View source for Mount Vernon

{{short description|Plantation estate of George Washington}}
{{Other uses}}
{{pp-pc}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2016}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = Mount Vernon
| image = WestFrontMansionMountVernon.jpg
| caption = The Mount Vernon mansion in April 2020
| coordinates = {{coord|38.7080|-77.0861|region:US-VA_type:landmark|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-marker = building
| mapframe-zoom = 11
| mapframe-caption = 
| map_alt = 
| map_caption = Location in [[Northern Virginia]]
| location = [[Fairfax County, Virginia]], U.S.
| nearest_city = [[Alexandria, Virginia]]. U.S.
| area = {{convert|500|acre|ha}}
| built = {{Start date and age|1758}}
| architect = 
| architecture = [[Palladian architecture|Palladian]]
| nrhp_type = nhl
| designated_nrhp_type = December 19, 1960<ref name=landmark>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalhistoriclandmarks/list-of-nhls-by-state.htm|title=List of NHLs by State|work=[[National Historic Landmark]]s|date=December 2016|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=[[United States Department of the Interior]]: [[National Park Service]]|access-date=October 26, 2020|archive-date=October 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023014928/https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalhistoriclandmarks/list-of-nhls-by-state.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| added = October 15, 1966<ref name=register>Multiple sources:
*  {{cite web|url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/45f4a899-68ad-4a46-acc9-ac2263cea9dc|title=Mount Vernon|work=NPGallery Digital Asset Management System: National Register Digital Assets|publisher=[[United States Department of the Interior]]: [[National Park Service]]|access-date=October 26, 2020|archive-date=October 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021161144/https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/45f4a899-68ad-4a46-acc9-ac2263cea9dc|url-status=dead}}
* {{cite journal|url=https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/fedreg/fr044/fr044026/fr044026.pdf|title=Department of the Interior: Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service: National Register of Historic Places: Annual Listing of Historic Properties: Virginia: Fairfax County|journal=[[Federal Register]]|volume=24|issue=26: Book 2|date=February 6, 1979|page=7614|publisher=[[National Archives and Records Administration|National Archives]]|quote=Alexandria vicinity. MOUNT VERNON, 7 mi. S of Alexandria on George Washington Memorial Pkwy., (10-15-66) PH0036030 [[National Historic Landmark|NHL]]; [[Heritage Documentation Programs#Historic American Buildings Survey|HABS]].|via=[[Library of Congress]]|access-date=October 26, 2020|archive-date=June 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622130016/https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/fedreg/fr044/fr044026/fr044026.pdf|url-status=dead}}.</ref>
| refnum = 66000833<ref name=register/>
| designated_other1 = Virginia Landmarks Register
| designated_other1_date = September 9, 1969<ref name=valandmark>{{cite web|title=Virginia Landmarks Register|url=https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/historic-registers/029-0054/|publisher=[[Virginia Department of Historic Resources]]|access-date=May 15, 2016|archive-date=August 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809015317/https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/historic-registers/029-0054/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| designated_other1_number = 029-0054<ref name=valandmark/>
| designated_other1_num_position = bottom
| website = [https://www.mountvernon.org mountvernon.org]
| restored_by = [[Mount Vernon Ladies' Association]]
}}
'''Mount Vernon''' is the former residence and [[Plantation complexes in the Southern United States|plantation]] of [[George Washington]], a [[Founding Fathers of the United States|Founding Father]], commander of the [[Continental Army]] in the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]], and the first [[president of the United States]], and his wife, [[Martha Washington|Martha]]. An American landmark, the estate lies on the banks of the [[Potomac River]] in [[Fairfax County, Virginia]], approximately 15 miles south of [[Washington, D.C.]].

The [[Washington family]] acquired land in the area in 1674. Around 1734, the family embarked on an expansion of its estate that continued under George Washington, who began leasing the estate in 1754 before becoming its sole owner in 1761.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.mountvernon.org/the-estate-gardens/the-mansion/expansion-of-mount-vernons-mansion/|title=Expansion of Mount Vernon's Mansion|website=George Washington's Mount Vernon|language=en|access-date=2018-11-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106004817/https://www.mountvernon.org/the-estate-gardens/the-mansion/expansion-of-mount-vernons-mansion/|archive-date=6 November 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

The mansion was built of wood in a loose [[Palladian architecture|Palladian style]]; the original house was built in about 1734 by George Washington's father [[Augustine Washington]].<ref name="auto"/> George Washington expanded the house twice, once in the late 1750s and again in the 1770s.<ref name="auto"/> It remained Washington's home for the rest of his life. Following his death in 1799, the estate progressively declined under the ownership of several successive generations of the family as revenues were insufficient to maintain it adequately.

In 1858, the house's historical importance was recognized and was taken over by the [[Mount Vernon Ladies' Association]], along with part of the Washington property estate. The mansion and its surrounding buildings escaped damage from the [[American Civil War]], which damaged many properties in the [[Confederate States of America]] during the Civil War.

Mount Vernon was designated a [[National Historic Landmark]] in 1960 and is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]. It is still owned and maintained in trust by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, being open to the public daily<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mountvernon.org/plan-your-visit/directions-parking-transportation/|title=Hours & Directions|website=George Washington's Mount Vernon|language=en|access-date=2018-11-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106132306/https://www.mountvernon.org/plan-your-visit/directions-parking-transportation/|archive-date=6 November 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> in recognition of George Washington's 1794 acknowledgement of public interest in his estate: "I have no objection to any sober or orderly person's gratifying their curiosity in viewing the buildings, Gardens, &ca. about Mount Vernon."<ref name="Pearce letter">[[George Washington]], letter to William Pearce (23 November 1794)</ref>

== Name ==
When [[George Washington]]'s ancestors acquired the estate, it was known as Little Hunting Creek Plantation, named after the nearby [[Little Hunting Creek]].{{sfnp|Grizzard|2005|p=332|ps=}} When Washington's older half-brother, [[Lawrence Washington (1718–1752)|Lawrence Washington]], inherited it, he renamed it after [[Edward Vernon]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Frequently Asked Questions |url=http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/project/faq/mtvernon.html |work=The Papers of George Washington |publisher=University of Virginia |access-date=25 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530010843/http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/project/faq/mtvernon.html |archive-date=30 May 2013 }}</ref> a vice admiral and his commanding officer during the [[War of Jenkins' Ear]] who captured [[Portobelo, Colón|Portobelo]] from the Spanish.<ref>{{cite web |title=Growth of Mount Vernon |url=https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/growth-of-mount-vernon/ |website=mountvernon.org |publisher=[[Mount Vernon Ladies' Association]] |access-date=March 14, 2020}}</ref> When George Washington inherited the property, he retained the name.{{sfnp|Grizzard|2005|p=332|ps=}}

==Buildings and grounds==
[[File:Mount Vernon, Virginia crop 2.jpg|thumb|Built in classic [[Palladian architecture]] style, the home's west side is flanked by advancing single-story secondary wings creating a [[cour d'honneur]].]]
The estate contained {{convert|8000|acre}} when George Washington lived there.<ref name=aboutMV>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mountvernon.org/about/|title=About Mount Vernon|website=George Washington's Mount Vernon|language=en|access-date=5 Feb 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190207015225/https://www.mountvernon.org/about/|archive-date=7 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> As of 2011, the property consists of {{convert|500|acre}},<ref name="Fact">{{cite web|title=Mount Vernon Fact Sheet |url=http://www.mountvernon.org/pressroom/index.cfm/fuseaction/view/pid/803 |publisher=mountvernon.com |year=2011 |access-date=8 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100818145948/http://www.mountvernon.org/pressroom/index.cfm/fuseaction/view/pid/803 |archive-date=18 August 2010 }}</ref> including the mansion and over 30 other buildings near the riverfront.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mountvernon.org/preservation/architecture/historic-structures/|title=Historic Structures|website=George Washington's Mount Vernon|language=en|access-date=2018-11-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181108025757/https://www.mountvernon.org/preservation/architecture/historic-structures/|archive-date=8 November 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Architecture===
Construction on the present mansion at Mount Vernon began in approximately 1734 and was built in incremental stages by an unknown architect under the supervision of Augustine Washington.<ref name="auto"/> This staggered and unplanned evolution is indicated by the off-center main door. As completed and seen today, the house is in a loose Palladian style. The principal block, dating from about 1734, was a one-story house with a [[garret]].<ref name="auto"/> In the 1750s, the roof was raised to a full second story and a third floor garret. There were also one-story extensions added to the north and south ends of the house; these were torn down during the next building phase.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.mountvernon.org/the-estate-gardens/the-mansion/expansion-of-mount-vernons-mansion/|title=Expansion of Mount Vernon's Mansion|website=George Washington's Mount Vernon|language=en|access-date=2018-11-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106004817/https://www.mountvernon.org/the-estate-gardens/the-mansion/expansion-of-mount-vernons-mansion/|archive-date=6 November 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The present day mansion is {{convert|11,028|sqft|abbr=on|0}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mountvernon.org/the-estate-gardens/the-mansion/|title=The Mansion|website=George Washington's Mount Vernon|language=en|access-date=2019-02-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180910135143/https://www.mountvernon.org/the-estate-gardens/the-mansion/|archive-date=10 September 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1774, the second expansion began. A two-story wing was added to the south side. Two years later a large two-story room was added to the north side.<ref name="auto1"/> Two single-story secondary wings were built in 1775. These secondary wings, which house the servants hall on the northern side and the kitchen on the southern side, are connected to the ''[[corps de logis]]'' by symmetrical, quadrant [[colonnade]]s, built in 1778. The completion of the colonnades cemented the classical Palladian arrangement of the complex and formed a distinct ''[[cour d'honneur]]'', known at Mount Vernon as Mansion Circle, giving the house its imposing perspective.

The ''corps de logis'' has a [[Hip roof|hipped roof]] with dormers and the secondary wings have [[gable roof]]s with dormers. In addition to its second story, the importance of the ''corps de logis'' is further emphasized by two large chimneys piercing the roof and by a [[cupola]] surmounting the center of the house; this octagonal focal point has a short [[spire]] topped by a gilded [[Doves as symbols|dove of peace]].<ref name="History">{{cite web|title=History of Mount Vernon |url=http://www.mountvernon.org/learn/explore_mv/index.cfm/ss/27/ |publisher=Mountvernon.com |access-date=8 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811165542/http://www.mountvernon.org/learn/explore_mv/index.cfm/ss/27 |archive-date=11 August 2011 }}</ref> This placement of the cupola is more in the earlier [[Restoration style|Carolean]] style than Palladian and was probably incorporated to improve ventilation of the enlarged attic and enhance the overall symmetry of the structure and the two wings; a similar cupola crowns the [[Governor's Palace (Williamsburg, Virginia)|Governor's House at Williamsburg]], of which Washington would have been aware.

Though no architect is known to have designed Mount Vernon, some attribute the design to [[John Ariss]], a prominent Virginia architect who designed Paynes Church in [[Fairfax County, Virginia|Fairfax County]] (now destroyed) and likely [[Mount Airy Plantation|Mount Airy]] in [[Richmond County, Virginia|Richmond County]].<ref name="Kornwolf2002">{{Cite book|title=James D. Kornwolf, Georgiana Wallis Kornwolf, ''Architecture and Town Planning in Colonial North America,'' Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 2002|isbn = 978-0-8018-5986-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4bHwImC-UOUC&q=%22mount+vernon%22+ariss&pg=PA1557|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617143904/https://books.google.com/books?id=4bHwImC-UOUC&pg=PA1557&lpg=PA1557&dq=%22mount+vernon%22+ariss&source=web&ots=Ynhut-rs9_&sig=8px5Pb0QIW2VuT2hqs2mdCfUh0c&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPA1557,M1|archive-date=17 June 2016|access-date=31 October 2015|last1 = Kornwolf|first1 = James D.|last2 = Kornwolf|first2 = Professor James D.|last3 = Kornwolf|first3 = Georgiana Wallis|year = 2002| publisher=JHU Press }}</ref> Other sources credit Colonel Richard Blackburn, who also designed [[Rippon Lodge]] in [[Prince William County, Virginia|Prince William County]] and the first Falls Church.<ref name="Price">{{cite book|author=Writers' Program of the Work Projects Administration in the State of Virginia|url=https://archive.org/details/virginiaguidetoo00writ|title=VIRGINIA A Guide To The Old Dominion|publisher=Oxford University Press|editor1-last=Price|editor1-first=Jamese|series=American Guide Series|access-date=9 November 2019|url-access=registration|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810025507/https://archive.org/details/virginiaguidetoo00writ|archive-date=10 August 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Hayden">{{cite book|last=Hayden|first=H.E.|url=https://archive.org/details/jstor-1922556|title=Virginia Genealogies|date=April 1910 |publisher=The William and Mary Quarterly }}</ref> Blackburn's granddaughter Anne married [[Bushrod Washington]], George's nephew, and is interred at the Washingtons' tomb on the grounds. Most architectural historians believe that the design of Mount Vernon is solely attributable to Washington alone and that the involvement of any other architects is based on conjecture.{{sfnp|Manca|2012|p=250|ps=}}

=== Interior ===
[[File:Washington’s Study at Mount Vernon.jpg|thumb|[[George Washington]]'s study at Mount Vernon, in July 2023]]
[[File:Washington's Dining Room at Mt. Vernon.jpg|thumb|George Washington's Mount Vernon dining room, noted for its unique color, a result of copper paint, and its ornate ceiling work]]
The rooms at Mount Vernon have mostly been restored to their appearance at the time of George and [[Martha Washington]]'s occupancy. Rooms include Washington's study, two dining rooms, the larger of which is known as the New Room, the West Parlour, the Front Parlour, the kitchen and some bedrooms.<ref name="Mount Vernon">{{cite web|url=https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/interior-architectural-details/|title=Interior Architectural Details|work=George Washington's Mount Vernon|year=2020|location=Mount Vernon, Virginia|publisher=[[Mount Vernon Ladies' Association]]|access-date=February 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215131014/https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/interior-architectural-details/|archive-date=December 15, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

The interior design follows the classical concept of the exterior, but owing to the mansion's piecemeal evolution, the internal architectural features{{snds}}the [[chambranle|doorcases]], mouldings and plasterwork{{snds}}are not consistently faithful to one specific period of the 18th-century revival of classical architecture. Instead they range from Palladianism to a finer and later neoclassicism in the style of [[Robert Adam]].<ref name="Mount Vernon" /> This varying of the classical style is best exemplified in the doorcases and surrounds of the principal rooms. In the West Parlour and Small Dining rooms there are doorcases complete with ionic columns and full pediments, whereas in the hall and passageways the doors are given broken pediments supported by an [[architrave]].<ref name="Mount Vernon"/> Many of the rooms are lined with painted [[panelling]] and have ceilings ornamented by plasterwork in a [[Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical style]]; much of this plasterwork can be attributed to an English craftsman, John Rawlins, who arrived from London in 1771 bringing with him the interior design motifs then fashionable in the British capital.<ref name="Mount Vernon"/>

Visitors to Mount Vernon now see Washington's study, a room to which in the 18th century only a privileged few were granted entry. This simply furnished room has a combined bathroom, dressing room and office; the room was so private that few contemporary descriptions exist. Its walls are lined with naturally grained paneling and matching bookcases.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/george-washingtons-study/|title=George Washington's Study|work=George Washington's Mount Vernon|year=2020|location=Mount Vernon, Virginia|publisher=[[Mount Vernon Ladies' Association]]|access-date=February 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180530085403/http://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/george-washingtons-study|archive-date=May 30, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> In contrast to the privacy of the study, since Washington's time, the grandest, most public and principal reception room has been the so-called New Room or Large Dining Room{{snds}}a two-storied salon notable for its large Palladian window, occupying the whole of the mansion's northern elevation, and its fine Neoclassical marble [[Fireplace mantel|chimneypiece]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mountvernon.org/the-estate-gardens/the-mansion/the-new-room/|title=New Room|work=George Washington's Mount Vernon|year=2020|location=Mount Vernon, Virginia|publisher=[[Mount Vernon Ladies' Association]]|access-date=February 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191021085846/https://www.mountvernon.org/the-estate-gardens/the-mansion/the-new-room/|archive-date=October 21, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The history of this chimneypiece to some degree explains the overall restrained style of the house. When it was donated to Washington by English merchant [[Samuel Vaughan]], Washington was initially reluctant to accept the gift, stating that it was "too elegant & costly I fear for my own room, & republican stile of living."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mountvernon.org/preservation/collections-holdings/browse-the-museum-collections/object/w-940/|title=Chimney Piece|work=George Washington's Mount Vernon|year=2020|location=Mount Vernon, Virginia|publisher=[[Mount Vernon Ladies' Association]]|access-date=February 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010075223/http://www.mountvernon.org/preservation/collections-holdings/browse-the-museum-collections/object/w-940/|archive-date=October 10, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

Efforts have been made to restore the rooms and maintain the atmosphere of the 18th century; this has been achieved by using original color schemes and by displaying furniture, carpets and decorative objects which are contemporary to the house. The rooms contain portraits and former possessions of George Washington and his family.<ref name="Mount Vernon" />

=== Grounds ===
[[File:Mount Vernon Mansion East Front.jpg|alt=East Front of George Washington's Mansion|thumb|The eastern façade facing the [[Potomac River]]]]
[[File:GW_Gardens.jpg|thumb|The geometric garden at Mount Vernon]]
The gardens and grounds contain English [[Buxus|boxwoods]], taken from cuttings sent by Major General [[Henry Lee III]] a [[Governor of Virginia]] and the father of [[Robert E. Lee]], which were planted in 1786 by George Washington and now crowd the entry path. A carriage road skirts a grassy [[bowling green]] to approach the mansion entrance. To each side of the green is a garden contained by red brick walls. These [[Colonial Revival garden]]s{{sfnp|Griswold|Foley|1999|p=124|ps=}} grew the household's vegetables, fruit and other perishable items for consumption. The upper garden, located to the north, is bordered by the greenhouse.<ref name="gardens">{{cite web|title=Gardens |url=http://www.mountvernon.org/learn/explore_mv/index.cfm/ss/30/ |publisher=Mountvernon.org |access-date=8 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110729025900/http://www.mountvernon.org/learn/explore_mv/index.cfm/ss/30 |archive-date=29 July 2011 }}</ref> [[Ha-ha]] walls are used to separate the working farm from the pleasure grounds that Washington created for his family and guests.<ref name="10 facts" /> The overseer's quarter, spinning room, salt house, and gardener's house are between the upper garden and the mansion.

The lower garden, or southern garden, is bordered on the east by the storehouse and clerk's quarters, smokehouse, wash house, laundry yard, and coach house. A paddock and stable are on the southern border of the garden; east of them, a little down the hillside, is the icehouse. The original tomb is located along the river. The newer tomb in which the bodies of George and Martha Washington have rested since 1831 is south of the fruit garden; the slave burial ground is nearby, a little farther down the hillside. A "Forest Trail" runs through woods down to a recreated pioneer farm site on low ground near the river; the {{convert|4|acre|m2|adj=on}} working farm includes a re-creation of Washington's 16-sided treading barn.<ref name="barn">{{cite web|title=Sixteen-Sided Barn |url=http://www.mountvernon.org/learn/explore_mv/index.cfm/sss/76/ |publisher=Mountvernon.org |access-date=8 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110828225531/http://www.mountvernon.org/learn/explore_mv/index.cfm/sss/76/ |archive-date=28 August 2011 }}</ref>

A museum and education center are on the grounds and exhibit examples of Washington's survey equipment, weapons, and clothing, and the  dentures worn by Washington as the first [[President of the United States|U.S. president]]. In 2013, the [[Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington]] opened on Mount Vernon;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mountvernon.org/library/about-the-library/|title=About the Library|website=George Washington's Mount Vernon|access-date=15 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315234903/http://www.mountvernon.org/library/about-the-library/|archive-date=15 March 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> the library, which is open for scholarship by appointment only, fosters new scholarship about George Washington and safeguards original Washington books and manuscripts.

== History ==
=== Washington family ===
In 1674, [[John Washington]], the great-grandfather of [[George Washington]], and [[Nicholas Spencer]] came into possession of the land from which Mount Vernon [[plantations in the American South|plantation]] would be carved, originally known by its [[Piscataway language|Piscataway]] name of ''Epsewasson''.{{sfnp|Dalzell|Dalzell|1998|pp=19–20|ps=}}{{efn|The deed conveying the grant of Mount Vernon, then in [[Stafford County, Virginia|Stafford County]], to Washington and Spencer was dated 1 March 1677, and was signed by "Tho. Culpepper", the original proprietor of the Northern Neck, from whom the proprietorship devolved to his eventual heir [[Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron]].}} The successful patent on the acreage was largely executed by Spencer, who acted as agent for his cousin [[Thomas Colepeper, 2nd Baron Colepeper]],{{sfnp|Dalzell|Dalzell|1998|pp=19–20|ps=}} the English landowner who controlled the [[Northern Neck]] of Virginia, in which the tract lay.<ref name="Tyler1915">{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UCgSAAAAYAAJ&q=%22nicholas+spencer%22+encyclopedia+of+virginia+biography&pg=PA53|title=Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography, Under the Editorial Supervision of Lyon … - Google Books|work=google.com|access-date=15 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160517000945/https://books.google.com/books?id=UCgSAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA53&lpg=PA53&dq=%22nicholas+spencer%22+encyclopedia+of+virginia+biography&source=web&ots=NL200asR8G&sig=_MGzrsea6I7XnuqDvgKGlZaHVkQ&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result|archive-date=17 May 2016|url-status=live|last1=Tyler|first1=Lyon Gardiner|year=1915}}</ref>

When John Washington died in 1677, his son [[Lawrence Washington (1659–1698)|Lawrence]], George Washington's grandfather, inherited his father's stake in the property. In 1690, he agreed to formally divide the estimated 5,000 acre (20&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) estate with the heirs of Nicholas Spencer, who had died the previous year. The Spencers took the larger southern half bordering [[Dogue Creek]] in the September 1674 land grant from Lord Culpeper, leaving the Washingtons the portion along Little Hunting Creek. The Spencer heirs paid Lawrence Washington {{convert|2500|lb|kg|abbr=on}} of [[tobacco]] as compensation for their choice.{{sfnp|Dalzell|Dalzell|1998|pp=19–20|ps=}}

Lawrence Washington died in 1698, bequeathing the property to his daughter Mildred. On 16 April 1726, she agreed to a one-year lease on the estate to her brother [[Augustine Washington]], George Washington's father, for a [[peppercorn (legal)|peppercorn]] rent; a month later the lease was superseded by Augustine's purchase of the property for £180.{{r|Wall}} He built the original house on the site around 1734, when he and his family moved from Pope's Creek to Eppsewasson,{{sfnp|Dalzell|Dalzell|1998|pp=25–26|ps=}} which he renamed Little Hunting Creek.{{sfnp|Rasmussen|Tilton|1999|p=7|ps=}} The original stone foundations of what appears to have been a two-roomed house with a further two rooms in a half-story above are still partially visible in the present house's cellar.{{sfnp|Dalzell|Dalzell|1998|pp=25–26|ps=}}

Augustine Washington recalled his eldest son, [[Lawrence Washington (1718–1752)|Lawrence]], George's half-brother, home from school in England in 1738, and set him up on the family's Little Hunting Creek tobacco plantation, thereby allowing Augustine to move his family back to [[Fredericksburg, Virginia|Fredericksburg]] at the end of 1739.{{sfnp|Grizzard|2005|p=332|ps=}} In 1739, Lawrence, having reached 21 years of age, began buying up parcels of land from the adjoining Spencer tract, starting with a plot around the grist mill on Dogue Creek. In mid-1740, Lawrence received a coveted [[Officer (armed forces)|officer's commission]] in the [[British Army]] and made preparations to go off to war in the Caribbean with the newly formed American Regiment to fight in the War of Jenkins' Ear.{{sfnp|Rasmussen|Tilton|1999|p=38|ps=}} He served under Admiral [[Edward Vernon]]; returning home, he named his estate after his commander.

=== George Washington ===
[[File:Mount Vernon with the Washington family on the terrace, by Benjamin Henry Latrobe.jpg|thumb|Mount Vernon with the Washington family on the terrace, a 1796 portrait by [[Benjamin Henry Latrobe]]]]
Lawrence died in 1752, and his will stipulated that his widow should own a [[life estate]] in Mount Vernon, the [[remainderman|remainder interest]] falling to his half-brother George; George Washington was already living at Mount Vernon and probably managing the plantation. Lawrence's widow, Anne Fairfax, remarried into the [[Lee family]] and moved out.<ref name=burian>{{cite book|last=Burian|first=A. Ward|title=George Washington's Legacy of Leadership|publisher=Morgan James Publishing|date=1 April 2007|pages=19–20|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HTsq0_bZpEQC&q=Lawrence%27s+widow%2C+Anne+Fairfax%2C+promptly+remarried+into&pg=PA19|isbn=978-1-60037-161-5}}</ref> Following the death of Anne and Lawrence's only surviving child in 1754, George, as executor of his brother's estate leased his sister-in-law's estate. Upon the death of Anne Fairfax in 1761, he succeeded to the remainder interest and became sole owner of the property.<ref name=greenberg>{{cite book|last=Greenberg|first=Allen|title=George Washington, architect|publisher=Andreas Papadakis Publishers|date=May 1999|page=8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=70T9jZwbAY8C&q=George+washington+purchased+mount+vernon+from+Anne+Fairfax&pg=PA8|isbn=978-1-901092-18-9}}</ref>

In 1758, Washington began the first of two major additions and improvements by raising the house to two-and-a-half stories.<ref name=greenberg /> The second expansion was begun during the 1770s, shortly before the outbreak of the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]]. Washington had rooms added to the north and south ends, unifying the whole with the addition of the cupola and two-story piazza overlooking the Potomac River. The final expansion increased the mansion to 21 rooms and an area of 11,028 square feet.<ref name="10 facts">{{cite web|url=http://www.mountvernon.org/mansion/10facts|title=Ten Facts about the Mansion|last=Anon|publisher=Mount Vernon Ladies' Association|access-date=15 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140213075552/http://www.mountvernon.org/mansion/10facts|archive-date=13 February 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> The great majority of the work was performed by [[slavery|enslaved]] African Americans and artisans.{{sfnp|Dalzell|Dalzell|1998|p=228|ps=}}

==== Agriculture and enterprise ====
[[File:Junius Brutus Stearns - George Washington as Farmer at Mount Vernon.jpg|thumb|Washington out on the plantation, with Mount Vernon in the background, an 1851 portrait by [[Junius Brutus Stearns]]]]
[[File:Gwash map02.jpg|thumb|An 1891 map of the estate drawn by George Washington]]
[[File:RedDevonCowMountVernon.jpg|alt=[[American Milking Devon|Red Devon]] Heritage Breed Cow|thumb|A [[American Milking Devon|Red Devon bull]] at Mount Vernon]]
George Washington expanded the estate by purchasing surrounding parcels of land beginning in the late 1750s and was still adding to the estate into the 1780s, including the [[River Farm]] estate.<ref name="Growth ">{{cite web|url=http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/maps/mtvernon/growth.html |title=The Growth of Mount Vernon 1754–1786 |publisher=The Papers of George Washington |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081215140849/http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/maps/mtvernon/growth.html |archive-date=15 December 2008 }}</ref> From 1759 until the Revolutionary War, Washington, who at the time aspired to become a prominent agriculturist, had five separate farms as part of his estate. He took a scientific approach to farming and kept extensive and meticulous records of both labor and results.

In a letter dated 20 September 1765, Washington writes about receiving poor returns for his tobacco production:

{{blockquote|quote=Can it be otherwise than a little mortifying then to find, that we, who raise none but Sweetscented Tobacco, and endeavour I may venture to add, to be careful in the management of it, however we fail in the execution, and who by a close and fixed corrispondance with you, contribute so largely to the dispatch of your Ships in this Country {{sic|shoud}} meet with such unprofitable returns?<ref name="Fitzpatrick">{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/mgw500003/ |title=George Washington to Robert Cary & Company, September 20, 1765, Account Book 1 |access-date=6 March 2009 |work=The Writings of George Washington from the Original Manuscript Sources, 1745–1799. John C. Fitzpatrick, Editor. |publisher=The George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress, 1741–1799 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180622060250/https://www.loc.gov/item/mgw500003/ |archive-date=22 June 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

In the same letter he asks about the prices of [[flax]] and [[hemp]], with a view to their production:

{{blockquote|quote=In order thereto you woud do me a singular favour in advising of the general price one might expect for good Hemp in your Port watered and prepared according to Act of Parliament, with an estimate of the freight, and all other Incident charges pr. Tonn that I may form some Idea of the profits resulting from the growth. I should be very glad to know at the sametime how rough and undressd Flax has generally, and may probably sell; for this year I have made an Essay in both, and altho I suffer pretty considerably by the attempt, owing principally to the severity of the {{sic|Drougth}}, and my inexperience in the management I am not altogether discouraged from a further prosecution of the Scheme provided I find the Sales with you are not clogd with too much difficulty and expence.}}

The tobacco market declined, and many [[Planter class|planters]] in [[Northern Virginia]] converted to mixed crops. By 1766, Washington ceased growing tobacco at Mount Vernon and replaced the crop with wheat, corn, and other grains. Besides hemp and flax, he experimented with 60 other crops including cotton and silk. He also derived income from a [[gristmill]] which produced cornmeal and flour for export and also ground neighbors' grain for fees. Washington similarly sold the services of the estate's looms and blacksmith.

Washington built and operated a small [[George Washington's Fishery|fishing fleet]], permitting Mount Vernon to export fish. Washington practiced the selective breeding of sheep in an effort to produce better quality wool. He was not as invested in animal husbandry as he was in cropping experiments, which were elaborate and included complex field rotations, nitrogen fixing crops and a range of soil amendments.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/university-of-nebraska-press/9780803296886/|title=The Five-Ton Life|last=Subak|first=Susan|year=2018|publisher=University of Nebraska Press|pages=47–50|access-date=2 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401230928/https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/university-of-nebraska-press/9780803296886/|archive-date=1 April 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The Washington household consumed a wider range of protein sources than was typical for the Chesapeake population of his day, which consumed a great deal of beef.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/university-of-nebraska-press/9780803296886/|title=The Five-Ton Life|last=Subak|first=Susan|year=2018|publisher=University of Nebraska Press|pages=32–40|access-date=2 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401230928/https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/university-of-nebraska-press/9780803296886/|archive-date=1 April 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

The new crops were less labor-intensive than tobacco; hence, the estate had a surplus of slaves. But Washington refused to break up families for sale. Washington began to hire skilled [[Indentured servitude|indentured servants]] from Europe to train the redundant slaves for service on and off the estate.<ref name="chernow2010">{{cite book | title=[[Washington: A Life]] | publisher=The Penguin Press |author=Chernow, Ron | author-link=Ron Chernow | year=2010 | isbn=978-1-101-44418-4}}</ref>
Following his service in the war, Washington returned to Mount Vernon and in 1785–1786 spent a great deal of effort improving the [[landscaping]] of the estate. It is estimated that during his two terms as President of the United States (1789–1797), Washington spent a total of 434 days in residence at Mount Vernon. After his presidency, Washington tended to repairs to the buildings, socializing, and further gardening. In 1797, farm manager James Anderson, a recent [[Scotland|Scottish]] immigrant, suggested the establishment of a [[whisky]] distillery,<ref>{{Cite web |title=James Anderson |url=https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/james-anderson/ |access-date=2023-07-04 |website=George Washington's Mount Vernon |language=en}}</ref> which proved to be the estate's most profitable business venture over the decade of its operation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Whiskey Production |url=https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/whiskey-production/ |access-date=2023-07-04 |website=George Washington's Mount Vernon |language=en}}</ref>

====George Washington's will====
In his will, written several months before his death in December 1799, George Washington left directions for the emancipation of all the slaves who belonged to him. Of the 317 slaves at Mount Vernon in 1799, a little less than half, 123 individuals, belonged to George Washington. Under the terms of his will, these slaves were to be set free upon Martha Washington's death.<ref name=will>{{cite encyclopedia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905132035/http://www.mountvernon.org/research-collections/digital-encyclopedia/article/george-washington-and-slavery/|archive-date=5 September 2015|url=http://www.mountvernon.org/research-collections/digital-encyclopedia/article/george-washington-and-slavery/|title=George Washington and Slavery|encyclopedia=George Washington's Mount Vernon: Digital Encyclopedia|publisher=[[Mount Vernon Ladies' Association]]|year=2015|access-date=30 November 2015}}</ref>

In accordance with state law, George Washington stipulated in his will that elderly slaves or those who were too sick to work were to be supported throughout their lives by his estate. Children without parents, or those whose families were too poor or indifferent to see to their education, were to be bound out (or apprenticed) to masters and mistresses who would teach them reading, writing, and a useful trade, until they were ultimately freed at the age of twenty-five.<ref name="will" />

When Martha Washington's first husband, [[Daniel Parke Custis]], died without a will, she received a life interest in one-third of his estate, including the slaves. Neither George nor Martha Washington could free these slaves by law. Upon Martha's death, these slaves reverted to the Custis estate and were divided among her grandchildren. By 1799, 153 slaves at Mount Vernon were part of this [[dower]] property.<ref name="will" />

Martha signed a deed of [[Manumission#United States|manumission]] in December 1800.<ref>{{cite web|first=Kathryn|last=Gehred|date=July 6, 2018|url=https://washingtonpapers.org/why-did-martha-washington-free-her-husbands-slaves-early/|title=Why Did Martha Washington Free Her Husband's Slaves Early?|work=Washington Papers|location=[[Charlottesville, Virginia]]|publisher=[[University of Virginia]]|access-date=June 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123064754/https://washingtonpapers.org/why-did-martha-washington-free-her-husbands-slaves-early/|archive-date=January 23, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> Abstracts of court records in [[Fairfax County, Virginia]] record this transaction. The slaves received their freedom on January 1, 1801.<ref name="will"/>

== Washington's tomb ==
[[File:Tomb of George Washington - wide - Mount Vernon.jpg|thumb|The Washington family tomb at Mount Vernon]]
[[File:Tomb of George Washington - interior 02 - Mount Vernon.jpg|thumb|Sarcophagi of Martha (left) and George (right) Washington at the entrance to the family mausoleum]]
On December 12, 1799, Washington spent several hours riding over the plantation, in snow, sleet, and freezing rain. He ate his supper later that evening without changing from his wet clothes. The following day, he awoke with a severe sore throat (either [[peritonsillar abscess|quinsy]] or acute [[epiglottitis]]) and became increasingly hoarse as the day progressed. All the available medical treatments failed to improve his condition, and he died at Mount Vernon at around 10 pm on December 14, 1799, aged 67.

On December 18, a funeral was held at Mount Vernon, where his body was interred.<ref name="Funeral">{{cite web|url=http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/project/exhibit/mourning/funeral.html |title=The Funeral |work=[[The Papers of George Washington]] |publisher=University of Virginia |access-date=3 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717112633/http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/project/exhibit/mourning/funeral.html |archive-date=17 July 2011 }}</ref> Congress passed a joint resolution to construct a marble monument in the [[United States Capitol]] for his body, an initiative supported by Martha. In December 1800, the United States House passed an appropriations bill for $200,000 (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=200000|start_year=1800}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}) to build the mausoleum, which was to be a pyramid with a base {{convert|100|ft}} square. Southerners who wanted his body to remain at Mount Vernon defeated the measure.<ref name="boorstin">{{cite book |last=Boorstin|first=Daniel J.|author-link=Daniel J. Boorstin|title=The Americans: The National Experience|year=1965|publisher=Vintage Books |pages=349–350|isbn=0-394-70358-8}}</ref>

In accordance with his will, Washington was entombed in a family crypt he had built upon first inheriting the estate. It was in disrepair by 1799, so Washington's will also requested that a new, larger tomb be built. This was not executed until 1831, nearly the centennial of his birth. The need for a new tomb was confirmed when an unsuccessful [[Attempted theft of George Washington's skull|attempt was made to steal his skull]].<ref name="Johnston1889">{{Cite book |last=Johnston |first=Elizabeth Bryant |title=Visitors' Guide to Mount Vernon |year=1889 |edition=16th |publisher=Gibson Brothers, printers |pages=[https://archive.org/details/visitorsguidetom06john/page/14 14]–15 |url=https://archive.org/details/visitorsguidetom06john |access-date=3 July 2011 |oclc=22376201 }}</ref> A joint Congressional committee in early 1832 debated the removal of Washington's body from Mount Vernon to [[Washington's Tomb (United States Capitol)|a crypt in the Capitol]], built by [[Charles Bulfinch]] in the 1820s. Southern opposition was intense, exacerbated by an ever-growing rift between North and South. Congressman [[Wiley Thompson]] of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] expressed the Southerners' fears when he said:
{{blockquote|Remove the remains of our venerated Washington from their association with the remains of his consort and his ancestors from Mount Vernon and from his native State, deposit them in this capitol, and then let a severance of the Union occur and behold the remains of Washington on a shore foreign to his native soil.<ref name="boorstin" />}}

In 1831, the bodies of George and Martha Washington, along with other members of the family, were moved from the old crypt to the new family tomb.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/tomb/|title=Tomb|website=George Washington's Mount Vernon}}</ref> On October 7, 1837, Washington's remains, encased in a lead inner casket, were transferred from the closed tomb to a [[sarcophagus]] presented by John Struthers of [[Philadelphia]]. It was placed on the right side of the gateway to the tomb. A similar structure was provided for Martha's remains, which was placed on the left.<ref name="Washington1847">{{Cite book |title=Letters on Agriculture |editor-last=Knight |editor-first=Franklin |first2=Thomas |last2=Jefferson |author-link2=Thomas Jefferson |last3=Peters |first3=Richard |author-link3=Richard Peters (Continental Congress) |year=1847 |last1=Washington |first1=George |publisher=Washington, The editor; Philadelphia, W. S. Martien |oclc=3347675 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/lettersonagricu00kniggoog/page/n189 177]–180 |url=https://archive.org/details/lettersonagricu00kniggoog |access-date=13 November 2011 }}</ref> Other members of the Washington family are interred in an inner vault, behind the vestibule containing the sarcophagi.

== Preservation, legacy, and tourism ==
[[File:Mt-vernon-1850s.jpg|right|thumb|Mount Vernon in the 1850s]]
[[File:Mount Vernon 1956 U.S. stamp.1.jpg|thumb|Mount Vernon's [[Liberty Issue]] in 1956]] 
[[File:George Washington's Distillery.JPG|thumb|Reconstruction of George Washington's [[George Washington's Rye Whiskey|1797 distillery]]]]
[[File:Mount Vernon 2018.jpg|thumb|George Washington Family Statue]]
Following Martha Washington's death in 1802, George Washington's will was carried out in accordance with the terms of his bequests. The largest part of his estate, which included both his papers and Mount Vernon, passed to his nephew, [[Bushrod Washington]], an [[Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States]].<ref>Multiple sources:
* {{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QWOWAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA90 |last=Fister |first=Jude M. |title=America Writes Its History, 1650-1850: The Formation of a National Narrative |page=90 |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |publisher=McFarland and Company, Inc. |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-7864-7921-4 |oclc=859384941 |via=[[Google Books]] }}
* {{cite web|last=Lossing|first=Benson J.|author-link=Benson John Lossing|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dQMD93N4LgMC&pg=PA350|year=1870|title=The Home of Washington; Or, Mount Vernon and Its Associations, Historical, Biographical, and Pictorial|location=Hartford, Connecticut|publisher=A.S. Hale & Company|page=350|oclc=1593086|via=[[Google Books]]}}
* {{cite web|last=Washington|first=George|author-link=George Washington|url=https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/06-04-02-0404-0001|title=George Washington's Last Will and Testament, 9 July 1799|work=Founders Online|publisher=[[National Archives and Records Administration|National Archives]]|access-date=October 25, 2020|quote=To my nephew Bushrod Washington, I give and bequeath all the Papers in my possession which relate to my Civil and Military Administration of the affairs of this Country; I leave to him also such of my private papers as are worth preserving; and at the decease of my wife, and before; if she is not inclined to retain them, I give and bequeath my Library of books, and pamphlets of every kind. ..... To my nephew Bushrod Washington and his heirs (partly in consideration of an intimation to his deceased father, while we were Bachelors, & he had kindly undertaken to superintend my Estate during my Military Services in the former War between Great Britain and France, that if I should fall therein, Mount Vernon (then less extensive in domain than at present) should become his property) I give and bequeath all that part thereof which is comprehended within the following limits, ....|archive-date=October 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022043348/https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/06-04-02-0404-0001|url-status=dead}}.  [Original source: {{cite book|title=The Papers of George Washington|series=Retirement Series|volume=4: 20 April 1799 — 13 December 1799|editor-first=W. W.|editor-last=Abbot|location=Charlottesville, Virginia|publisher=[[University of Virginia Press|University Press of Virginia]]|year=1999|isbn=0-8139-1855-3|oclc=985598820|lccn=97006770|pages=479–511}}]
* {{cite web|url=https://washingtonpapers.org/documents_gw/will/will_manuscript_1.html|title=George Washington's Last Will and Testament|work=The Papers of George Washington|format=Manuscript|pages=[https://web.archive.org/web/20201026004141/https://washingtonpapers.org/documents_gw/will/will_manuscript_14.html 14], [https://web.archive.org/web/20201025233110/https://washingtonpapers.org/documents_gw/will/will_manuscript_19.html 19], [https://web.archive.org/web/20201025233110/https://washingtonpapers.org/documents_gw/will/will_manuscript_20.html 20], [https://web.archive.org/web/20201025233110/https://washingtonpapers.org/documents_gw/will/will_manuscript_21.html 21]|location=[[Charlottesville, Virginia]]|publisher=[[University of Virginia]]: washingtonpapers.org|date=July 9, 1799|access-date=October 25, 2020|archive-date=October 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026004141/https://washingtonpapers.org/documents_gw/will/will_manuscript_1.html|url-status=dead}}
* {{cite encyclopedia|last=Smith|first=M. Earl|url=http://www.mountvernon.org/digital-encyclopedia/article/bushrod-washington/|title=Bushrod Washington|encyclopedia=Digital Encyclopedia|publisher=George Washington's Mount Vernon|location=Mount Vernon, [[Virginia]]|access-date=November 16, 2016}} {{Cite web |url=http://www.mountvernon.org/digital-encyclopedia/article/bushrod-washington/ |title=Bushrod Washington · George Washington's Mount Vernon |access-date=November 16, 2016 |archive-date=November 16, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161116185522/http://www.mountvernon.org/digital-encyclopedia/article/bushrod-washington/ |url-status=bot: unknown }}.</ref> The younger Washington and his wife then moved to Mount Vernon.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|last=Smith|first=M. Earl|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161116185522/http://www.mountvernon.org/digital-encyclopedia/article/bushrod-washington/|archive-date=2016-11-16|url=http://www.mountvernon.org/digital-encyclopedia/article/bushrod-washington/|title=Bushrod Washington|encyclopedia=Digital Encyclopedia|publisher=George Washington's Mount Vernon|location=Mount Vernon, Virginia|access-date=November 16, 2016}}</ref>

Bushrod Washington did not inherit much cash and was unable to support the upkeep of the estate's mansion on the proceeds from the property and his Supreme Court salary. He sold some of his own slaves to gain working capital.<ref>Multiple sources:
* {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QWOWAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA124|last=Fister|first=Jude M.|title=America Writes Its History, 1650–1850: The Formation of a National Narrative|page=124|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|publisher=McFarland and Company, Inc.|year=2014|isbn=978-0-7864-7921-4|oclc=859384941|access-date=March 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617164543/https://books.google.com/books?id=QWOWAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA124|archive-date=June 17, 2016|url-status=live}} At [[Google Books]]
* {{cite web|last=Dunne|first=Gerald|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021009061618/http://supremecourthistory.org/04_library/subs_volumes/04_c16_e.html|archive-date=October 9, 2002|url=http://www.supremecourthistory.org/04_library/subs_volumes/04_c16_e.html|title=Bushrod Washington and The Mount Vernon Slaves|publisher=[[Supreme Court Historical Society]]|work=1980 Yearbook|access-date=November 30, 2015}}</ref> However, the farms' low revenues left him short, and he was unable to adequately maintain the mansion.

Following Bushrod Washington's death in 1829, ownership of the plantation passed to George Washington's grandnephew, John Augustine Washington II. After he died in 1832, his wife, Jane Charlotte inherited the estate, and her son began managing it. Upon her death in 1855, John Augustine Washington III inherited the property. As his funds dwindled and the wear and tear of hundreds of visitors began to take its toll, Washington could do little to maintain the mansion and its surroundings.<ref name="Rescue">{{cite web|url=http://www.mountvernon.org/visit/plan/index.cfm/pid/809/|title=The Formation of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association and the Dramatic Rescue of George Washington's Estate|work=Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens|publisher=[[Mount Vernon Ladies' Association]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081229075342/http://www.mountvernon.org/visit/plan/index.cfm/pid/809/|archive-date=29 December 2008|access-date=23 November 2015}}</ref>

Washington suggested to the United States Congress that the federal government purchase the mansion.<ref name="Rescue"/> However, Congress paid little interest to Washington's offer, as the legislature was focusing on the conditions that shortly led to the [[American Civil War]].<ref name="Rescue"/> Washington then traveled to Richmond, where he was equally unsuccessful in appealing to the [[Virginia General Assembly]] for the state to purchase the mansion.<ref name="Rescue"/> The mansion's decline continued.<ref name="Rescue"/>

In 1858, Washington sold the mansion and a portion of the estate's land to the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, which was under the leadership of [[Ann Pamela Cunningham]].<ref name="Rescue"/> The association paid the final installment of the purchase price of $200,000 ($6.3 million in 2020 dollars) in December 1859, taking possession in February 1860.<ref name="Rescue"/> The estate first opened to the public during that year.<ref name=aboutMV/>

The estate served as a neutral ground for both sides during the Civil War, although fighting raged across the nearby countryside. Troops from both the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] and the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]] toured the building. The two women caretakers asked that the soldiers leave their arms behind and either change to civilian clothes or at least cover their uniforms. They usually did as asked.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://civilwarstudies.org/articles/Vol_8/mount-vernon.shtm|title=Smithsonian Civil War Studies: Article - Protecting Mount Vernon During the Civil War|access-date=February 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160909042827/http://civilwarstudies.org/articles/Vol_8/mount-vernon.shtm|archive-date=September 9, 2016}}</ref>

[[Harrison Howell Dodge]] became the third resident superintendent in 1885. During his 52 years' overseeing the estate, he doubled the facility's acreage, improved the grounds, and added many historic artifacts to the collections. Dodge reviewed George Washington's writings about the estate, visited other Colonial-era gardens, and traveled to England to see gardens dating from the Georgian period. Using that knowledge, Dodge oversaw the restoration of the site completed by [[Charles Wilson Killam]],<ref name=":27">{{Cite book |url=http://catalog.mountvernon.org/digital/collection/p16829coll2/id/11980/rec/15 |title=Minutes of the Council of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union held at Mount Vernon, Virginia |date=May 11–18, 1932 |publisher=[[Mount Vernon Ladies' Association]] |via=The George Washington Presidential Library At Mount Vernon}}</ref> and put in place a number of improvements that Washington had planned but had never implemented.<ref name="obit">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/05/21/archives/col-harrison-dodge-mt-vernon-custodian-superintendent-of.html |title=Col. Harrison Dodge, Mt. Vernon Custodian; Superintendent of Washington's Home Since 1885—Made Many Improvements |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 21, 1937 |access-date=July 24, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180402012523/https://www.nytimes.com/1937/05/21/archives/col-harrison-dodge-mt-vernon-custodian-superintendent-of.html |archive-date=April 2, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Charles Wall]] was assistant superintendent from 1929 to 1937, then resident superintendent for 39 years. He oversaw restoration of the house by Killam and planted greenery consistent with what was used in the 18th century. In 1974, a campaign he organized was successful in preserving as parkland areas in Maryland across the Potomac River from Mount Vernon, as part of an effort to retain the bucolic vista from the house.<ref name="WallObit">{{cite news | author=Robert McG. Thomas Jr. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/05/obituaries/charles-wall-91-long-director-of-george-washington-s-home.html |title=Charles Wall, 91, Long Director Of George Washington's Home |work=The New York Times |date=May 5, 1995 |access-date=July 23, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130531141212/http://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/05/obituaries/charles-wall-91-long-director-of-george-washington-s-home.html |archive-date=May 31, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> His office was the same one used in the 18th century by Washington.<ref name="Barnes1995">{{cite news|last=Barnes|first=Bart|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1995/05/04/former-master-of-mt-vernon-charles-cecil-wall-dies-at-91/c2c825b7-3bf7-4ff5-aaca-f7ae82514646/|title=Former Master of Mt. Vernon Charles Cecil Wall Dies at 91|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=May 4, 1995|access-date=November 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161117064345/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1995/05/04/former-master-of-mt-vernon-charles-cecil-wall-dies-at-91/c2c825b7-3bf7-4ff5-aaca-f7ae82514646/|archive-date=November 17, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

Steamboats began to carry tourists to the Mount Vernon estate in 1878.<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180118032344/http://www.mountvernon.org/plan-your-visit/tours-activities/sightseeing-cruise-of-the-potomac/19th-century-cruises-potomac-river|archive-date=January 18, 2018|url=http://www.mountvernon.org/plan-your-visit/tours-activities/sightseeing-cruise-of-the-potomac/19th-century-cruises-potomac-river/|title=19th Century Cruises on the Potomac River|work=George Washington's Mount Vernon|location=Mount Vernon, Virginia|publisher=[[Mount Vernon Ladies' Association]]|year=2018|access-date=February 13, 2020}}</ref> In 1892, the [[Northern Virginia trolleys#Washington, Alexandria, and Mount Vernon Electric Railway|Washington, Alexandria and Mount Vernon Electric Railway]] opened, providing electric [[Tram|trolley]] service between Alexandria and the estate.<ref name="GWMP">{{cite web|url=https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/facts/george-washington-memorial-parkway/|title=George Washington Memorial Parkway|work=George Washington's Mount Vernon|location=Mount Vernon, Virginia|publisher=[[Mount Vernon Ladies' Association]]|year=2020|access-date=February 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213151211/https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/facts/george-washington-memorial-parkway/|archive-date=February 13, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Merriken">{{cite book|last=Merriken|first=John E.|url=https://archive.org/details/olddominiontroll0000merr|title=Old Dominion Trolley Too: A History of the Mount Vernon Line|year=1987|publisher=LeRoy O. King, Jr. |isbn=0-9600938-2-6|lccn=86091361|oclc=17605355|via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref><ref>1894 topographic map of the city of Alexandria, Alexandria County, and eastern Fairfax County, showing the route of the Washington, Alexandria and Mount Vernon Railway (unlabled) between the city of Alexandria and Mount Vernon: {{cite web|url=http://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/maps/topo/virginia/txu-pclmaps-topo-va-mount_vernon-1888.jpg|last1=Gannett|first1=Henry|last2=Thompson|first2=Gilbert|title=Reconnaissance Map: Virginia - Maryland: Mt. Vernon Sheet|date=November 1894|publisher=United States Geological Survey|access-date=January 20, 2020|via=Perry–Castañeda Library Map Collection: Virginia Historical Topographic Maps: Austin, Texas: Perry–Castañeda Library, University of Texas at Austin}}</ref> The electric railway and its successors carried tourists and others between [[Washington, D.C.]], and Mount Vernon from 1896 to 1932, when the federal government acquired part of its route on which to construct the [[George Washington Memorial Parkway]].<ref name="Merriken" /><ref>Multiple sources:
* {{cite book|last=Snowden|first=William H.|url=https://archive.org/details/someoldhistoric00snowgoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/someoldhistoric00snowgoog/page/n1 1]|title=Some Old Historic Landmarks of Virginia and Maryland, Described in a Hand-book for the Tourist Over the Washington, Alexandria and Mount Vernon Electric Railway|edition=3rd|location=Alexandria, Virginia|publisher=G.H. Ramey & Son|year=1902|oclc=6234650|access-date=February 2, 2018|via=[[Internet Archive]]}}
* 1904 map of Alexandria County (now Arlington County), the city of Alexandria and southeastern Fairfax County showing the route of the Washington, Alexandria & Mt. Vernon Railroad (Wash. Alex. & Mt.V. R.R.): {{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/randmcnallycospi03rand|chapter=Map of electric railroads, steam railroads and streets in Washington and vicinity|title=Rand McNally & Co.'s Pictorial Guide to Washington|page=[https://archive.org/details/randmcnallycospi03rand/page/n72 5]|publisher=Rand McNally & Company|location=New York and Chicago|year=1904|access-date=January 13, 2013|via=[[Internet Archive]]}}
* {{cite journal|last=Tindall|first=Dr. William|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZUHrL7tQVS8C&pg=PA46|journal=Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Washington, D.C.|title=Beginning of Street Railways in the National Capital|volume=21|publisher=[[Historical Society of Washington, D.C.|Columbia Historical Society]]|year=1918|location=Washington, D.C.|pages =46–47|access-date=2014-02-02|via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> The parkway, originally named the Mount Vernon Memorial Parkway, opened in 1932.<ref name="GWMP" />

In 2007, the estate opened a reconstruction of [[George Washington's Gristmill#Distillery|George Washington's distillery]] on the site of Washington's original distillery, a short distance from his mansion on the Potomac River. Construction of the distillery cost $2.1&nbsp;million. The fully functional replica received special legislation from the Virginia General Assembly to produce up to {{convert|5000|gal|L|abbr=on}} of whiskey annually, for sale only at the Mount Vernon gift shop.

Frank Coleman, spokesman for the [[Distilled Spirits Council]] that funded the reconstruction, said the distillery "will become the equivalent of a national distillery museum" and serve as a gateway to the [[American Whiskey Trail]].<ref name="Barakat2007">{{cite news |url=http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/03/ap_washingtonwhiskey_070331/|title= Replica of distillery of Washington Opens |access-date=April 1, 2007 |last=Barakat|first=Matthew |date=March 31, 2007|work=The Navy Times| publisher=navytimes.com}}</ref> In 2019, Mount Vernon began an annual whiskey festival.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.northernvirginiamag.com/things-to-do/things-to-do-features/2019/07/15/a-new-whiskey-festival-is-coming-to-mount-vernon/|title=A new whiskey festival is coming to Mount Vernon|date=July 15, 2019|language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-27}}</ref>

As of 2020, the estate had received more than 85&nbsp;million visitors.<ref name=aboutMV/> In addition to the mansion, visitors can see original and reconstructed outbuildings and barns (including slaves' quarters), an operational blacksmith shop, and the Pioneer Farm. Each year on [[Christmas Day]], Aladdin the Christmas Camel recreates Washington's 1787 hiring of a camel for 18 [[shillings]] to entertain his guests with an example of the animal that brought the [[Three Wise Men]] to [[Bethlehem]] to visit the newborn [[Jesus]].<ref name="MB">{{cite web|first=Michelle|last=Basch|date=25 December 2011|title=Mount Vernon continues 'Christmas Camel' tradition|url=http://www.federalnewsradio.com/41/2682986/Mount-Vernon-continues-Christmas-Camel-tradition|access-date=March 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118185142/http://www.federalnewsradio.com/41/2682986/Mount-Vernon-continues-Christmas-Camel-tradition|archive-date=January 18, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

Mount Vernon remains a privately owned property. The non-profit Mount Vernon Ladies' Association has not received any funds from the federal government to support the restoration and maintenance of the mansion and the estate's {{convert|500|acre|km2|adj=on}} grounds or its educational programs and activities.<ref name="Smithsonian2006">{{cite news |url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/exploring_mount_vernon.html |title=Exploring Mount Vernon |work=Smithsonian Magazine |publisher=Smithsonian.com |date=November 1, 2006 |access-date=February 28, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080203151254/http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/exploring_mount_vernon.html |archive-date=February 3, 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The association derives its income from charitable donations and the sales of tickets, produce and goods to visitors. These enable the Association to continue its mission "to preserve, restore, and manage the estate of George Washington to the highest standards and to educate visitors and people throughout the world about the life and legacies of George Washington, so that his example of character and leadership will continue to inform and inspire future generations."<ref name="AboutMV">{{cite web|url=http://www.mountvernon.org/about/our-mission|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805011835/http://www.mountvernon.org/about/our-mission|archive-date=August 5, 2016|title=The Mission of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association|work=About Mount Vernon: Our Mission|year=2016|location=Mount Vernon, Virginia|publisher=[[Mount Vernon Ladies' Association]]|access-date=November 16, 2016}}</ref> Admission to Mount Vernon is free on [[Washington's Birthday|Presidents' Day]] (the third Monday of February) and on George Washington's birthday (February 22).<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200216231013/https://www.mountvernon.org/plan-your-visit/calendar/events|archive-date=February 16, 2020|url=https://www.mountvernon.org/plan-your-visit/calendar/events|title=Special Events|work=George Washington's Mount Vernon|location=Mount Vernon, Virginia|publisher=[[Mount Vernon Ladies' Association]]|year=2020|access-date=February 16, 2020}}</ref>

Mount Vernon was featured in a 1-cent [[Postage stamps and postal history of the United States|United States postage stamp]] in 1936 within the Army and Navy Commemorative Series. The green stamp, which was the first in the series, also contained portraits of George Washington and [[Nathanael Greene]], a [[Major general (United States)#U.S. Army|Major General]] of the [[Continental Army]] during the Revolutionary War.<ref>{{cite web|first=Gordon T.|last=Trotter|url=https://postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibition/about-us-stamps-bureau-period-1894-1939-commemorative-issues-1936-1937/army-navy-issue|title=Army & Navy Issue: 1-cent Washington & Greene|work=About U.S. Stamps|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]]: [[National Postal Museum]]|access-date=October 26, 2020|archive-date=October 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018030244/https://postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibition/about-us-stamps-bureau-period-1894-1939-commemorative-issues-1936-1937/army-navy-issue|url-status=dead}}.</ref> 

In 1956, a 1.5-cent stamp within the [[Liberty Issue]] of U.S. postage stamps memorialized Mount Vernon as a national shrine. The Liberty Issue was originally planned to honor six presidents, six famous Americans, and six historic national shrines. The Mount Vernon stamp, which featured a view of Washington's home facing the Potomac River, was the issue's first that commemorated a shrine.<ref>{{cite web|first=Steven J.|last=Rod|date=May 16, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213153919/https://arago.si.edu/category_2028960.html|archive-date=February 13, 2020|url=https://arago.si.edu/category_2028960.html|title=1-1/2-cent Mount Vernon|work=Arago: people, postage & the post|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]]: [[National Postal Museum]]|access-date=February 13, 2020}} {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213181826/https://arago.si.edu/category_2028960.html|date=February 13, 2020}}.</ref>

Mount Vernon was designated a [[National Historic Landmark]] on December 19, 1960, and listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] on October 15, 1966.<ref name=register/><ref name=landmark/> Development and improvement of the estate is an ongoing concern. Following a $110&nbsp;million fundraising campaign, two new buildings that GWWO, Inc./Architects had designed opened in 2006 as venues for additional background on George Washington and the American Revolution. The Ford Orientation Center introduces visitors to George Washington and Mount Vernon with displays and a film. The Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center houses many artefacts related to Washington along with multimedia displays and further films using modern entertainment technology.

Mount Vernon was put on the tentative list for [[World Heritage Site]] status in the early 2000s. It was submitted but failed to get approved. In 2014, Mount Vernon awarded its first [[Cyrus A. Ansary]] Prize for Courage and Character to former President [[George H. W. Bush]].<ref>[[Peter Baker (author)|Baker, Peter]], [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/04/us/politics/hindsight-proves-kinder-and-gentler-to-bush-41.html "Bush 41 Reunion Looks to Burnish His Legacy"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119004040/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/04/us/politics/hindsight-proves-kinder-and-gentler-to-bush-41.html |date=19 November 2018 }}, New York ''Times'', 3 April 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2014.</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/20140404182314/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=25005652&privcapId=29054144 "Executive Profile: Cyrus A. Ansary"], ''[[Bloomberg Businessweek]]''. Retrieved 4 April 2014.</ref>

The airspace surrounding Mount Vernon is restricted to prevent damage from aircraft vibrations.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/60106/11-places-planes-cant-fly-over-us |title=11 Places Planes Can't Fly Over in the U.S. |last=Nesi |first=Chris |date=November 18, 2014 |access-date=October 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012214541/http://mentalfloss.com/article/60106/11-places-planes-cant-fly-over-us |archive-date=12 October 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2005-05-25/pdf/05-10371.pdf |title=Federal Register PART 73—SPECIAL USE AIRSPACE Mount Vernon, VA |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=May 25, 2005 |access-date=October 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012214514/https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2005-05-25/pdf/05-10371.pdf |archive-date=12 October 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> As a consequence, overhead/aerial photography has been limited and requires unique approaches.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.camerondavidson.com/blog/2016/11/17/mount-vernon-for-virginia-tourism |title=Mount Vernon for Virginia Tourism |last=Davidson |first=Cameron |date=November 17, 2016 |access-date=October 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181013014407/https://www.camerondavidson.com/blog/2016/11/17/mount-vernon-for-virginia-tourism |archive-date=13 October 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Mount Vernon Viewshed===
[[File:DAR group at Mt. Vernon LCCN2016892236.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Daughters of the American Revolution]] at Mount Vernon in 1923.]]
In 1955, a 485-acre farm across from Mount Vernon went up for sale. There were rumors that an oil company was to buy it. Charles Wagner, a resident of the [[Moyaone Reserve|Moyaone Association]], a community next to the proposed site, reached out to Charles Wall, the Resident Director of Mount Vernon.<ref name=McDonnell>{{ cite web | url = http://npshistory.com/publications/pisc/adhi.pdf | author = McDonnell, Janet | date = December 2020 |website=[[National Park Service]] | title = Preservation and Partners: A History of Piscataway Park }}</ref> The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association and its then leader, [[Ohio]] Member of Congress [[Frances P. Bolton]], had expressed a desire to protect the view from Mount Vernon. At this point Bolton, Wagner, Wall, and Moyaone resident Robert W. Straus developed a decades-long plan to protect the Mount Vernon [[viewshed]], which came to be known as Operation Overview.<ref name="sprinkle">{{ cite journal | title = Operation Overview and the Creation of Piscataway Park | author = John H. Sprinkle Jr. | journal =  [[The Public Historian]] | date = November 2016  | volume = 38 | issue = 4 | pages = 79–100 | doi = 10.1525/tph.2016.38.4.79 }}</ref><ref name=Meringolo>{{cite journal |publisher = [[National Park Service]] | url = https://www.nps.gov/CRMJournal/winter2008/article3.html | year = 2008 | volume = 5 | issue = 1 | author =  Meringolo, Denise D. | title = The Accokeek Foundation and Piscataway Park | journal = CRM: The Journal of Heritage Stewardship }}</ref>

The first step was taken in 1957 when Bolton founded the Accokeek Foundation, one of the nation's first [[land trust]]s.<ref name="Meringolo" /> The Foundation was used to purchase {{Convert|200|acres}} of land across from Mount Vernon to help preserve the area,<ref>{{Cite news | last=Lutz | first=Lara | date=November 1, 2005 | url=http://www.bayjournal.com/article/piscataway_park_rooted_in_farming_of_past_sows_seeds_for_future | title=Piscataway Park, Rooted in Farming of Past, Sows Seeds for Future | newspaper=Bay Journal | location=[[Seven Valleys, Pennsylvania]] | publisher=Chesapeake Media Service | access-date=April 27, 2016 }}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

In 1961 and at Bolton's instigation, a joint resolution to preserve the viewshed was introduced in the [[United States Senate]] by Senator [[Clinton Anderson]] with identical text in the [[United States House of Representatives]] by Representative [[John P. Saylor]]. The resolution was quickly passed and signed by [[President John F. Kennedy]]. Its purpose was to "preserve lands which provide the principal overview from the Mount Vernon Estate and Fort Washington" in order to designate {{Convert|133|acre}} around Mockley Point, which was to be the site of water treatment plant, as a national landmark. The resolution also authorized the National Park Service to receive donations and scenic easements from adjacent communities.<ref name="1961-bill">{{cite act | url = https://www.congress.gov/bill/87th-congress/house-joint-resolution/459 | legislature = [[United States House of Representatives]] | date = October 4, 1961 | title = Joint resolution to provide for the preservation and protection of certain lands in Prince Georges and Charles Counties, Maryland, and for other purposes}}</ref> At this point Bolton and the Accokeek Foundation transferred their land to the National Park Service to form [[Piscataway Park]].<ref name=McDonnell /> In addition, Moyaone Association residents transferred conservation easements to the Park Service to further protect the viewshed. In 2020, the Moyaone Reserve was given National Register of Historic Places status.<ref name=Moyaonehistoric>{{cite web | url = https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/weekly-list-20201009.htm | title = WEEKLY LIST OF ACTIONS TAKEN ON PROPERTIES: 10/2/2020 THROUGH 10/8/2020
 | date = October 9, 2020 | publisher = [[National Park Service]] }}</ref>

==Access==
===Public transportation===
The [[Fairfax Connector#Routes|Fairfax Connector Routes]] 101, 151 and 152 buses travel daily between the Mount Vernon estate and the [[Huntington station (Washington Metro)|Huntington station]] on [[Washington Metro]]'s [[Yellow Line (Washington Metro)|Yellow Line]].<ref>Multiple sources:
* {{cite web|url=https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/connector/sites/connector/files/assets/documents/pdf/routes/101.pdf|title=Route 101 (Fort Hunt – Mt. Vernon) bus map and schedule|work=[[Fairfax Connector]]|date=December 19, 2015|publisher=Government of [[Fairfax County, Virginia]]|access-date=June 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210614050238/https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/connector/sites/connector/files/assets/documents/pdf/routes/101.pdf|archive-date=June 14, 2021|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/connector/sites/connector/files/assets/documents/pdf/routes/151-159.pdf|title=Routes 151 & 159 (Engleside – Mt. Vernon) bus map and schedule|work=[[Fairfax Connector]]|date=December 19, 2015|publisher=Government of [[Fairfax County, Virginia]]|access-date=June 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210614051155/https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/connector/sites/connector/files/assets/documents/pdf/routes/151-159.pdf|archive-date=June 14, 2021|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/connector/sites/connector/files/assets/documents/pdf/route%20pdfs/route_152_121915_web.pdf|title=Route 152 (Groveton – Mt. Vernon) bus map and schedule|work=[[Fairfax Connector]]|date=December 19, 2015|publisher=Government of [[Fairfax County, Virginia]]|access-date=June 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191205212200/https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/connector/sites/connector/files/assets/documents/pdf/route%20pdfs/route_152_121915_web.pdf|archive-date=December 5, 2019|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/connector/sites/connector/files/assets/documents/pdf/ffx_systemmap_web.pdf|title=Fairfax County Transit Network|format=map|work=[[Fairfax Connector]]|date=January 2021|publisher=Government of [[Fairfax County, Virginia]]|access-date=June 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310232013/https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/connector/sites/connector/files/assets/documents/pdf/ffx_systemmap_web.pdf|archive-date=March 10, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> The Route 11C [[Metrobus (Washington, D.C.)|Metrobus]] travels between the estate and the [[Braddock Road station]] on Metro's [[Blue Line (Washington Metro)|Blue]] and Yellow Lines during weekday peak hours.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wmata.com/schedules/timetables/upload/11C_210606.pdf|title=11C Mount Vernon Line bus map and schedule|date=June 6, 2021|publisher=[[Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority]]|access-date=June 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606015416/https://www.wmata.com/schedules/timetables/upload/11C_210606.pdf|archive-date=June 6, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Cycling, running, and walking===
The {{convert|17|mi|km|0|adj=on}}-long [[Mount Vernon Trail]] travels along the [[George Washington Memorial Parkway]] and the [[Potomac River]] between the Mount Vernon estate and [[Rosslyn, Virginia|Rosslyn]] in [[Arlington County, Virginia]], where it connects to the [[Custis Trail]].<ref name=trail>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/gwmp/planyourvisit/upload/Mt-Vernon-Trail-map-508.pdf|title=Exploring the Mount Vernon Trail|format=map|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=[[National Park Service]]|access-date=June 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425222500/https://www.nps.gov/gwmp/planyourvisit/upload/Mt-Vernon-Trail-map-508.pdf|archive-date=April 25, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Arlington Bike Map">{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200106005328/http://www.bikearlington.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/bikearlington-bike-map_2019_FINAL-lo-res-1.pdf|archive-date=January 6, 2020|url-status=live|url=http://www.bikearlington.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/bikearlington-bike-map_2019_FINAL-lo-res-1.pdf|title=Arlington County Bike Map: 2019|work=BikeArlington|publisher=Arlington County government|date=May 2019|access-date=January 6, 2020}}</ref> The [[shared-use path]] is a part of the [[Potomac Heritage Trail]], the [[East Coast Greenway]] and [[U.S. Bicycle Route 1]].

The Mount Vernon Trail connects to shared-use paths that travel on the [[Key Bridge (Washington, D.C.)|Francis Scott Key Bridge]], the [[Theodore Roosevelt Bridge]], the [[Arlington Memorial Bridge]] and the [[14th Street bridges#George Mason Memorial Bridge|George Mason Memorial Bridge]] (one of the [[14th Street bridges]]).<ref name="Arlington Bike Map"/><ref name="DC Bike Map">{{cite web|url=https://ddot.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/ddot/page_content/attachments/BikeMap_2020_Back.pdf|title=Washington, D.C. and vicinity bike map|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=[[District Department of Transportation]], [[Government of the District of Columbia]]|access-date=June 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210502063705/https://ddot.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/ddot/page_content/attachments/BikeMap_2020_Back.pdf|archive-date=May 2, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> The bridges cross the river into Washington, D.C., where their shared-use paths connect to the [[Rock Creek Trails#Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway Trail|Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway Trail]], the [[Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park#Towpath|Chesapeake and Ohio Canal towpath]] and the [[Capital Crescent Trail]].<ref name="Arlington Bike Map"/><ref name="DC Bike Map"/>

== See also ==
* [[List of residences of presidents of the United States]]
* [[List of burial places of presidents and vice presidents of the United States]]
* [[List of burial places of justices of the Supreme Court of the United States]]
* [[List of enslaved people of Mount Vernon]]
* [[Mount Vernon Conference]], 1785
* [[Mount Vernon Mansion replicas]]
* [[Presidential memorials in the United States]]
{{clear right}}

== References ==

===Notes===
{{notelist|notes=}}

===Citations===
{{reflist|refs=

<ref name="Wall">{{citation |last=Wall |first=Charles C. |title=Notes on the Early History of Mount Vernon |journal=[[William and Mary Quarterly]] | series = 3 |volume=2 |number=2 |year=1945 |pages=173–90 |doi=10.2307/1923518 |jstor=1923518}}</ref>

}}

== Further reading ==
* Brandt, Lydia Mattice. ''First in the Homes of His Countrymen: George Washington's Mount Vernon in the American Imagination'' (U of Virginia Press, 2016). xii, 284 pp
* {{citation |last1=Dalzell |first1=Robert F. |last2=Dalzell |first2=Lee Baldwin |title=George Washington's Mount Vernon: At Home in Revolutionary America |year=1998 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-513628-9}}
* {{citation |last1=Griswold |first1=Mac |last2=Foley |first2=Roger |title=Washington's Gardens at Mount Vernon: Landscape of the Inner Man |year=1999 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin}}
* {{citation |last=Grizzard |first=Frank |title=George!: A Guide to All Things Washington |year=2005 |publisher=Mariner Companies}}
* {{citation |last=Manca |first=Joseph |title=George Washington's Eye: Landscape, Architecture, and Design at Mount Vernon |publisher=The Johns Hopkins University Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-4214-0432-5}}
* {{citation |last1=Rasmussen |first1=William M. S. |last2=Tilton |first2=Robert S. |title=George Washington—the Man Behind the Myths |publisher=University of Virginia Press |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-8139-1900-3 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/georgewashington00rasm }}
* {{cite book |last=Thane |first=Elswyth |author-link=Elswyth Thane |date=1966 |title=Mount Vernon is ours |url= |location=New York |publisher=Duell, Sloan and Pearce}}
* {{cite book |title=Virginia: A Guide to the Old Dominion |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.152220 |year=1940 |publisher=Oxford University Press}}
* {{cite book |last=Wilstach |first=Paul |title=Mount Vernon: Washington's Home and the Nation's Shrine |year=1918 |publisher=The Bobbs-Merrill Company}}

== External links ==

{{Commons category-inline|Mount Vernon}}

* {{Official website}}
* [http://www.mountvernon.org/virtualtour Virtual Tour of Mount Vernon (George Washington's Mount Vernon)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090109121812/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=636&ResourceType=Building National Historic Landmark: Mount Vernon]
* [https://archive.today/20071020152554/http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/2006/6/2006_6_21.shtml National Shrine: Bringing George Washington Back to Life]
* [http://www.c-span.org/video/?121783-1/life-portrait-george-washington "Life Portrait of George Washington"], from [[C-SPAN]]'s ''[[American Presidents: Life Portraits]]'', broadcast from Mount Vernon, 15 March 1999
* [http://cdm16829.contentdm.oclc.org/ Digital Assets from George Washington's Mount Vernon]

{{George Washington}}
{{Washington family}}
{{Fairfax County, Virginia topics}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in Virginia}}
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