A Hidden Signature: Chalk Writing at Mount Vernon
Friday, March 21, 2025
The Mansion Revitalization Project continues to uncover new clues about the history of George Washington’s home. Recently, while temporarily removing siding boards from the exterior of the dining room, the Preservation team took the opportunity to conduct additional investigations into the underlying framing. Their goal? To pinpoint when key str...
Read more
Reinforcing the Cellar Vaults
Thursday, March 06, 2025
The Mansion Revitalization Project is a prime example of how thoughtful planning and precise execution are essential to preserving historic landmarks. Among the project’s critical tasks has been the installation of internal shoring within the Mansion’s cellar vaults, ensuring the structure remains stable during restoration.
Read more
Video: Cantilever Shoring Explained
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Preserving an 18th-century structure such as the Mansion requires an extraordinary blend of historical expertise, engineering ingenuity, and skilled craftsmanship. As part of the Mansion Revitalization Project, one of the most complex and visually striking preservation efforts has been the cantilever shoring system—a feat of structural stabiliza...
Read more
Carpenters Craft New Framing Members
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
Time and time again, the Mansion Revitalization Project showcases the Preservation team’s unparalleled precision and commitment to authenticity as they care for Washington’s iconic home. Few undertakings illustrate this better than the milling of wood, some from the Mount Vernon estate, to create new framing members for the Mansion.
Read more
Photos: Removal of Joists, Undergirts, and Summer Beam
Thursday, October 31, 2024
With the New Room’s floors removed, Mount Vernon’s Preservation team, with the assistance of Christman Mid-Atlantic Constructors, began the process of replacing much of the room’s underlying framing. This involved removing the room’s joists, undergirts, and the one in-situ summer beam, components that primarily date to the 19th and 20th centurie...
Read more
Time-Lapse Video: Bottle Excavation
Tuesday, October 22, 2024
This spring, Mount Vernon made national headlines during the Mansion Revitalization Project when its team of archaeologists unearthed 35 glass bottles, mostly containing preserved cherries.Learn MoreBelow, watch a time-lapse video documenting the excavation of the first two bottles. Photos were taken every 30 seconds as the team carefully remove...
Read more
Shaping Stone Blocks
Wednesday, October 02, 2024
As part of Mount Vernon’s ongoing Mansion Revitalization Project, masons from Dominion Traditional Builders are helping to restore the cellar’s passage walls. Their work is a vital step in preserving George Washington’s home and ensuring that future generations can experience the Mansion as closely as possible to how it appeared in Washington’s ...
Read more
Dating the New Room’s Summer Beam
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
The Mansion Revitalization Project continues to uncover fascinating layers of history. One area of focus has been addressing key structural elements, such as the one in-situ summer beam in George Washington's New Room. The summer beam, a critical framing component, offers insight into the evolving history of the Mansion while also presenting a u...
Read more
Temporary Paving Stone Removal
Friday, August 23, 2024
During the ongoing Mansion Revitalization Project, significant work has been undertaken to remove masonry outside the New Room and on the piazza—a crucial step in ensuring the long-term preservation and stability of Washington's beloved home.
Read more
Masonry Work in the Cellar
Monday, August 05, 2024
A significant aspect of the Mansion Revitalization Project involves repairing sections of the Mansion’s masonry. The brick and stone foundation walls and chimney bases in the cellar provide the strong underpinning upon which the Mansion stands. As with the home’s framing, some necessary interventions in past decades, using "modern" materials, ha...
Read more
Preservation
Mansion Revitalization Project
Mount Vernon has embarked on a landmark preservation project to ensure the Mansion's structural integrity for generations to come.