George Washington's Mount Vernon

George Washington's Mount Vernon Mount Vernon, located in Northern Virginia, is the historic home of America’s first president, George Washington. Mount Vernon is open 365 days per year.
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Visit George Washington’s Virginia estate to learn about the daily lives of the first U.S. president, his family, and the enslaved people who lived and worked here. Wander the gardens, meet farm animals, and pay your respects at George Washington's tomb and at the Slave Memorial and Cemetery. Between visits, make sure to follow us for daily posts about the founding era and what life was like in the 1700s.

K-12 teachers, delve into George Washington's 18th-century world at these free continuing education programs from the Ge...
08/29/2026

K-12 teachers, delve into George Washington's 18th-century world at these free continuing education programs from the George Washington Teacher Institute.

📍 September 9: Reno, Nevada
📍 September 19: Winnemucca, Nevada
📍 September 22: Hartford, Connecticut
📍 September 25: Phoenix, Arizona
📍 September 25: Oshkosh, Wisconsin
📍 September 26: Boston, Massachusetts

Thank you to our sponsor, The Boeing Company

See the comments for the link to learn more and register.

08/28/2026

☀️ The end of August is here on the estate ☀️

08/27/2026

On this day 250 years ago, the Battle of Long Island began. It was fought in what is now the borough of Brooklyn, including Prospect Park (Prospect Park Alliance), Gowanus, Flatbush, and Crown Heights. It was a crushing defeat for George Washington and the Patriot cause, with a nighttime escape across the East River on August 29. Here's Ken Burns introducing a new UNUM playlist on NYC's Revolutionary History.

“No estate in United America is more pleasantly situated than this—It lyes in a high, dry & healthy country, 300 miles b...
08/27/2026

“No estate in United America is more pleasantly situated than this—It lyes in a high, dry & healthy country, 300 miles by water from the Sea—and … on one of the finest Rivers in the world.” - George Washington, 1793

In the 18th century, the Potomac River was a scene of local trade and constant activity. Visitors to Mount Vernon described the steady traffic of sailing vessels passing up and down the river.
Ferries carried passengers and livestock back and forth to the Maryland shore. Flatboats carried flour from George Washington’s gristmill to meet larger ships on the Potomac. Washington regularly sent enslaved men to pilot a boat to Alexandria for supplies. He directed flat-bottomed scows into the middle of the river, where laborers gathered mud from the riverbed to spread on fields as a kind of fertilizer.

Each spring, the Potomac saw massive spawning runs of herring and shad — one of the most consistently profitable ventures at Mount Vernon. Dozens of enslaved field laborers would leave their agricultural work and haul seines into the river to collect vast numbers of herring, which were then salted and packed.

08/26/2026

This week in 1776, the Battle of Long Island turned into a disaster for the American army.

Outflanked by the British, the Continental Army suffered heavy losses as Generals John Sullivan and William Alexander (Lord Stirling) were captured, and American forces found themselves trapped at Brooklyn.

If you're visiting Mount Vernon with kids, don't miss the Hands-on-History Center! Learn more about George Washington's ...
08/22/2026

If you're visiting Mount Vernon with kids, don't miss the Hands-on-History Center! Learn more about George Washington's life, the buildings and landscapes, and the people who called Mount Vernon home through interactive displays, activities, and exhibits.

Last night we hosted the five finalists for the 2026 George Washington Prize. This annual award celebrates the year’s be...
08/21/2026

Last night we hosted the five finalists for the 2026 George Washington Prize. This annual award celebrates the year’s best works on the founding of our nation and is one of the nation's largest and most notable book awards.

All the finalists sat down with Executive Director of the George Washington Presidential Library, Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky, as they each discussed their books and the importance of each book in broadening the public's knowledge of early American history.

Stay tuned for the winner to be announced on October 5!

08/20/2026

Hear from the five finalists for the 2026 George Washington Prize, Richard Bell, Joyce Chaplin, Steven Sarson, Paul Staiti, and Amy Watson, as they discuss their important new books on the founding era in this special Ford Evening Book Talk.
This annual award, sponsored by George Washington's Mount Vernon, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, and Washington College, recognizes the past year’s best works on the nation’s founding era, especially those that have the potential to advance a broad public understanding of early American history.

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Check out this rare surviving wax seal from 1782!Why use a wax seal? It assured the recipient of a letter’s authorship a...
08/20/2026

Check out this rare surviving wax seal from 1782!

Why use a wax seal? It assured the recipient of a letter’s authorship and security.

During the Revolutionary War, George Washington used so much red sealing wax that he regularly ordered it by the pound. This example comes from a July 20, 1782, letter to Washington's friend Elizabeth Powel. Its design features the Washington family crest, including what Washington called a “flying griffin.”

Because seals were often split or cut from letters, surviving examples are rare.

08/19/2026

This week in 1776, as a British attack on New York seemed imminent, George Washington ordered women and children evacuated from the city, fearing that a bombardment would panic both civilians and his inexperienced troops.

Yet even as he prepared for battle, Washington found time to write to his cousin and estate manager, Lund Washington, with instructions for improvements at Mount Vernon.

Address

3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway
Mount Vernon, VA
22121

Telephone

+17037802000

Website

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