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 Washington's Birthday
The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon

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.

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.

Top 3 results view all 19
The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon

Historic ephemera collection, 1796/1986

1 Linear Feet

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

Top 3 results view all 4

Pamphlets about George Washington, 1732/1932 Box 1

Includes George Washington and the America Revolution Bicentennial 1776-1976 pamphlet, George Washington 1732-1799 Pictures of little known events pamphlets printed in 1963 and 1965, Honor to George Washington 1732-1932 compliments of the Pennsylvania railroad, Honor to George Washington 1732-1932 of Bicentenial Commission pamphlet, and Our Presidents pamphlet.

  1. Pamphlets, 1732/1946

Sheet music, 1930/1939 Box 3

Includes sheet music of George Washington's time Bicentennial, Father of the the land we love Bicentennial

  1. Sheet music, 1930/1949
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.

1 result
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.

1 result

Letter, from Jonathan Trumbull, Jr., 1799 Box 31, Folder 1799.02.22

Trumbull writes that he knows nothing of arrangements for paying amounts due on sets of prints ["Death of Warren," and "Death of Montgomery"] sent to Washington from London--he counsels don't send money to England--his brother John has agents (whom he names) handling affairs of the prints in the States--comments on "malign influence" in councils of state in Virginia--takes the opportunity of wishing Washington a happy birthday--extends his best wishes to Nelly Custis on her marriage to Lawrence Lewis.

  1. Series 2. To George Washington, 1755/1799

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.