Mount Vernon Mansion

Here follows an excerpt from the 1970 Fairfax County Master Inventory of Historic Sites which contained entries from the Historic American Buildings Survey Inventory:

Mount Vernon:
Under the direction of George Washington, Mount Vernon was transformed from the cottage it had been in 1742 to the mansion it became in 1787. This was not done in a single operation, but rather in a series of alterations and additions.

In 1742, Lawrence Washington, half-brother to George Washington, built a small house on property which had been purchased by his father. George Washington later rented this house from Lawrence's widow, Anne Fairfax Washington, and on her death in 1761 acquired title to the estate. The original house was one and one-half stories high and extended only the length of the five central openings on the first floor. In the 1757-58 alterations, the house was raised another story, and in 1776-79 was lengthened from five to nine bays. The pediment was added in 1778 and the cupola finial in 1787. The interior is distinguished by excellent Adamesque carving on many of the ceilings.

During Washington's many lengthy absences from Mount Vernon, his cousin, Lund Washington, managed the estate, and their voluminous correspondence has been a major source of information. Many changes were made in the structure by the Washington heirs; but, since 1858, under the ownership of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, the house has been restored and, wherever possible, furnished to conform to its appearance as Washington knew it.

There are some sixteen outbuildings in the exhibition area of the estate, including the greenhouse, stable, wash house, kitchen, and a museum. These have either been restored or reconstructed according to Washington's plans for Mount Vernon. Both George and Martha Washington are buried in the family tomb which overlooks the Potomac River.

Mount Vernon is listed on the National Register of Historical Places.


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Here follows an excerpt from the Clio Foundation website as written by John Cross:

Introduction
Mount Vernon, located in Fairfax County, Virginia, was the plantation home of George Washington, the first President of the United States. This scenic property alongside the Potomac River was first owned by Washington’s great-grandfather in 1674, who transformed the land into a successful tobacco plantation using slave labor and indentured servants. George Washington came into possession of the estate in 1754, when he was about 23 years old, but he didn’t become the property’s sole owner until 1761. The estate served as the centerpiece of Washington’s military and political life, and the site stands as a powerful symbol regarding the birth of the American nation. In 1858, the deteriorating mansion at Mount Vernon and a portion of the original land was purchased by the Mount Vernon Ladies Association, with the intention of restoring the estate to its original grandeur. Now a non-profit organization, the Mount Vernon Ladies Association continues to maintain and operate the estate. Today, George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate is one of the most popular historic sites in the country. By visiting the mansion, gardens, outbuildings, memorials, and museum, visitors can enrich their understanding of the Washington family, the Revolutionary War, and the early Republic. Mount Vernon is both a National Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Backstory and Context
Early History of Mount Vernon
The history of the Mount Vernon estate began with George Washington’s great-grandfather, John Washington, who came to the Colony of Virginia and settled the Little Hunting Creek (Mount Vernon’s original name) plantation in 1674. The property, consisting of about 5,000 acres of land along the Potomac River, descended in the Washington family to George’s father, Augustine. In 1735, when George Washington was about three years old, Augustine and his family moved from “Wakefield” to the site. George Washington inherited the property after his half-brother’s death in 1752, but he was unable to take up residence at Mount Vernon because of his military service. It was only after his marriage to Martha that George began residing in the property, making massive improvements to the structure. George and his family lived there for 15 years until he was called back into public service for the Revolutionary War.

Following the War, George returned to Mount Vernon, where he continued his agricultural prospects and committed to massive landscaping improvements. However, he had to leave again in 1789 when he was elected to be the first President of the United States. During his two terms, George is estimated to have spent about 434 days in residence at Mount Vernon. He returned to his estate after the presidency, conducting repairs and gardening as well as socializing and entertaining guests.

On December 12th, 1799, Washington set out to explore his property on the cold and wet winter day. After spending all day in the fields looking and exploring, he then ate supper without changing the clothes he was wearing. He awoke the next morning with a severe sore throat, which became increasingly hoarse as the day went on. On December 14th, Washington died in his Mount Vernon home. Although he was first buried in the United States Capitol, he was later transported back to Mount Vernon to be buried in the family’s tomb in 1837.

Mount Vernon in the 19th and 20th Century
Following Washington’s death in 1799 and Marsha’s death in 1802, the property was passed to his nephew, Bushrod Washington, and then to his great-grandnephew, John Augustine Washington III. By the 1830s, proceeds from the farm were low, funds had dwindled, and the wear and tear of hundreds of visitors to Mount Vernon took its toll. John Augustine Washington III was unsuccessfully in selling the mansion until 1858, when the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association bought it for $200,000 (equivalent to about $5,539,455 in 2015).

Through the Association, Mount Vernon was fully restored. Independent of the US Government, this Association and its superintendents of the property successfully doubled the acreage, collected numerous historic artifacts and other items, and put in place a number of improvements George Washington had planned but was never able to complete.

By December 19th, 1960, Mount Vernon was designated a National Historic Landmark, and it was later listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Education Features For Visitors
Today, George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate features countless offerings to guests. In fact, since 1860 when it opened to the public, the site has been one of the nation’s most popular historical sites, entertaining and informing over 85 million people. Guests today can tour through the mansion and other original structures, including the tomb of George and Marsha Washington. Furthermore, structures such as a reconstructed distillery, the Pioneer Farm, and other buildings offer a poignant and nuanced view into George Washington’s life and business enterprises. Other educational features of the site include the Ford Orientation Center, the Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center, and the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington at Mount Vernon.


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Here follows an excerpt from local author and historian Mary B. Lipsey's "This Old House: Annandale, Springfield, Burke & Beyond" presentation:

I'm basically going to give you a little bio about the house, et cetera. It was Washington family property in 1674. George Washington inherited Mount Vernon, as it was called by his brother Lawrence Washington, and he had it from 1761 to 1799, and built it to what we know today. In 1851, John Augustine Washington managed the property for his mother. When she died, he became the manager and owner of the property. He was a great nephew of George Washington. He considered it a white elephant who wants this thing, and so he decided that he would offer it up for sale.

He made some requirement that it had to be kept as a historic site, so no condominiums, no high rises, et cetera. It would be a historic site. He offered it first to the federal government, who were not interested. He offered it to the state of Virginia, who were also not interested. News articles are going out there saying Washington's bones are for sale because he and Martha are buried on the property. It was in 1853 that Louise Cunningham was aboard a boat on the Potomac River late at night under a full moon, knowing that she's going to be passing Mount Vernon and she looks over in the direction after she hears a bell ring. I'll talk about that bell in a minute, but that's what she saw. She saw the columns were about to fall over, that there was no paint, et cetera. She wrote a letter to her daughter in South Carolina Ann Pamela Cunningham talking to her about the terrible conditions at Mount Vernon.

Her daughter decided that if the men aren't going to take care of it, let the women do it. Here is your quote, "If the men of America had seen now the home of its most respected hero to go to ruin, why can't the women of America band together to save it?" That began the Mount Vernon Ladies Association, and people were asked, women were asked all over the United States from the north to the south. Remember, this is not that far from the Civil War to set up the Mount Vernon Ladies Association organization. They went to John Augustine Washington, Ann Pamela Cunningham did, and told them their plan to buy it. He says, "no women can't do it." He went to his wife who said, "You're going to let them do it."

So with lawyers and everything, the cost was set at $200,000. This is in 1855, $200,000 to be paid with an $18,000 deposit and four installments annually due on George Washington's birthday. So that was for the mansion and for 200 acres. These women worked all over the United States. They got favorite popular speakers to come. Ann spoke before Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg. They did little flyers and little brochures to give money. John Augustine Washington was appalled and really astounded that on that first installment, $18,000 was there and every installment later they made it. So they took over on George Washington's birthday. In February 1860, Ann Pamela Cunningham moved in. She hired a young woman through an ad in the newspaper, and her name was Sarah Tracy, who was going to be her secretary.

There were a few things left inside the house. There was camping equipment, there were some tools. There was a clay bust of George Washington. There was the key to the Bastille. That's kind of important. Lafayette left it behind. But as the war approached, it got more difficult, especially for Ann Pamela Cunningham. Ann is from South Carolina and she finds out her father is ill. She wants to go back to South Carolina. So, she tells Sarah Tracy that it's in your hands now. Sarah Tracy's not even 20 years old, okay? She does have a manager there whose last name is Herbert, Upton Herbert. He was a friend and also a relative of the Washingtons. There are still some slaves there as well. Sarah begins managing the produce and taking it to Washington City to be sold. Now we all envision the bridge that you take today. However, there was no bridge there at that time, so they had to go around and try to sell the produce. Eventually, the sound of cannons was heard at Mount Vernon.

The soldiers said that Sarah was not allowed to go across and try and sell her produce. She said, "Who do I talk to?" Sarah talked to the big guy, President Lincoln, and she got permission to get a pass and Lincoln said, "God bless the women." She left regularly during the war. He'd send a barge for things that they might need, butter and stuff like that, that he would send out to the ladies. She was also an enterprising person. There are lots of soldiers around, Union soldiers, camping around the area. Men who may never ever see Mount Vernon. Now they came from Massachusetts or West Virginia, whatever, and they said, well, let's invite them in. You pay me 25 cents and leave your gun out the door, okay? So many Union soldiers who wouldn't otherwise have ever seen Mount Vernon got in.

As long as mail got through, they talked about what they would do after the war. Sarah Tracy stayed for about two years, and later married Upton Herbert. Now you've heard of the Burke and Herbert Bank. That Herbert is his brother who ran the bank in Washington, DC. So there's a lot of history here.