Mount Vernon will continue to ensure that, while on the estate, each visitor’s understanding of and appreciation for George Washington and his legacy are expanded and enriched.
Programs necessary for achieving this goal start with supplementing the educational content of the visitor experience and exploring state-of-the-art technological improvements to engage guests of all ages.
Benefiting from a matching gift announced in 2007 of up to one million dollars for technological upgrades, we will use 21st-century technology to enliven the experience for estate visitors.
At the same time, Mount Vernon will approach its mission of education the old-fashioned way by, for instance, employing even more world-class tour interpreters to delight children and adults alike.
As it has done for more than a century, Mount Vernon will preserve the estate and gardens. Capital and furnishing projects currently in the pipeline include restorations of:
• Upper Garden and adjoining areas
• Little Parlor in the Mansion
• Lower Garden wall
• West Gate lodges and surrounding green space
• Blacksmith’s Shop
• Additional parts of the Greenhouse and Slave Quarters exhibits.
• Mount Vernon’s magnificent Large Dining Room for ceiling and window repair, as well as repainting.
These restoration efforts address our goal of preserving the historic integrity of Mount Vernon as it was when George Washington lived here—which is how our education-focused guests wish to see it.
Such restoration requires outside expert consultants and labor by paid employees and student interns receiving stipends to excavate and process artifacts.
Mount Vernon is currently exploring relationships with a Virginia university for student internships. We also hope to accept more out-of-state student interns and seek funds to supplement their housing costs.
Other major priorities include protecting the estate’s Potomac River magnificent view so that the pristine vista from the mansion’s piazza remains undisturbed by development.
Right now, portions of the 80-square-mile viewshed may be threatened by unsightly construction as the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC continue to expand. We want visitors to enjoy the view from the piazza in its entirety as George Washington, his family, and his guests observed it more than 200 years ago.
Additional efforts include conducting forest regeneration and maintenance on approximately 300 acres of the estate—a project that will continue for the foreseeable future.
Finally, we hope to endow key leadership positions in the following areas instrumental to Mount Vernon’s long-term success: Collections, Horticulture, Education, Preservation, Archaeology, Conservation, Distance Learning, Library, and Archives.
