Museum - George Washington's Mount Vernon in Mount Vernon, Virginia

We're excited to announce that PBS' New Year's Eve concert, United in Song: Celebrating the Resilience of America, filmed at George Washington's Mount Vernon & The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, will air on 12/31 at 8:00 pm ET! Learn more: https://bit.ly/33MFyud

Join Mount Vernon for a virtual Ford Evening Book Talk with historian Jean H. Baker in conversation with Mount Vernon's Susan P. Schoelwer. They will discuss Baker's new book, Building America: The Life of Benjamin Henry Latrobe.

On December 1, 1779, Washington went into winter quarters at Morristown, New Jersey, having quartered there earlier in the Revolutionary War. Have you ever visited Morristown National Historical Park?

Happy Birthday to John Adams, born #OnThisDay in 1735!

#OnThisDay in 1785, Sculptor Jean Antoine Houdon and his assistants leave Mount Vernon, headed back to France, where he will make this full-length marble statue of George Washington. When the Marquis de Lafayette saw this statue he said, "That is the man himself." Today is still stands on the spot it was originally placed in 1796: The rotunda of the Capitol in Richmond, VA. Have you ever seen the statue in the rotunda, or the reproductions of it elsewhere?

Donald Ritchie, Historian Emeritus of the U.S. Senate, will talk about the election of 1932, when Franklin Delano Roosevelt defeated the incumbent, Herbert Hoover, during a time of national crisis, and reversed the course of American politics.

Join the Washington Library and James Monroe’s Highland for a virtual talk with Tim McGrath about his new book, James Monroe: A Life. Special Guest Dr. Sara Bon-Harper, Highland’s Executive Director, will also join us to discuss how recent archeological work is shedding new light on life at Highland. This event is co-sponsored by James Monroe's Highland.

#HistoricPhotoFriday: Stereoscopic view of a group of Knights Templars from several commanderies dressed in full uniform and posed in front of Washington's tomb. The large banner in the background represents the Columbia Commendary, No. 2. Knights Templar of Washington, DC. As Freemasonry's most celebrated brother, George Washington was invited to numerous Masonic lodges in the new republic. Pilgrimages to Mount Vernon, as the one seen in this frame from a stereograph taken #OnThisDay (Oct. 16) in 1872, became a long standing tradition. To this day, local lodges continue to celebrate and pay homage to George Washington.

As one of Mount Vernon’s enslaved gardeners, George tended the trees, flowers, and vegetables growing near Washington’s home. Learn more about his life in our Digital Encyclopedia entry.

Caroline Branham was the mother of 9 children, the wife of Peter Hardiman, and an enslaved housemaid at Mount Vernon. Learn more about her life in our Digital Encyclopedia article.

Join us on Wednesday, October 28 at 2:00 pm ET for a special live Q&A on horses and the role of horses in early America, co-hosted by Thomas Jefferson's Monticello and George Washington’s Mount Vernon! Monticello’s Associate Curator Emilie Johnson will discuss Thomas Jefferson’s horses, Monticello’s restored stables, and the role of enslaved hostlers. Mount Vernon’s Livestock Stable Manager, Lisa Pregent, will discuss George Washington’s horses and Mount Vernon's livestock stables today.

Make the most of Mount Vernon. Become a member today to enjoy exclusive perks at the estate: Free, unlimited daytime admission for 12 months Discounted tickets for select programs, lectures, and events Exclusive member communications & members-only online events... and more! Become a member today: https://bit.ly/3nRQjUp

Less than 1 week left to vote for Mount Vernon as the Best Holiday Historic Home Tour for this year's USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice travel award! Vote once per day for Mount Vernon now through Dec. 7

Thanks to your generosity, we reached & exceeded our $25K goal for #GivingTuesday! As a nonprofit that receives no government funding, we couldn’t preserve George Washington’s home & legacy without you

Elizabeth Varon of the University of Virginia will talk about the extraordinarily consequential election of 1860, when Abraham Lincoln was elected president and the nation soon broke apart. She will also look at the election of 1864, when Lincoln sought re-election in the midst of civil war.

On Thursday, October 29 at 1:00 pm ET, join us & President Lincoln's Cottage for their 2020 Lincoln Ideas Forum on Presidential Character! Our own Allison Wickens will be speaking along with moderator Andrew Marshall of the Partnership for Public Service, Janet Tran from the Reagan Institute, and Mark Lawrence from the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.

Join Horticulture Director Dean Norton for a live tour of the Lower Garden at Mount Vernon on Thursday, October 15 at noon ET!

Jeffrey Pasley of the University of Missouri will talk about the first American presidential elections, from Washington’s unanimous election to two terms in office to the first contested election in our history, when John Adams defeated Thomas Jefferson in 1796, only to lose to him in 1800.

When Jean-Antoine Houdon created a life mask of George Washington in October of 1785, Washington was clearly intrigued by the process, and documented the materials and method by which the plaster was prepared in his diary entry on October 10: "Observed the process for preparing the Plaister of Paris, & mixing of itaccording to Mr. Houdon. The Oven being made hotter than it is usually heated for Bread, the Plaister which had been previously broken into lumpsthat which was h...ard, to about the size of a pullets egg; and that which was soft, and could be broken with the hands, larger; was put in about Noon, and remained until Night; when, upon examination, it was further continued until the Morning without any renewal of the heat in the Oven, which was close stopped. Having been sufficiently calcined by this operation, it was pulverized (in an Iron Mortar) & sifted for use through a fine lawn sieve, & kept from wet." Read more: https://bit.ly/3jONBgd #WashingtonWednesday See more

Spice up your week with our Date Night Dinner Deal at home or at the Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant every Tuesday to Thursday!

David O. Stewart, author of the forthcoming, George Washington: The Political Rise of America’s Founding Father, will talk about elections in colonial Virginia, Washington’s sixteen years as a legislator in the Virginia House of Burgesses, and what he learned from those early political experiences.

#OnThisDay in 1785, Jean Antoine Houdon made a life mask of Washington's face, which he uses to create this famous bust.

Joseph Brant, or Thayendanegea (painted by George Romney in 1776, courtesy of National Gallery of Canada) was a Mohawk warrior, tribal leader, and diplomat most notable for his alliance with the British during the American Revolution. As president, Washington recognized Brant's influence in the Six Nations Confederacy and sought to include him in negotiations between the United States and Iroquois leaders. George Washington was born into a world in which native peoples were ...still major players in the Americas, despite having suffered through three centuries of European diseases, dispossession, and warfare. Throughout his life, Washington negotiated with and served alongside native peoples, fought against others, and sought their land for his own prosperity. Learn more about Washington's complicated relationship with Native Americans at mountvernon.org/nativeamericans See more

Exciting news from our neighbors at the National Museum of the United States Army: The Museum is officially opening this Veterans Day! Join them on November 11, then head to Mount Vernon for free admission for all active duty, former, or retired military personnel.

Mount Vernon was cloaked in fog nearly every morning this past week, making it look especially spooky around here...

#OnThisDay in 1976, President Gerald Ford made Washington general with rank and precedence over all other generals.

The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association mourns the passing of John Harbour, who served as the 7th Resident Director of Mount Vernon from 1984 to 1987.

Shopping on Amazon #PrimeDay next week? Be sure to shop at smile.amazon.com and select George Washington's Mount Vernon as your charity, and Amazon will donate 0.5% of eligible purchases at no extra cost! Learn more: https://amzn.to/3iKKUuH

Archaeology has shaped our knowledge of George & Martha Washington's life and the daily experience of the enslaved community at Mount Vernon. Learn more about archaeology at Mount Vernon in honor of Virginia Archaeology Month this October at mountvernon.org/archaeology, and follow them at Historic Preservation at Mount Vernon.

Breaking News For the first time, the George Washington Distillery has produced a limited release of aged rum! It's available now for purchase in person only at Mount Vernon, and samples of the rum also will be available during the Whiskey Tastings at the Distillery on October 10 & 17. The production of rum at Mount Vernon ties together the story of rum in Colonial America with Washington's trip to Barbados when he was 19, and his later role as a leader in the distilling world. Learn more: https://bit.ly/34smKQk