Preservation work never ends at Mount Vernon. We are stewards of a tremendous place, with an 18th-century historic core and landscape designed by George Washington himself. Throughout the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association’s 160-year history, we have faithfully preserved the Mansion, together with more than 30 historic and reconstructed buildings, and the landscape upon which they sit.
Advances in technology, extensive scientific analysis, and research and scholarship have revealed the challenges and new opportunities we currently face and the potential steps required to preserve and interpret these structures going forward. A comprehensive preservation effort will ensure that Mount Vernon will last for generations to come.
The Mansion bears the impact of weather and the annual visitation of more than one million people.
Thanks to ongoing research and scholarship by our staff and newly acquired historical documents, we now have the opportunity to more accurately interpret and present the rooms of the Mansion to 1799, reflecting the appearance at the time of Washington’s death and emphasizing the Washingtons’ elegant taste and vision.
We have already completed projects in the New Room, the second floor Chintz and Blue Rooms, and the Front Parlor to reinterpret daily life at Mount Vernon.
This same research and reinterpretation will be applied to other areas, including:
Essential to the preservation of the Mansion and its outbuildings, the historic landscape requires our focused attention.
Our remediation work and consultation with top engineering experts have identified long-term solutions to not only preserve the landscape, but also to save the historic structures at risk, including Washington’s original tomb.
Restoration work will also be undertaken to preserve original 18th-century outbuildings including the stable, coach house, garden houses, and new tomb. This work will ensure these structures last for generations to come so that they can continue to convey important stories about the Washingtons and life in the founding era.
Our dedicated staff, who are among the best in the country, deserve the best working spaces.
Our archaeology and historic architecture labs and workshops are woefully inadequate for the level of preservation work our team undertakes. We will make certain our professionals are working in the best possible conditions.
Join the campaign to preserve, educate, and inspire in the true spirit of George Washington and his beloved Mount Vernon Estate.
