Collections : [The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon]

The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon

The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon
3600 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway
Mount Vernon, VA 22121
Primary Collecting Areas:
George and Martha Washington, Mount Vernon, Founding Era and Early Republic, Historic preservation, Decorative arts, Mount Vernon Ladies' Association
Description:

The Fred W. Smith National Library includes general collections, special collections and archives as a resource for scholars, students, and those interested in George Washington, colonial America and the Revolutionary and founding eras.

The library's general collections include secondary source materials on the Washington and Custis families, and the colonial and founding eras.

The Special Collections materials highlight the lives of George and Martha Washington as well as their descendants through correspondence, financial materials, and original books from George and Martha Washington's library.

The archives of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association holds the historic institutional records of the organization dating back to its founding in 1853.

POC: Reference services
Phone: (703) 780-3600

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Peter family papers, 1722/1932

12 Linear Feet 46 boxes
Abstract Or Scope

This collection consists of papers collected by various members of the Peter families. It includes letters from George Washington, letters of condolence to Martha Washington after George Washington's death, estate documents, Major George Peter's military papers, land plats and surveys, photo albums, letterbooks, and notebooks that tell of the life of this prominent family in Virginia and the City of Washington.

Restoration Files for the Historic Structures Report, 1750/2005

14 Cubic Feet 13 cartons, 2 Hollinger boxes
Abstract Or Scope

This collection contains original records and photocopied documentation that was compiled in the early 1990s to provide necessary assistance for the preparation of the Historic Structures Report. Original materials include correspondence of Mount Vernon Superintendents, employees, and Vice Regents, accounts and financial documents, reports, photographs, and architectural drawings. Photocopied or printed documents were taken from ledgers, accounts, and correspondence of George Washington and his staff, published primary and secondary sources, and MVLA reports. The dates of original materials range from the 1860s to 2005, however, the date range of information from the files is from the 1750s to 2005.

Top 3 results view all 103

Beebe collection of Washington family papers, 1818/1861, bulk 1840/1850

.5 Linear Feet
Abstract Or Scope

This collection includes correspondence between John Augustine Washington III and his mother and wife, as well as other family members, mostly dealing with family matters and running Mount Vernon.

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Historical Photograph Collection, 1850/2010

89 Linear Feet Variety of container sizes based on photograph sizes and material types. Over-sized items are housed in drawers.
Abstract Or Scope

The Historical Photograph Collection is largely comprised of materials created by or for the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association. Some of the earliest photographs of the estate were created and sold to visitors by the Association as a means of income. Those efforts helped to establish an important collection of 19th century views. The collection spans the 1850s to 2000s and includes over 140 linear feet of analog material providing a visual history of the Mansion, outbuildings, tombs, grounds, events, visitors, collection objects, personnel, and changes throughout the estate.

Historic ephemera collection, 1796/1986

1 Linear Feet
Abstract Or Scope

This collection includes ephemera from 1796-1986, and contains a variety of formats that primarily relate to the portrayal of George Washington.

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Historic ephemera collection, 1796/1986 1 Linear Feet

John Augustine Washington III and family papers, 1789/1994

approx 4 Linear Feet 15 boxes
Abstract Or Scope

This collection contains correspondence, legal documents, financial records, and other documents related to John Augustine Washington III and his family, especially his son, Lawrence, as well as his granddaughters, Anne and Patty. The bulk of the correspondence series are letters sent to John Augustine Washington III and concern family affairs and the management of various family plantations, including Mount Vernon.

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Burr W. Harrison to John Augustine Washington III, 1846 2 pages Box 3, Folder 1846.05.01

John Augustine Washington III and family papers, 1789/1994 approx 4 Linear Feet 15 boxes

Historic manuscript collection, 1601/1933

approx. 60 Linear Feet
Abstract Or Scope

This collection of historic manuscripts dates from 1607-1933, with the bulk of materials dating from 1738-1868. The correspondence, journals and diaries, legal and financial records, estate documents, and printed ephemera in the collection primarily relate to the Washington and Custis families, the Revolutionary War, and society life in antebellum Washington D.C. and Virginia.

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Historic manuscript collection, 1601/1933 approx. 60 Linear Feet

John Augustine Washington Farm Book, 1814/1846 1 Volumes Box 106, Shelf Closed Stacks

John Augustine Washington III and Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) collection, 1834/1957

3 Linear Feet 7 boxes
Abstract Or Scope

This collection concerns the inheritance, maintenance, and sale of the Mount Vernon estate by its last private owner, John Augustine Washington III. A large majority of the collection is correspondence to or from John Augustine Washington III with a significant portion relating to the purchase of the estate by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association. Three diaries kept by John Augustine are also included and contain important information about his slaves, agricultural practices, and finances. Other types of material in the collection include legal documents, receipts, photographs, and ephemera. Photocopies were made for most of the manuscripts and can be viewed as surrogates to the originals.

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Diary of John Augustine Washington III, 1841/1859 Box 6

John Augustine Washington III and Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) collection, 1834/1957 3 Linear Feet 7 boxes

Letter, Jane C.B. Washington to John Augustine Washington III, 1840/1850 Box 1

John Augustine Washington III and Eleanor Love Selden correspondence, 1842/1860

0.5 Linear Feet
Abstract Or Scope

The collection contains correspondence between John Augustine Washington III and his wife Eleanor Love Selden. The letters begin during the Washingtons' engagement and continues through eighteen years of marriage, ending with a letter from John Augustine to Eleanor composed the day prior to her sudden death. The letters contain information on family matters, the management of the Mount Vernon estate, and plantation life prior to the Civil War.

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Elizabeth Bordley Gibson collection, 1794/1851

1.25 Linear Feet (6 boxes)
Abstract Or Scope

This collection contains correspondence to or from Elizabeth Bordley Gibson, the lifelong friend of Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis. The majority of the collection contains letters to Elizabeth Bordley Gibson from Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis. The correspondence focuses on the Gibson and Lewis families, political events, and the people of Philadelphia. The dates of the material in this collection ranges from 1794-1851, with the bulk of the material dating between 1820-1840. This collection was purchased by the Mount Vernon Ladies Association in 1952, from the estate of Roland S. Morris, of Philadelphia. The Morris family inherited these letters through their familial connection to the Shippen Family, who served as executors to the estate of Elizabeth Bordley Gibson.

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Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis, Audley, to Elizabeth Bordley Gibson, corner of 8th and Spruce Streets, Philadelphia, 1846 Box 5, Folder 1846.04.03

Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis, Audley, to Elizabeth Bordley Gibson, Corner of Spruce and 8th Streets, 1846 Box 5, Folder 1846.08.29

Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis, Audley, to Elizabeth Bordley Gibson, Corner of Spruce and 8th Streets, 1846 Box 5, Folder 1846.12.19

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