1. The property was granted to George Washington's great-grandfather, John Washington, by King Charles II of England
In 1674, John Washington and his friend Nicholas Spencer were awarded a 5,000-acre land grant from Lord Thomas Culpeper under a dispensation from King Charles II of England.
The grant consisted of a peninsula in the Potomac River, bordered by Dogue Run and Little Hunting Creek. The land would be divided equally between Washington and Spencer, but the entirety of the grant would one day become George Washington's Mount Vernon.
previous owners of mount vernon
2. The estate was named after British Admiral Edward Vernon
George Washington's half-brother Lawrence inherited the Little Hunting Creek Plantation from his father in 1743. Lawrence change the name of the estate to Mount Vernon after Admiral Edward Vernon, his old commander from the British Navy.
Lawrence had served under Admiral Vernon in 1741 during the Battle of Cartagena de Indias during the War of Jenkins' Ear.
lawrence washington
3. The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association bought the estate from George Washington's great-grand nephew in 1858
John Augustine Washington III formally took ownership of Mount Vernon in 1850, but he had been running operations at the estate for nearly a decade prior.
Augustine made unsuccessful attempts to sell Mount Vernon to the federal government, and to the state of Virginia. Thankfully, the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association stepped in to become the owner of the property in 1858. For the last 150 years, the organization has worked tirelessly to restore and maintain the Mansion, grounds, and outbuildings.