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.
Modern photo of Washington's tomb at Mount Vernon (MVLA)
At the turn of the century, the rarity of a perfectly spherical natural pearl caused prices to skyrocket. Mikimoto's cultured pearl was an attractive and affordable alternative (Wikimedia)
In 1926, "The Pearl King" visited Mount Vernon and enjoyed a grated meditation at the tranquil site of Washington's Tomb. "Mikimoto often went to the little shrine at Toba [his home] to report to his ancestors... on the progress he was making. Consequently, it was perfectly natural for him to visit what he considered the shrine of the American people and report to their Number One ancestor," noted Robert Eunson in his biography of Mikimoto.
Just a few years after Mikimoto's celebrated tour of the United States - which included a visit with his hero Thomas Edison - Mrs. Woodrow Wilson visited Mikimoto on Tatoku Island in Japan and presented the inventor with a miniature sculpture of Mount Vernon. Inspired, Mikimoto spent the next 15 months crafting the pearl Mansion.
The 1933 World's FairIn 1933, the pearl model was presented as a gift to the people of the United States and exhibited at the Chicago Exposition. A part of the Century of Progress exhibit, the model was described as a "tribute of Mr. K. Mikimoto to the friendships existing between Japan and the United States." It was then valued at $500,000.
After the Exposition, Mikimoto donated the model to the Smithsonian Institution.
From left to right: Toyohiko Mikimoto, president of K. Mikimoto & Company, traveled from Tokyo, Japan for the event; Mrs. Clarence M. Bishop, Vice Regent for Oregon, spearheaded the project and hosted the cermony; Ambassador Saito, who evoked George Washington in his remarks on the relationship between America and Japan.
In the late 1990's, Mikimoto's pearl model of George Washington's home was put on loan from the Smithsonian Institute and prominently displayed in the museum at Mount Vernon.
Then president of K. Mikimoto & Company, Toyohiko Mikimoto, traveled from Tokyo with Ambassador Saito, to unveil the diminutive Mount Vernon, which measures 10 by 16 inches. Mr. Mikimoto remarked on the model's continuing symbolism as a bridge between two great nations.
In his comments about the healing that had taken place between America and Japan since the second world war, Ambassador Saito quoted George Washington, who said:
true friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shock of adversity.
Photography by Harry Connolly
The Imperial Prince and Princess Asaka in the early 20th century (Library of Congress)
Mount Vernon has attracted the interest of Japanese leaders for the past century.
In 1918, Prince Tokugawa was so impressed with the collections at Mount Vernon that he contributed $1,000, which allowed the purchase of a sash worn by George Washington during the French and Indian War.
The Imperial Prince and Princess Asaka traveled to the estate with President Calvin Coolidge in 1925.
Emperor and Mrs. Hirohito were guests at Mount Vernon in 1975. Emperor Hirohito also met with President Gerald Ford at the White House, and famously took a trip to Disneyland during his visit.
