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 structural changes—particularly to the wall and windows—took place.
Preservation
Mansion Revitalization Project
Mount Vernon has embarked on a landmark preservation project to ensure the Mansion's structural integrity for generations to come.
Dendrochronology and Dating the Framing
Dendrochronology (tree-ring dating) was employed to help determine the age of the framing beneath the dining room windows. By analyzing the rings in the timber, the team hopes to establish a precise timeline for modifications to this part of the Mansion.
This process is essential for understanding how Washington and later stewards of Mount Vernon altered the house over time. Surprisingly, the dendrochronology results revealed a mix of framing members from 1734 and 1758—marking the first evidence that the 1758 work on the house addressed structural issues that had developed within the first two decades of the Mansion’s existence.
A Mysterious Chalk Marking
During the framing investigation, the team made a surprising discovery—chalk writing on one of the posts beneath the dining room windows. The inscription appears to read "RNC 1860," though further analysis will be needed to confirm its exact lettering and meaning.
Chalk writing discovered in the Mansion. The inscription appears to read "RNC 1860," though further analysis will be needed to confirm its exact lettering and meaning. (MVLA)
Historical evidence suggests that the chalk writing is linked to the first restoration work carried out on the Mansion by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association in 1860. A photograph from that year (below) captures the west front of the Mansion with the siding boards below the dining room windows removed. Research has now confirmed that the boards removed in 1860 were replaced with new siding, and it was one of these replacement boards that bears the chalk inscription.
Additionally, a map (below) of replaced siding, created by analyzing the types of nails securing the boards, reveals that the pattern of replacement matches the 1860 removals beneath the dining room windows—further linking the graffiti to this early restoration effort.
As the Mansion Revitalization Project progresses, Mount Vernon’s preservation experts continue to uncover hidden stories within the walls of Washington’s home. Whether through dendrochronology, architectural studies, or unexpected chalk markings, each discovery brings us closer to understanding the ongoing evolution of the Mansion—and the many hands that have helped preserve it for future generations.
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