similar examples.

Thomas Edison designed and installed Mount Vernon's first electrical system in 1916. Only after considerable debate did the Vice Regents agree to Edison's proposal, finally being persuaded that the new technology for lighting would be safer than kerosene lamps.  

In 1929, the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association placed a commemorative marker noting the site of the 200-year old slave cemetery. We believe this marker to be the earliest of its kind on a historic plantation. Despite this official recognition, the burial ground lay unattended in dense underbrush for years.

Frances Payne Bolton, Vice Regent for Ohio from 1938 until 1977, spearheaded the effort to protect George Washington's view across the Potomac River. In 1974, President Gerald Ford authorized funds to establish Piscataway Park on the Maryland shoreline opposite Mount Vernon.  

Since the 1950's, most outbuildings, including the quarters of the enslaved workers, have been restored, furnished, and interpreted for visitors. The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association remains committed to protecting all features and structures related to George Washington's original plantation.

As the population of the nation's capital expanded rapidly following World War II, new developments began to threaten one of Mount Vernon's most beloved aspects - George Washington's remarkable view across the Potomac River. Led by Frances Payne Bolton, the Vice Regent for Ohio and a United States Congresswoman, the Association garnered the support of the National Park Service, Maryland neighbors, and environmentalists nationwide to preserve the opposite shoreline for future generations. Efforts to protect the view - which spans 80 square miles - continue today.

In the early 1980s, a group of citizens began a concerted eff ort to honor the enslaved people of Mount Vernon.  In 1982, a reporter from The Washington Post broadly publicized evidence of the forgotten slave cemetery. By 1983, these efforts resulted in action when the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association dedicated a new memorial, which was designed by students attending the architecture school at Howard University. Its granite column stands within circles inscribed with the words Faith, Hope, and Love.

The Association, in partnership with Black Women United For Action, now holds an annual ceremony at this spot in tribute to the generations of enslaved people who lived and worked here.

Mount Vernon has served as a "second home" to presidents, their families, and distinguished world leaders.

President George H. W. Bush and King Hussein of Jordan visited Mount Vernon on April 19, 1989. Eugenia Merrill Seamans, Regent of the Association, led a brisk tour of the Mansion and grounds before the entourage boarded a ship for a cruise back to the nation's capital.

Queen Elizabeth II and Mabel Livingstone Bishop, Mount Vernon's Regent, presided at the re-dedication of the wharf in 1991. Restoration of the wharf, built by the Ladies' Association in 1860 near the site of one of George Washington's original landings, was supported by donations from citizens of Oregon, the Regent's home state.  

The President of the United States presented the coveted National Humanities Medal for service to the nation to the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association. From left to right at the 2003 Oval Office ceremony: James C. Rees, President & CEO of Mount Vernon (1994-2012); James M. Walton; former Regent Eugenia Seamans; President George W. Bush; Regent Ellen Walton (1999-2004); First Lady Laura Bush; former Regent Mabel Bishop; former Regent Carew Lee; and Clarence M. Bishop.

From left to right at the ribbon cutting for the Ford Orientation Center: James C. Rees, President & CEO of Mount Vernon (1994-2012); Gay Hart Gaines, Regent of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (2004-2007); Sandy Ulsh, then-President of the Ford Motor Company Fund; and Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian David McCullough.

Completed in 2007, this replica slave cabin located at the Pioneer Farm helps share the story of the enslaved communities on the outlying farms of Mount Vernon.  

More than 200 years after the general wrote of his dream for a library, the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association completes the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon with the patriotic support of over 7,000 donors. Erected on the estate, this impressive 45,000-square foot facility was opened on September 27, 2013.

More than 1,200 people assembled at the Washington Library for its grand opening. From left to right on the ceremony stage: Dr. Douglas Bradburn, Founding Director of the Library; Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian, David McCullough; Curtis G. Viebranz, President & CEO of Mount Vernon; Ann H. Bookout, Regent of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (2010-2013); and Fred W. Smith, Chairman of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, which provided the lead gift for the Library campaign.  

The Library, the only of its kind dedicated to our first president, safeguards original books and manuscripts according to the highest standards. It positions Mount Vernon as the preeminent center of learning about George Washington, where scholars and researchers come together to explore new thoughts and uncover fresh insights about the Founding Era. The Library also serves as a center for educational outreach and leadership training, employing Washington's extraordinary life, achievements, and character as inspiration.

The exhibit "Mount Vernon: The Story of an American Icon," follows the evolution of Mount Vernon’s landscape from Native settlements 10,000 years ago, to George Washington’s dramatic overhaul of the house and grounds in the late 18th century, to Ann Pamela Cunningham’s innovative campaign to purchase the property in the 19th century and the MVLA’s efforts to restore Mount Vernon to its 18th-century appearance.