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
Start Over Repository The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon Subjects Military records
The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon

Historic manuscript collection, 1601/1933

approx. 60 Linear Feet

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.

Top 3 results view all 12

Army commission, Lawrence Washington, 1740 Box 88 OVERSIZE, Folder 1740.06.09

A.D.S. on vellum. 1 page. Army Commission of Lawrence Washington as captain in provincial forces serving under Admiral Vernon in the Cartagena campaign. Signed by Hollis Newcastle [Duke of Newcastle], entered with Secretary at war by Thomas Sherwin. Entered with Commissioner of Musters by [Jas. Pitchart?]. Embossed seal, and seal of George II, Docketed and marked "This commission was delivered the tenth day of July 1740 to the within named Lawrence Washington Esqr. [signed] Will Gooch."

  1. Series 3. Oversized Documents and Manuscripts
The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon

George Washington collection, 1654/1799

approx. 25 Linear Feet

This collection contains letters to and from George Washington that have been aquired by the MVLA since 1858. For more information, see content note for individal items. The collection grows organically as new items are acquired.

Top 3 results view all 9

Document, Expense report from George Washington's journey from Cambridge to New York, 1776 1 pages Box 2, Folder 1776.04

Expense report titled 'April 4 1776 An Account of Expences of His Excellency General Washington v. Guard, Waggons, horses, [and] waggoners, [etc etc] from Cambridge to New York - with several bills'. This report lists 24 expenses incurred by General George Washington and his Lifeguards on the journey from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to New York between April 4-13, 1776. Includes towns such as Providence, RI, and Norwich, CT, along with the amounts spent at each location and vendor names, taverns, etc. The total expense listed is £86.14.5. Autograph document, 1 page.

  1. Series 1. From George Washington, 1654/1799
The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon

Wayne Rickert collection of founders' autographs, 1770/1831

41 Sheets (2 boxes)

The collection contains 41 manuscripts dating 1770-1831. Many of the manuscripts date from the era of the American Revolution, and several are directly relevant to the course of the war. Among the documents are single letters by John Adams, Aaron Burr, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Hancock, Patrick Henry, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, Lafayette, James Madison, John Marshall, James Monroe, Paul Revere, and George Washington, as well as letters and other documents that include the signatures of signers of the Declaration of Independence.

3 results

Military Instructions, Stephen Hopkins to Col. Christopher Harris, 1755 1 pages Box 1, Folder 18

Stephen Hopkins, Governor of Rhode Island and signer of the Declaration of Independence, writes to Christopher Harris during the French and Indian War, ordering a Colonel to take forces to Albany and join Major General William Johnson for a campaign against the French at Crown Point. Autograph document, signed. 2 pages.

Military Order, Brigadier General Caesar Rodney to unknown, 1777 1 pages Box 2, Folder 34

Caesar Rodney, signer of the Declaration of Independence, writes to an unknown recipient, ordering "that the Guard be strengthened with a Captain and twenty four men to be furnished from all the Troops now in town proportion to their numbers". Autograph letter, signed. 1 page.

The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon

Richard H. Brown Revolutionary War Map Collection, 1740/1799

50 Linear Feet

This collection contains approximately 300 rare printed maps, unique manuscript maps, and published texts collected by Richard H. Brown, which pertain to the American Revolutionary War era.

2 results

Content Warning

ARVAS is an aggregator of archival resources. ARVAS does not have control of the descriptive language used in our members’ finding aids.

Finding aids may contain historical terms and phrases, reflecting the shared attitudes and values of the community from which they were collected, but are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical or mental ability; religion; sex; and sexual orientation and gender identity.

Many institutions and organizations are in the process of reviewing and revising their descriptive language, with the intent to describe materials in more humanizing, inclusive, and harm-reductive ways. As members revise their descriptive language, their changes will eventually be reflected in their ARVAS finding aids.